My friend Ruth Kraut "won" me last fall at Gimme Shelter, the primary fundraising event for Alpha House, which provides shelter and other support services to homeless families. I had donated a gift certificate to the silent auction, offering a chance to join me for a Frugal Floozie Friday write-up. When offering these donations, one wonders who's bidding and who'll come out victorious. I was thrilled to learn that Ruth and I would be sharing a food tasting adventure!
We were finally able to schedule our lunch date, and had a fabulous time - and a great meal - at Grizzly Peak Brewing Company. We were seeking vegetarian options, and my auction package had included an offer to order - and perhaps share, dependent upon price - an assortment of treats. So we debated among the bruschetta topped with tomatoes, basil, olives, garlic, and parmesan; the polenta fries served with housemade "catsup," recommended by our charming waiter; several varieties of the hearth-baked pizzas; and cheddar and ale soup. Each dish was tempting, each had merit.
We settled on three things, sharing each not only so that we could both have tastes, but because the servings were more than generous.
As Ruth and I talked about our children, about blogging, about work, about barbecue competitions (Memphis in May as well as the kosher answer to this "Super Bowl of Swine," the ASBEE Kosher BBQ Contest), and about many other things, we started our meal with the soft warm pretzels pictured above, served with a hard cider-infused cheddar dipping sauce. With four large, tender breadsticks in the basket, as well as the rich cheese accompaniment, at $8.95 this was a great appetizer for two within our mandatory $5 per person budget.Next we shared a pizza which, as Ruth noted, was truly large enough to have been our entire meal without any other dishes. We chose the one with roasted bell peppers and artichoke hearts, which was beautiful and flavorful all at once. For only $7.95, this was an exceptional value for a large amount of food.
We couldn't leave without dessert, especially since an AnnArbor.com reader who posts as DBH had recommended that I try the restaurant's cherry bread pudding.
At $4.95, Ruth and I could each have ordered our own and stayed within the budget; but it was rich enough - and we'd already enjoyed enough other items - that splitting it was perfect. (Our waiter even brought us individual plates, each with its own half-portion.)If you ever just want coffee and a little sweet "something" to share with a date, I would highly recommend this. Featuring white chocolate, toasted pecans, and numerous tart cherries, the pudding is drizzled with a bourbon-caramel sauce that was an ideal accompaniment.
For attentive and friendly service, warm ambience, and excellent food that offers great value and numerous frugal options, Grizzly Peak is a wonderful place to enjoy a meal with loved ones.
Grizzly Peak Brewing Company
120 West Washington
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
734-741-7325
Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. - 11 p.m.
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4 comments:
So I'm confused. I was originally under the impression that your $5 per person budget is for a meal. But your choices in this article seem to imply that you're settling for $5 per person per course - $15/person. While that may be frugal by Ann Arbor standards, I'm not sure it qualifies in general. And I certainly wouldn't think that four breadsticks qualifies as a meal for two... Any clarification?
Frugal Floozie Friday has never been about $5 per meal - that's virtually impossible, though I have managed to do it sometimes! It's *ALWAYS* - for nearly 2 years now - been about $5 per person, and what can be enjoyed for that. I like to support mom 'n' pop-type places, I like to find things that are unexpected. So the breadsticks aren't a meal by any means, but a really nice snack that qualifies in the mandatory price range when you share the treat with a friend - food is not just about sustenance, but also about sociability and forming/reinforcing bonds. Dessert cost less than $5 total, without even sharing. And I like to try several different options, to show the variety; so my meal costs more than $5 in order to have more tastes and more photo ops, so readers can find the $5 choice that calls to them ....
That cheese sauce and bread sticks...give me that please.
This is cool!
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