the Grange kitchen

I've read varying reviews online about Grange, a new locavore restaurant in Ann Arbor, some good, some not so. Despite some of the less than positive comments, my husband and I went last night. We were looking for quick bar food before going to see the Berlin Philharmonic over at Hill Auditorium.

And I'm here to say, yum, yum, and more yum.

please excuse the iPhone poor picture quality







































*Spicy fried chickpeas (above)
crispy and delicious enough to be loved by a garbanzo bean hater.

*Potatoes, Fried in Duck fat, with roasted garlic mayo.
WOW. Not exactly figure friendly, but so amazingly good, I can still taste them 24 hours later.


So in addition to the above fried goodness, I ordered a fried egg sandwich was deliciously decadent. Only slightly less artery clogging than my husband's bar burger - which was also done very well - also topped with a farm fresh egg.

I think we'll have to return soon so that we can taste the less death-defying meals.

Blue Tractor with a flat tire

Last night I took my parents to a relatively new place in town, Blue Tractor Brewery. The ambiance is perfectly achieved. Seems like they executed the exact feeling they must have been going for. So I expected the food to be above par as well, but I would have to say that it fell a little flat. I'm a picky audience, to be sure. With the Z Roadhouse in town, the owners would have to know that the BBQ on the menu would be compared with the almost flawless execution over there. The menu descriptions were very enticing - so much so that we all had a hard time deciding exactly what we would order. We started off with an appetizer of beer battered onion rings. Honestly this was the best thing that we had all night. The batter was seasoned very well, and they filled that greasy-tapas need that we seem to thrive on.

For an entree I had the cowboy reuben, with brisket, jack cheese, and coleslaw on pumpernickel. It just didn't wow me; in fact it seemed like something that you could get at a high achieving diner. The brisket, although sliced pretty thin, was not the right consistency for the sandwich. One bite and the whole piece came out of the sandwich. The sweet potato fries were tasty, but lacked salt, and the sauce "tomato ranch" that came with them was too mild. I ended up doctoring it with hot sauce on the table. My sis ordered the pulled pork which was okay, however sweeter than I like it. My dad got the "red short ribs", and they were average, easily made better in my own kitchen. What disappointed me the most was the mac and cheese. For a BBQ joint, this should be the thing around which all else revolves. No such luck. It was very undersalted, even my little ones were asking for the salt. A few bites definitely did not leave you craving that one more.

Nothing at the Blue Tractor was bad, but I left with the impression that had they put as much attention to the food details as they did to the decor, we'd have another winner for Ann Arborites. In the meantime, I'll hope they keep tweaking what they've got.