Zingerman’s Roadhouse
2501 Jackson AvenueAlright…so I fibbed a little bit. I got one Southwest Michigan blog post in then, of course, I’m back on the road.
It’s only to Ann Arbor though so at least I’m still in the right state.
I had a little bit of a drive last Thursday. I had to meet a co-worker in Alto for an assignment then we had to rush over to Ann Arbor for an afternoon assignment. There was hope that we’d have time for lunch once we got to Ann Arbor but we didn’t leave the Grand Rapids area as early as we thought we would. We just barely made it to Ann Arbor in time.
We spent about two hours at our job assignment in Ann Arbor then I had to drive my colleague back to Grand Rapids. We didn’t have time to figure out where to leave a car so I just said screw it and offered to take the extra long day so we weren’t in two cars to Ann Arbor.
We were both really hungry when we got done and my colleague suggested Zingerman’s. My question to him was Deli or Roadhouse? He had never heard of the Roadhouse before and I think I sold it to him because it’s a full service sit down restaurant.
Zingerman’s Roadhouse is on the corner of Jackson and Maple Road on the west side of Ann Arbor near the Jackson Avenue interchange with I-94. The Roadhouse opened about 20 years ago on this corner and just like the Deli, focuses a lot of attention on high quality ingredients and experiences.
We walked in to the restaurant around 4:00 on a Thursday afternoon. There is a dining area near the bar in the main area that already looked pretty full so I assumed they were going to put the two of us at the two tops that were open.
It’s been so long since I’ve been to Zingerman’s Roadhouse that I forgot there was another dining room that you can’t see from the host stand. That’s where we ended up going. My guess is this design is from the smoking/non-smoking days and this room would have been well cut off from the stupid idea that people should be allowed to smoke in public places.
The last time I was at Zingerman’s Roadhouse was way back in 2009. J and I had just went to our first football game at Michigan Stadium and passed this spot on the way home. We decided to stop in knowing that we loved Zingerman’s Deli so much. I remember the meal being amazing but pricey so it’s not a place we could stop at very often and definitely not now with picky eater kids.
The waitress came out strong and started talking about one of their appetizer specials. It was Fried Ribs. She started describing it and my co-worker jumped in asking “that’s an appetizer?” She kind of laughed and said yes. His reply was “yeah, we want those.” So we got an order.
The Fried Ribs were just as amazing as they sound. They’re smoked Nieman Ranch spare ribs that are dipped in buttermilk, fried, then topped with maple syrup. Holy crap were these good. The meat was still tender and smoky from being smoked but there there was amazing, crispy, sweet crust. There were three bones on the plate and a smash pickle salad…which was fine but nothing either of us were too crazy about. The ribs though…they were amazing.
There are a lot of great options on their dinner menu including Thursday’s night’s Blue Plate Dinner Special which is a combination of BBQ pork and BBQ beef. My co-worker ordered that one but I stuck to my usual order of a burger.
I ordered the Roadhouse Burger. This sandwich is a pasture raised, dry aged beef that is cooked over oak wood and served on a brioche roll from the Zingerman’s Bakehouse. I added on cheese for an additional charge and when I asked for cheddar, I got asked, “Which one?’ There is an option from Vermont and an option from Wisconsin. I don’t know the difference so I just chose the one from Vermont. I also added on bacon for an additional $3. The burger, with those add-ons, comes to $25….but if a burger was ever worth $25, it was this one. Everything about it so damn delicious. The thing about Zingerman’s is that they do source and use the best of everything and it really makes a difference in the taste. This burger was no exception.
The sandwich did come with fries which is kind of surprising. I thought I’d have to pay extra for them. The fries are hand cut and cooked twice then topped with a thick layer of salt. There was ketchup on the table for the fries but no way these needed any help. They are exactly the kind of fries of love just the way they are.
The company was buying but we still did seperate checks. My colleague took the ribs on this bill since he was the one who ordered them. I think his bill came out to around $45. My bill was $31 with my Coke before the tip.
I love Zingerman’s Roadhouse. I loved it the last time we ate there 15 years ago and was always bummed we never could find time to go back. Yes, it’s going to be an expensive meal but it’s an expensive meal using high quality, highly delicious ingredients. For us, it’s a special treat to get meals like this. It’s not an every week or every month thing. But it’s so worth it for the amazing culinary experience.
SW Michigan Dining 