Seoul Street - Authentic * Bold* Korean

1771 Plymouth Rd.
Suite 101Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: 734.719.0085
Hours:
Sunday - Thursday 11am - 10:30pm
Friday & Saturday 11am - Midnight
Price: $$



www.eatseoulstreet.com
Seoul Street Menu


Seoul Street is what I would call a hidden gem, literally.  Unless you know this restaurant exists it would be pretty impossible to find.  Located on the back side of the Upland Green Plaza right behind Great Plains Burger Co. a small yard sign with arrows directing you to the back of the building is the only indication Seoul Street is there.  


I was skeptical when it came to trying this restaurant.  I have only had Korean food once before and lets just say I wasn't a fan.  Lindsey @ Munchin' Michigander on the other hand is a huge fan of Korean food, especially Bibimbop, and insisted we give this place a try.  Knowing there were a handful of other restaurants in the same strip I could visit if nothing on the menu looked good to me, I decided we could give it a shot.  After looking at the menu Lindsey decided on Bibimbop and I chose their $7.50 Street Deal choosing Boneless Strips and Mandoo.

Bibimbop with marinated rib-eye steak $8.00

Grandma Hong's Mandoo - Vegetable (ordered as part of the $7.50 Street Deal)

Boneless Strips (ordered as part of the $7.50 Street Deal)
Leftt: Soy Garlic  Right: Hot & Spicy

The food arrived after a short wait and it looked amazing.  If you order chicken be prepared to wait about 20 minutes because the chicken is hand breaded and prepared when ordered.  It is defiantly worth the wait.  I ordered my chicken strips as a split order getting two of them glazed in their soy garlic sauce and two of them glazed in their hot & spicy sauce.  Both were amazing.  The chicken is pound thin, hand breaded and deep fried.  While slightly different then the traditional chicken strip they should defiantly make your must try list.  Along with these I had Grandma Hong's Mandoo.  Made fresh these little dumplings are hard to describe but another must try.  The Bibimbop was another dish that didn't disappoint.  The serving was generous and the ingredients fresh.  This restaurant changed my opnion of Korean food.  Regardless of what you chose to order at Seoul Street you can't go wrong everything is delicious.     

Leslie @ Munchin' Michigander 

Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co.

117 W Jamet
at I-75 exit 339 SouthMackinaw City, MI 49701
Phone: 231.436.8202
Open May to October
Price: $$

www.mackinawpastie.com
Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co. Menu


When it comes to food Northern Michigan is known for one thing, Pasties.  On a recent trip to Mackinaw City I was on a mission to find the best pastie in the area.  Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co. was located within walking distance of our hotel.  After checking in and settling in, we ventured out looking for dinner.  I was shocked, the city was full of gimmicky restaurants and tourist traps.  I guess I shouldn't have expected more from a city full of tourists.  The few restaurants that did not look like attractions were deserted.  With Pasties on my mind I decided to skip the tourist traps and seek out the one thing I was hoping to try.  Almost every restaurant in the area advertised pasties.  It was hard to know which one was worth trying, but my mind kept going back to the little pastie shop by the hotel that looked as if it exclusively served  pasties.  


When you walk in the front door of Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co. you are greeted by a menu board displaying a handful of pastie options, and a counter where you place your order.  Just past the counter you are lead into a small dining area complete with plastic table clothes.  The decor was dated but it had that delicious hole in the wall feel.  We placed our order for a Pastie Stroganoff and a Pastie Grande and patiently waited for the to be prepared.  

Left: Pastie Stroganoff $7.29    Right: Pastie Grande $7.69

Once our order arrived we couldn't wait to dig in.  I ordered the Pastie Grande which is a fresh baked pastie topped with taco sauce, cheddar cheese and sour cream.  All I have to say it was AMAZING.  The filling inside the pastie was not bland at all and the crust was perfect, not to thick and not to thin.  While I was inhaling my pastie I couldn't help to drool over the Pastie Stroganoff next to me which is a beef pastie topped with a special blend of gravy, sour cream and chives.  Like mine it smelled delicious.  If I had room in my stomach I would have ordered one of everything on the menu just to try it.  


Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co. left such an impression on us we rearranged our coolers, make a special trip on our way home to stock up on frozen pasties.  We were also excited to learn that they ship !!!  I am sure I will be ordering more soon.   


Leslie @ Munchin' Michigander

Restaurant Review: Zamaan Cafe - Ann Arbor

3580 Plymouth Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: 734.213.3350
Hours:
Monday - Friday 10am - 10pm
Saturday 11am -10pm
Sunday 11am - 9pm
Price: $$

Hungry the other night, I decided to sift through my pile of coupons and try something new.  I cam across a coupon I had clipped out of a monthly coupon mailer for Zamaan Cafe.  I am in love with Mediterranean food (especially chicken shawarma sandwiches) so I thought I would check to see where this restaurant was.  When I looked at the address on the coupon I discovered it was located only about a mile and a half from where I live.  How did I not know there was a Mediterranean restaurant so close to home.  I immediately called the number on the coupon and ordered my stand by favorite, a chicken shawarma and fattoush salad. 

When ordering I was asked if I wanted the traditional chicken shawarma or the one with feta cheese.  A chicken shawaram with feta was a new concept to me, I have been to a lot of Mediterranean restaurants but I have never seen this on the menu. 

Once home with my take out, I could hardly wait to dig in.  Everything looked and smelled delicious  My first bite was of my fattoush salad.  The dressing was yummy, but overall I thought the salad was a little heavy on the lettuce and a little light on the cucumbers, tomatoes, and other yummy additions.  Overall the salad was average.  Next I bit into my shwarma and OMG feta should be a standard addition.  The sandwich its self was average, like the salad, but the addition of the feta made it AMAZING.  I will for sure be ordering this addition on every chicken shawarma I order from now on. 

Zamaan has a pretty good combo deal, a sandwich with your choice of salad, fries, or rice for $6.99.   Not a bad deal for something much healthier then fast food. The food was good, but pretty average compared to other Mediterranean restaurants in the area. 

Leslie @ Munchin' Michigander

Restaurant Review: Gabriel's - Ypsilanti, MI

2585 E.Michigan 
Avenue     
Ypsilanti, MI 48185 
(1 additional Location)
Phone: 734.483.5846
Hours:
Monday-Sunday: 10am - 9pm

Sunday: 11am - 9pm
Price: $$
 




www.gabrielscheesesteaks.com

Gabriel's Menu

Have you heard the idiom, "don't judge a book by its cover"? Garbriel's is a prime example of why you should not prejudge this restaurant due to the location, menu size, or its exterior appearance. What we found inside this red and yellow dive was a cheese steak hoagie that could turn a Philadelphian into a Michigander!

Gabriel's is small and dingy, but the kind of dingy where you know food must be good as there was a steady flow of customers coming in the door. It could probably seat about 25 people, though many customers opted to take their sandwiches to go. With only four sandwiches to choose from, this may have been the smallest menu I had ever seen. Leslie and I both ordered the cheese steak hoagie with a side of  peppers.

After a short wait, I was unwrapping my cheese steak from unbranded paper that reminded me of something a department store cashier would  use to wrap up something fragile. The bun was lined with American cheese and stuffed with steaming hot paper thin slices of ribeye and sauteed onions. I topped off my hoagie with a tangy-diced hot cherry pepper relish, or in Gabriel's lingo -- a side of peppers. 

It was mouth watering delicious! If I even thought I could squeeze a couple more ounces of food in my stomach, I might have ordered a second. This cheese steak hoagie was far from the ordinary over processed burger and greasy french fry meal. There were no liquid renderings running down my palm. Nor any drips on my shirt leaving behind the evidence of a sinful meal. But it tasted like there should have been! This sandwich is a broke college kids late night dream food. Too bad it's not a little bit closer to Eastern Michigan University's campus. 

