Frugal Floozie Friday - Cafe Ollie

I've had the great good fortune to visit Cafe Ollie twice recently - once with my very dear friend Sarah (who just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl this past weekend!), and once with Jeremy and his best buddy, Mitch.  Since the restaurant is so warm and wonderful, and such a supporter of Michigan products, it was time to feature it today for Frugal Floozie Friday.

Sarah and I each enjoyed a refreshing dish of Guernsey Farms Dairy's McGuire's Irish Mint ice cream, produced not too far from Ann Arbor in Northville, which was perfect on one of those way-too-early-to-be-summer days that found their way to Michigan before it was even officially Spring.  A single scoop - in either a cone or a lovely sundae glass - costs only $2.75, leaving plenty of room in our mandatory $5 per person budget to buy a local favorite: Faygo soda "made with real sugar in glass bottles."

Cafe Ollie also features daily soups, an assortment of coffees and teas, and baked goods made from scratch (like the fabulous sweets pictured above).  Sarah and I had originally intended to treat ourselves to cupcakes, but the ice cream was calling more loudly on a hot afternoon.  We met just after 4 p.m., and were having such a grand time - truly, talking about everything from family to antique heating grates to Jewish law! - that we ended up closing the place just before 8 p.m., with only the gentlest nudge from the very sweet waitress just as she started to clean up.  Many places would be loathe to let you loiter for quite that long, but we were welcomed stay right until the end of the day.

The next week, Jeremy and Mitch and I sat in the sun on the deck and enjoyed a late lunch of sandwiches, which are served with Detroit's own Better Made potato chips and Perkins Pickles.  For the exceptional price of $7, Jeremy and Mitch split the Reubenesque, Cafe Ollie's own Reuben sandwich.  (Regular readers know that Jeremy will inevitably order a Reuben if he finds one on a menu, and can pontificate at great length about the pros and cons of each one!)  Jeremy gave this sandwich high points for generosity of filling, tenderness of meat, and - most importantly - excellent flavor.

Cafe Ollie features a menu filled with creative sandwiches and salads, and caters to carnivores, vegetarians, and even vegans specifically.  So whether you're looking for a light meal, a sweet treat, or some combination thereof - and no matter what your dietary preferences - you can absolutely find something delicious to eat.

And once you've finished eating, you want to meander next door to the fabulous shop that's also owned by Cafe Ollie's owners, Danielle Scherwin-Teachout and her husband, Mark Teachout.  (If you don't find them on one side of the doorway, you'll find them on the other.)  I first told you about the Michigan General Store in my post about Buffalo Celery Sticks, in which I used some Cajun-flavored chips I'd found at the shop to create a great variation on the famous wings.  You can find so many, many exceptional items at this store, from salsas and mustards to wines and beers to smoked fish and cherry caramels, all made proudly here in Michigan.

So stop by Cafe Ollie and the Michigan General Store.  Enjoy delicious food and a warm welcome, and support both a local business and the Great Lakes State!

Cafe Ollie
42 E. Cross St.
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
734-482-8050

Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.



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Buffalo Celery Sticks

Cool and crisp, these blue cheese-filled celery sticks are a great snack.   The crushed corn chips on top offer a bit of contrasting spice, too, with Cajun flavoring.  These are not necessarily photogenic, but they're fabulous nonetheless!

The notion for this recipe came to me in a flash as I perused all the lovely goodies at the new Michigan General Store in Ypsilanti.  Oh, it's so much fun to shop there!  My favorite treats so far are the Great Lakes kettle cooked potato chips, made with potatoes grown in the state, and buttery, creamy tart cherry-flavored caramels ... sigh.  Garlicky pickles, hot sauces, beers, shortbread cookies, candies, smoked fish dips - there are so many amazing products, all proudly made right here in Michigan.  And the wines you can buy there are lovely served in beautiful glasses etched with the famous mitten shape of our state, which you'll also find just waiting for you at the shop.

As I admired the bounty, I saw Cajun tortilla chips made right in Ypsilanti ... I heard them calling to me.  With a clear vision, I thought of combining these treats into an homage to all the flavors of a traditional plate of Buffalo wings - cooling sticks of celery, blue cheese dip, spicy sauce - but without the chicken part of the equation.

Whether serving these while watching a sporting event or a movie, or serving them at a party, they're an easy and fun food to offer.  Buy dairy products and celery from Michigan to go with the tortilla chips when making this recipe, and your entire feast can celebrate the Great Lakes State!


Buffalo Celery Sticks

1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
several splashes cayenne pepper sauce
2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large stalk celery, cut into 5" ribs
1 cup Cajun-flavored corn chips (see note below)

Combine sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, blue cheese, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl; cover and let rest overnight.

Spread the blue cheese dip down the center of the celery ribs. Crush the corn chips and press the celery ribs upside-down into the crumbs to coat the dip with them. Place onto a serving dish.

Makes 12 or more Buffalo Celery Sticks.

Note: If you don't have access to Cajun-flavored chips, you can use either corn or potato chips and sprinkle them with Cajun seasoning.

Michigan General Store
44 E. Cross Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
734-961-8039




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