Brunch at Angelo's

If you've ever been to Ann Arbor, you've probably already been to this place. Or at least heard of it.
But you'll also know how delicious the food is, so you'll still want to scroll down and look at the delicious pictures.
Am I right?


I thought so.
This week, Mallory and I decided to take advantage of a last-minute class cancellation to go to Angelo's for a late brunch. At 11:30, we hiked through the freezing rain (which later turned to hail, which turned into a winter storm, which made Ann Arbor look like Narnia...you get the idea) to get to the holy grail of diner food.
Sitting very close to the north edge of campus, Angelo's is a classic breakfast and lunch spot that specializes in homemade raisin toast and amazing fried potatoes. During freshman year, my dorm didn't have a cafeteria, so I spent most weekends ordering buckets of eggs and potatoes from this place to feed my breakfast food cravings.

Within minutes, we were drowning in warm mugs of coffee, being refreshed at an amazingly fast pace by our excellent waiter, and mulling over the menu.

After 30 seconds, we both admitted that we'd already looked up the menus online and made our decisions ahead of time.

Food is serious business, and preparation is key.

Mallory chose an spinach and egg white omelette with dry whole wheat toast.

I opted for the same thing that I always carried out in my younger days - two eggs, scrambled, with breakfast potatoes and buttered raisin toast.

Look at that forced smile, I can barely stand to pose for a picture long enough for it to be taken because I'm so eager to start eating.
But can you blame me? Look at this glorious plate.

Pure. Bliss.
I absolutely LOVE the breakfast potatoes here. I'm such a breakfast potato snob, and I can honestly say that these are some of the best I've had. 
And don't forget the toast. The toast is important.

Mallory and I munched away for an hour or so, getting spoiled with continuous coffee refills as we chatted about the Oscars and remained safely out of the rain. I wish I could spend every morning enjoying such a feast.
If you like the look of Angelo's, or if you haven't stopped in for awhile, I highly recommend popping in during the late morning on a weekday. Angelo's is usually incredibly busy on weekends and have a wait to sit down, but Mallory and I were one of 4 or 5 tables in the restaurant the entire time we were there. Trust me, it's worth taking a weekday morning off to treat yourself.

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Breakfast with Bread

You've probably heard many people tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
In an effort to not offend the other two meals in a day, I won't call breakfast the most important. I will, however, call it the most delicious.
Especially when done my way. Two soft boiled eggs, a few strips of toast, and a steaming mug of hot coffee.
Now that's a wake-up.

If you're drooling all over your keyboard, fear not! This is probably one of the simplest and quickest breakfasts to make that you can whip up yourself in a few short minutes.

For those of you who've never boiled eggs before, you'll need a small pot filled with water. Sprinkle on some salt and bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, pop your eggs into the water. Be sure to do this VERY slowly so that the heat doesn't crack your cold eggs (in fact, feel free to leave your eggs out for 10 minutes before cooking so that they warm up a bit):
large eggs - 4 minutes
xtra large eggs - 4.5 minutes

jumbo eggs - 4.5-5 minutes
(depending on how runny you like your yolks).

Then just pull em out, toast some bread and enjoy your golden-centered breakfast. Don't forget to dip your bread into the yolk!

If you live in a dorm, or some other sort of small habitat without a stove, fear not! Thanks to Nordic Ware, all you need is a microwave and this egg boiler:

Fill this giant egg with water, pop in your real eggs, and microwave them until they're done. Find it online here.

Additionally, you'll need some sort of egg holders to keep your breakfast upright while you eat it (and trust me, holding it with your hand is the fast track to burned fingers). My little white egg holders are from IKEA, and at $2.99 per cup, they're an excellent deal. You can also order some online here.

For those of you wondering why a recipe blog is featuring something as simple as soft boiled eggs, I must confess that I have a personal attachment to them. To me, soft boiled eggs always means holidays. Every New Years and Christmas breakfast came equipped with at least one or two of these bad boys standing up straight on your plate, ready to be devoured. The best part? They came with little warming hats on them like these:

Find the pink one online here, the elephants here.

I loved these little crocheted cuties so much, I requested one be put on my hard boiled egg when I was a child (I hadn't yet developed the adult taste for runny yolk).
Nowadays, these eggs are my quick, easy and filling breakfast. Less calories than frying or scrambling, and so much more fun to eat.
xx

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TK WU

Yesterday, I was seriously craving some Chinese food. And not the gross kind, where the eggdrop soup is salty enough to kill you and the rice is dryer than cardboard.
I wanted good Chinese food.

Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to try out TK WU, a small Chinese joint that I've passed more times than I can count, but, for some reason, never ventured inside. Fortunately, Mallory was in the mood for some Chinese too, so she accompanied me on my quest.

The atmosphere inside was cozy and quaint, and the walls were adorned with the typical cultural artifacts that can be found in most Asian-themed restaurants. Since decor is no indication of food quality, there was no better litmus test than ordering our favorite dishes and trying them.

We each started off with a cup of soup. I grabbed my favorite, wonton.

And Mallory opted for sweet and sour soup.

Now, I can't speak for Mallory, but my wonton was delicious. I'm all too accustomed to ordering wonton soup from various takeout restaurants, only to be disappointed by a watered-down bowl with limp noodles that have cooked in the same broth for hours. The noodles in this soup still had their shape, meaning it was very freshly made, and the broth was spicy and delicious.

For the main course, Mallory and I decided to split an order of chicken lo mein. Good thing we did, because we were served Mount Everest of noodles.

Can you believe this enormous bowl was only $8.95?

The food came exceptionally quickly, which was fortunate since we only had an hour to scarf down our food. And it was absolutely delicious! Crispy chicken, well-seasoned noodles that weren't too oily, and, above all, fresh.

I think we liked it, don't you?

Of course, before we made our exit, we had to check out our fortunes...

I think I've found my new spot for Chinese takeout!

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A Blonde at Bimbos

When I spent the past weekend at Kalamazoo, Smashburger wasn't the only restaurant I visited. My boyfriend and I hit up our favorite pizza joint within two hours of my arrival.
It's kind of a funny story how this place ended up as one of our favorites. Last year, when I was making my typical weekend visit, we headed downtown for dinner and a movie. Most of the restaurants were bars, and seeing as we couldn't drink, we were looking for something a little more our style. Running a bit short on time, we popped into a pizza joint called Bimbos. On a whim, we ordered a medium pizza with pineapple, ham, and bacon, and were instantly hooked. We're now regulars here.

The worn look of the old brick building implies that the restaurant has been a family gig for several generations. And sure enough, the counter is covered in old photos signifying how the restaurant has changed hands through relatives.
I assume the original owners came straight from Italy, because this pizza is truly some of the best pizza I've ever had. Crispy crunchy thin crusts piled high with toppings and sliced into squares.

This time, my boyfriend and I took our pizza to go. 

Behold the most amazing combination to ever sit on top of bread. Sweet and juicy pineapple, thick cut ham, and bacon, bacon, bacon.

If you ever find yourself on the west side of the state, head downtown to 338 E. Michigan Ave and grab yourself a pie. 

I'm already having withdrawals.

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Frita Batidos

After much poking and prodding from my friends (and a healthy dose of curiosity from myself), I finally caved in and went to review Frita Batidos.
Nestled on Washington right past Main St., this casual Cuban restaurant is a bit of a walk for students, but incredibly worth it. After all, when a Top Chef runs a restaurant of affordable burgers, fries, shakes and snacks, you've just gotta give it a chance!
Speaking of affordability, Frita's cuisine and atmosphere mimic that of an outdoor market or food cart. Between the low-priced handhelds and bleached picnic tables, eating here makes you feel like you're basking on the beach in the Cuban sun. I can imagine myself coming here often to escape the harsh Michigan winter.

I met Matt for a late lunch on Saturday afternoon. Since it was game day, Matt was reppin his U of M pride.

 
After a few confusing moments of reading the menu (here's a hint: Fritas are the cuban-style burgers topped with fries on a brioche bun, and Batidos are creamy tropical milkshake/smoothies), we settled on two Fritas.

I ordered a fish frita topped with cilantro-lime salsa.

Matt ordered a yummy passion fruit batido...

..and an enormous chicken frita topped with muenster cheese and cilantro-lime salsa.

Since I didn't order a batido, I had to grab something sweet for dessert...
My choice? Churros with chocolate español.

I mistakenly ordered a full order of churros (3), thinking that each one would be pencil-thin and 5-6 inches long. In reality, these monsters are each about the size and width of my forearm.

For those of you who are wondering, the chocolate español is a thick cup of cinnamon-infused hot chocolate.

And yes, the objective with this dish is to dip your churros into the chocolate.

I don't recommend drinking the chocolate plain, but it makes a decadent dipping sauce for your churros! Given the sheer size of this dessert, I recommend coming here with a friend for a sweet afternoon snack.

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