Sep

2

zingermans roadhouseI tried out Zingerman's Roadhouse (2501 Jackson Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103) last weekend. It's a spin-off of Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor. It specializes in barbecue and "American food" in general. It's a small restaurant far from campus. There is a retro aluminum RV in front of the building that serves breakfast to go in the mornings. You can either sit inside or outside on a dimly lit patio. We sat on the patio. Everyone there was very friendly (our waitress didn't want to stop talking to us). I had a hard time choosing between the pit-smoked beef brisket and the Eastern North Carolina pulled pork. I went with the beef brisket. It was very good. It was extremely tender, falling apart. It wasn't really smoky at all. I'm not sure whether it was supposed to be or not. There wasn't very much barbecue sauce in it, but you can obviously get more barbecue sauce on the side. It was served with homemade somewhat-lumpy mashed potatoes with some skins in them and braised greens. The mashed potatoes are served without gravy, and they are good, but I had to add a lot of salt. They served the sides and appetizer in healthy portions, but I wouldn't say they were generous with the brisket, which I found somewhat surprising. They have a pretty large drink menu, offering an array of good beers, whiskey, and any sort of coffee drink you might want.

The background music was nice, ranging from folk to blues. It's worth noting that on Wednesday evenings they have live music, which is usually either folk, blues, or jazz. I haven't been there on a Wednesday night, so I can't speak for the quality of the music. If you're ever in Ann Arbor, the Blind Pig has a reputation for having good live music.


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7 Comments so far

  1. Henry Barth on September 3, 2008 12:21 am

    When you're next in Cambridge, take a side trip to Redbones, 55 Chester Street, Somerville, MA 02144, (617) 628.2200. On the T from Harvard Square — get off at Davis Square. Beats Zingerman's any day. http://www.redbones.com/

  2. steve leslie on September 3, 2008 10:57 am

    When I first started frequenting this website, I wondered what the heck did barbeque have to do with speculation? I never really saw the correlation. My family owned a Damon's Grille in Maryland and living in Fla I was exposed to Sonny's Fat Boys and some others. Then I went to a ribfest in Viera fl. and I was exposed to real barbeque from around the country. There were 20 vendors there and the atmosphere was just incredible. Upon reflection and ruminations, I am just beginning to understand the many facets of the mysticism, philosophy and yes even the Zen-like experience of a marvelously crafted barbeque.

    I remember Cleveland Oh, has a huge rib burn-off as does Tampa Florida. Tampa will hold their event in November and Cleveland always holds their event on Memorial Day Weekend. Milwaukee is noted for their summer theme festivals such as Italian fest, German fest and others. Chicago has a huge ribfest in June. Los Angeles will have a ribfest in Santa Monica September 13th. Let me challenge all spec listers to go to a ribfest in your area and report your findigs. Give it a try. Savor the meal, the ambience the total experience. I guarantee you will be rewarded.

    http://www.cleveland.com/rib/
    http://www.ribfest.org/
    http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1011138?

    I look forward with mouth-watering expectation to expansion on this theme.

  3. AllenM on September 3, 2008 11:50 am

    Go to the original for sandwiches.

    I used to live around the corner and the sandwiches were to die for!

  4. Rob Steele on September 3, 2008 12:48 pm

    Redbones rocks but the NC pulled pork is better at Blue Ribbon (http://www.blueribbonbbq.com/, 908 Mass Ave, Arlington, MA, 6.5 miles form Harvard Square). I know this sounds gross but try it in an omelet sometime with a mild bbq sauce poured over the top. So good…

  5. gaston monescu on September 3, 2008 5:52 pm

    uh…?

  6. Jeff B on September 5, 2008 7:17 am

    Go Wolverines!

  7. Go Saints! on September 10, 2008 5:37 pm

    love this place. love it. every time i'm in town i have to go there.

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