Frugal Floozie Friday - Curry Up

My friend Ingrid Ault had been watching Curry Up, on Nixon Road, as zealously as I had, waiting desperately for this new restaurant, which serves Indian street food, to open.

Well, apparently so had much of the city. Each time I go by now, and when Ingrid and I shared a fabulous dinner there recently, the place has been filled with diners and also busy with take-out customers. And with good reason - the service is friendly, and the food is exceptional!

There were many options that meet our mandatory $5 per person budget, so it was really hard to choose what to try first. We scoped out what others were eating, and Ingrid approached one group to find out what they'd ordered, seeking guidance to help narrow down the options. Before they left, they also came to visit our table and noted our recommendations. The atmosphere in this small restaurant was very warm, welcoming, and convivial.

Ultimately, Ingrid ordered the Pani Puri, pictured above, for $4.79. These are described simply as "Hollow puris filled with Potatoes & Spicy Tangy Water," a woefully inadequate synopsis for a dish with so much flavor. The crisp puri - the small spheres - are light, and let the flavor of the filling come through distinctly. The tangy water - which you drizzle into the center of the puri - is tamarind-based, and there are two different dipping sauces for creating even more complex flavor combinations. Eight puris make a great meal for one or a snack for two.

I ordered the Vada and Sambhar - "Lentil Dumplings served with CURRY UP Sambhar" - for $4.99. I love this dish, and have even bought inferior frozen varieties at times, just to have a stash on hand for when cravings strike. The dumplings are somewhat reminiscent of dense, savory doughnuts; the sauce is spicy, but not too hot. It's simple comfort food.

Ingrid also ordered the Mysore Masala dosa, a "Crepe Layered Inside with Onion & Coconut Chutneys." To say that the dosa was enormous is quite the understatement! At $7.99, this is a great deal to split with a loved one; even the heartiest appetite couldn't finish it alone. The crepe is stuffed, adding to its substance; and it is also served with the Sambhar sauce, in addition to the listed chutneys.

My other choice was the Samosas, two for $2.49: "Deep Fried Pastry stuffed with Potatoes & Peas." These are very large - the size of a tennis ball - and generously filled. The samosas are expertly fried, very crisp but not at all greasy. You'll want to share, because they're so good; but you'll also be tempted to savor them both yourself, for the very same reason.

There are lots of dishes that cost $5 or less as a whole, as well as others that are easily split to come in under our $5 per person budget. Many, many dishes are vegetarian; those that aren't are made with Halal chicken. Snacks, such as pappadam are available; and you can also find substantial items like wraps and sandwiches, as well as beverages and entrees.

Ingrid and I had enjoyed our meal immensely, so leftovers were fairly scarce. But we did have a lot of the sauces left, which I hated to waste. I asked if I could have small take-out containers for them, so that I could put them to good use at home. Whereas I was once - at a different restaurant - treated as a bit of a kook for this behavior, the staff at Curry Up was more than happy to help me pack things up. (See this coming Wednesday's AnnArbor.com post for the chickpea dish I made with the Sambhar sauce.)

Curry Up is a most welcome addition to the Plymouth Road corridor, offering great food, friendly service, and excellent prices!


Curry Up
2711 Plymouth Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
734-418-3175



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Frugal Floozie Friday -- Mark's Carts

It's Frugal Floozie Friday, and today's adventure takes us to a place with a tremendous variety of foods. No, it's not a buffet; but it's a bit reminiscent of one, as you can choose a little bit here, something else there, and be lured by the temptation of a rich treat off in the corner.

Today we're visiting Mark's Carts, a courtyard in downtown Ann Arbor filled with street food carts featuring everything from comfort foods to ethnic dishes, from sandwiches to desserts.

Tom and I perused all of the available offerings, though unfortunately there wasn't a complete array as we were there early in the evening and each cart keeps differing hours. Apparently things really get going after 6 p.m. on Friday nights, with all of the vendors open and live music contributing to the festive ambience.

We decided to try a bit from each of the three carts that were ready and waiting for us. A Thai-style salad with peanut dressing from The Lunch Room was our opening act, a light dish of rice noodles with bright, colorful vegetables.

We had a wonderful chat with cart co-owner Phillis Engelbert, whose smile and enthusiasm are irresistable. Her cart's menu is vegan, and features everything from a barbecue tofu sandwich with slaw to large cookies (Blackstrap molasses gingersnaps, Mexican hot chocolate). And Phillis even told me that adults are welcome to order the fabulous "kids' meal": peanut butter and jelly sandwich, applesauce, carrot sticks, and a chocolate chip cookie -- a healthy happy meal for only $5. Bike delivery is available at lunchtime, if you're having a craving and can't get out of the office.

To go with the salad, we ordered a bratwurst on a crispy toasted bun from Eat. This was topped with sauerkraut from Ann Arbor's own The Brinery, which specializes in fermented vegetables (and makes a kimchi which Tom adores!).

At $6 for this portion of our meal plus $4 for the salad, the mainstay of our shared dinner came in at precisely $5 per person, our Frugal Floozie Friday budget limit, and featured an entire array of handmade and locally sourced foods that were good both for us and for Michigan's economy ... how great is that?

And yet, the pièce de résistance was a flourless chocolate cake purchased at Darcy's Cart, which was topped with an amazingly generous slathering of homemade whipped cream (cream-to-cake ration of 2:1!). You can pay $3 for just the cake, but why not invest the extra $1 for the cream? Coupled with a refreshing $2 lemonade from the Eat cart, sharing the sweet portion of our meal provided another less-than-$5 per person option, perfect for an after-dinner treat.

But let me get on to describing the "cake," which was really more of a dense fudge than a traditional flourless dessert (i.e.: one made with ground nuts). It was so rich and luscious, and it really benefitted from the not-too-sweet cream that helped to balance the depth of its intensity.

Darcy's Cart, like the other vendors in the courtyard, proudly cooks with Michigan products and features a bulletin board giving credit to those who've contributed to that day's offerings:


Mark's Carts is a great idea, leaping into the street food phenomenon so popular in larger cities and helping to promote both local vendors and the Michigan suppliers whom they support. Head on over some time, and eat a little here and a little there - a wide variety of cuisines and treats - and enjoy the summer weather while having a fabulous meal!

Mark's Carts
211 W. Washington
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
734-224-8859


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