Week Off at Home

What an awesome week off with my perennial dining companion. We saw great hockey (both at Yost and the Olympic hockey on TV) , ate amazingly good omelettes at Gest in Redford (http://gestomelettes.com/menu1a.htm) , got to see my Mom and Dutch and have great food at the Red Cedar Grill (see previous post). I had a good, fun sports night tonight (ties in both hockey and soccer - plus I scored the goal to tie in the soccer game so we didn't lose with 24 seconds left). My CRF kitty, Phoebe, didn't die despite a crash. And we experienced the worst weather week in Michigan this winter, but we didn't have to commute. My perennial dining companion was well-prepared for his Finance final (MSU Executive MBA program). I read several excellent books by Louise Penny (The Inspector Gamache Series). All good stuff. Now I just need to fit in some French Toast at Angelo's and I will be all set for awhile..... The batteries are recharged - look out world!

Senior Day - U of M Hockey

Tonight we said goodbye and thank you to the University of Michigan hockey team's graduating class of 2010. They went out in style following a 4-0 victory over Notre Dame. We will miss the steadiness of Chris Summers, the captain, at the blue line and Brian Lebler as a consistent, solid wing. I will miss watching Steve Kampfer skate (and shoot). This class saw much success and helped continue the traditions of this amazing program. Thank you and best of luck.

Red Cedar Grill

We celebrated my dad's birthday a little late this year. His birthday is in February and it is not unusual between our U of M hockey tickets and the Michigan weather to get together after the fact. My mom, dad, perennial dining companion and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at The Red Cedar Grill (http://redcedargrill.com/) this week. I had the macaroni and cheese with chicken, my mom had the brick chicken and both my husband and perennial dining companion had the house sirloin. The entrees were tasty, the Manhattans tasty (for the men in our party) and the Short's IPA I had was quite tasty (after I get over my initial disappointment that there were no Bell's brews on tap, I was please to discover a more than adequate substitute). The desserts (either a skillet cake or a toll house bar topped with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge) were amazingly decadent. A great evening for sure.

Happy and Sad in Northville

It is with a true sadness of spirit I discovered Little Italy is closed due to a building fire in August. I hope they return. Truly wonderful food in a charming atmosphere.

That said, we discovered a new gem tonight in downtown Northville, Table 5 (http://table5.net/). The food, atmosphere and service were all excellent. I had the the flat iron steak and wedge salad and my perennial dining companion enjoyed the carrot soup and the fresh catch of the day which was grouper over soba noodles. The food was outstanding and we will be back, hopefully with guests.

Ann Arbor Folk Festival and The Bad Plus

The headliners at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival, a 2-Day annual event in late January as a fundraiser for The Ark (www.theark.org), are always fabulous. But, beyond the fundraising, it is the discovery of new music and bands that makes the event so worthwhile. All the bands were good, but there were two that struck as "keepers". The first, Hoots and Hellmouth (http://hootsandhellmouth.com/ ) was electrifying. High-energy to the extreme, this band played with a precision and skill and passion that had the entire audience enthralled. Perhaps best described as "punk grass", this band brought down the house Friday night and was asked back on Saturday. We will be back to see them in April at The Ark. The second band we especially enjoyed, The Hot Club of Cowtown, played only on Saturday. Another energetic and extremely talented band, this trio brought the crowd to its feet with their brand of Texas swing and charm. We will be back to see this band at The Ark in April as well. Visit their website http://hotclubofcowtown.com/.

We also were lucky enough to see The Bad Plus, http://www.thebadplus.com/, at The Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre in Ann Arbor. This progressive jazz trio (piano, bass and drums) gave a fantastic musical performance the likes of which I can honestly say I've never heard before. Not afraid to get outside the comfort zone of the audience, the band entertained us both with their music and their interaction with each other. See them if you can.

After The Bad Plus concert, we ventured into Ypsilanti to eat at one of my favorite places, Sidetrack. (http://www.sidetrackbarandgrill.com/). I ordered the black bean tacos (the black bean chunks are hand rolled and beyond tasty) and my perennial dining companion had the lake perch and fries. 2 Hearted Ale is on tap (as well as many other beers including quite a few local varieties) which is always a plus. Great music plus great food equals a great evening.