I've lived in Ann Arbor since 2003. There are some things about this town that are so quintessentially Ann Arbor that not doing them is a travesty of epic proportions. Never eating at Charlie's or Pizza House are unforgivable sins against this city. Just like never going to Pinball Pete's, walking through the fountain between the MLB and the League or stepping on the M at the center of the diag are all completely inappropriate. Now, be careful with that one - legend has it that anyone who steps on it before their first blue book exam will fail the test.
There are two other restaurants on the must-eat-at list in Ann Arbor. The first is the Fleetwood Diner. Its a greasy dive that threatens to close once every four years. They pretend to go out of business so often its become a form of advertising. That being said, living in Ann Arbor and never eating at the Fleetwood is just not ok. Its open 24 hours, 7 days a week and its the only non-Denny's restaurant I know of to experience a 2am rush. I've eaten there at all hours of the day and night and I can say with relative authority that their food just plain tastes better at 3am.
The other one is Dominick's. Until recently, I had fallen into that egregious and inappropriate category of people known as "those who haven't eaten at Dominick's". Its not a creative name, but then, we all didn't deserve a cool name (punishment for not eating there, you see). In any cases, for whatever reason, I just never had the urge. I think its because I kept hearing about their amazing sangria. I'm not super into sangria, myself, so I never made the time.
You are so much more than good sangria.
Now, what makes it even more egregious (I love that word SO much) that I hadn't eaten at Dominick's is its proximity to my old dorm, Martha Cook. Martha Cook is about half a block from Dominick's. I could've and should've been eating there all the time. But that was not to be. Dominick's has an interesting quirk that makes it both amazing and frustrating. That quirk is that it closes in winter. Most of the eating space at the restaurant is outdoors. Now, for anyone who didn't put two and two together, having an outdoor restaurant in Michigan (also known as the frozen north) is not really sound business planning. Somehow it works for them. Like every Dairy Queen in the midwest, Dominick's goes into hibernation for winter, only to reopen its doors in March and immediately become swamped with Ann Arborites looking for a good meal.
And a touch of class.
I went because my working group (the one I did the tech for earlier in the week) needed to meet with our professor. She offered to take us out to lunch and we obliged (don't offer students food unless you mean it... though, she's one of the smartest people I know so I'm guessing she knew what she was getting into). The atmosphere inside (a very small eating area near the kitchen) is really nice. The walls are papered with murals and scenes from Ann Arbor. There were these amazingly provocative posters from Ann Arbor Film Festivals past. Anyone living in Ann Arbor (or even passing through) needs to go in there just to look around. The walls were like a sensory overload.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING.
The entire menu is written on the walls near the kitchen in colored chalk alongside the prices. In order to get food you have to walk along this path (a path that is drawn onto the floor) and surround yourself with walls of text about what food they make. They are more known for their alcohol, but that wasn't why I liked it so much. The food was that great, down home kind of comfort food that is just so amazing - there were also sandwiches and salads, but that food isn't love.
Nothing says misguided affection like hot Stromboli.
One of the things I really liked about it was that I felt completely comfortable talking to the professor and my groupmates without worrying about who much overhear. The way the restaurant is laid out makes conversation feel intimate no matter who you're with. The one thing I regret was not taking the time to go out back and look at the garden (the mean seating and eating area and the reason they're closed in winter). From the door it looked beautiful - very open, nicely laid out, like a summer picnic. I can see why Dominick's is so popular come summer and why its a must-eat-at in Ann Arbor. The place exemplifies all the things that make Ann Arbor such a wonderful place to live.
Also. That Stromboli was freaking delicious.
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