Lindsey @ Munchin' Michigander

Restaurant Review: Brown's Root Beer & Sandwich Shop - South Lyon, MI

399 South Lafayette Street
South Lyon, MI 48178-1407
Phone: (248) 437-6376
Hours: Call
Price: $$





www.brownsrootbeer.com
Brown's Menu

Bown's Root Beer & Sandwich Shop has been on my restaurants to try list for about 3 years now. From a quick glance it appears to be a small eat in diner with an exterior ambiance of an A&W drive-in. Catering to the hungry the menu features coney dogs, burgers, chili cheese fries, and an array of sandwich creations. I decided to try their coney dog as was voted the best coney in 2010 by the local new paper. The chili had great flavor, with just a touch of heat. As for the rest of the food, it was run of the mill. My husband had a burger and he complained that it was very dry. Ewww....nothing worse than a dry burger!

Coke with Cherry Syrup, Coney, and Onion Rings

However, if your sweet tooth needs to be satisfied then you're in luck! Brown's fountain drink menu is top notch featuring root beer (they make their own), Vernors, and Coca-cola that can be flavor enhanced with cherry, vanilla or chocolate syrup. Looking for something a little more creamy? How about a root beer float, black cow, or the Michigan favorite, a Boston cooler? I went with a Michigan made product, a Saunders hot fudge cream puff. It was delish! Nothing beats Saunders hot fudge on top of a cream puff shell that is filled with vanilla ice cream.

Saunder Hot Fudge Cream Puff

If you want to try Brown's Root Beer & Sandwich Shop my advice is to call first for the hours. They do not appear to have set hours of business, and were closing for the day at 3pm on a Saturday. 

Lindsey @ Munchin' Michigander

Restaurant Review: Big Ten Burrito - Ann Arbor, MI

810 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(1 additional Location)
Phone: 734.222.4822
Hours:
Monday-Sunday: 11am - 4am
Price: $$

www.btbburrito.com
Big Ten Burrito Menu
  

Big Ten Burrito is by far one of my favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor to get delicious, yet fast take out.  BTB (as the locals call ) has two locations in Ann Arbor, BTB on State Street and the BTB Cantina  on South University.  Both locations serve the same delicious food, but the Cantina has a lot more seating and serves alcohol.  I chose to visit the State Street location for this review.

Big Ten Burrito is the place to go when you want something filling and only have a few bucks in your pocket.  The space is small, but the food comes out fast and freshly made.  In my opinion it is a healthier, inexpensive alternative to fast food.  The menu is large serving burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas, tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, and salads.  They also have a huge choice of delicious fillings including vegetarian, roasted veggie, grilled chicken, shredded chicken, ground beef, and steak.  When it comes to the burritos and chimichangas there is a choice between regular, delux, and giant.  The regular size uses one huge flour tortilla making a massive burrito, giant uses two of these tortillas making a burrito big enough for two, and deluxe adds sour cream and guacamole on the side.  The best thing about BTB's menu is that the price you see on the menu is the price you pay.  They have factored the tax into each menu item making it a great option when you only have a few bucks in your pocket.

Grilled Chicken Chimichanga Deluxe $8.00

My absolute favorite item on BTB's menu is the deep fried goodness known as the grilled chicken chimichanga deluxe.  They start with a huge flour tortilla and fill it with pinto beans, rice, cheese, salsa, and grilled chicken, wrap it up tightly and pop it in the deep fryer until it is a light crispy golden brown.  Once it comes out of the fryer it is served with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and more cheese on the side.

Grilled Chicken Chimichanga Delux $8.00

I have been visiting BTB for years and I have to say I have yet to be disappointed.  The food is always consistently delicious.  The prices are unbeatable, and with their hours keeping them open till 4am they are the perfect option for the late night studiers as well as those looking for a snack after the bars close.

Leslie @ Munchin' Michigander