Mediocre is the Word

I am, and continue to be, disappointed with the quality of food in Ann Arbor. Maybe I haven't been to the right places, and if so, pray do tell where I should go. While I am grateful for the fact that there are diverse types of establishments from which to choose, I have had one bad experience after another. Nearly all restaurants are overpriced and some are simply horrendous.

We've tried breweries (Ann Arbor Brewing Company, Leopold's, Grizzly Peak), up-scale-ish (Gandy Dancer, The Earl), Middle Eastern (Jerusalem Garden, Ayse's Cafe), Vegetarian (Seva), Chinese (TK Wu, Kai Garden), Japanese (Saica, Totoro), Korean (Seoul Korner), Pretentious Expensive Wine Bars (Vinology), Greasy Disgusting and Over-Hyped (Blimpy Burger), and of course, the Ridiculously Expensive Zingerman's.

Last night was another disappointment. M. and I drove to Old Siam on 2509 Jackson, eager with anticipation for one of our favorite types of cuisine. It was so crowded that we had to wait for a table, a good sign, or so we hoped. But the Tom Kha Gai was....grainy (can coconut milk be grainy?) while the Pad Thai was greasy, flavorless, and utterly lacking the combination of sweetness, spice, fresh vegetables and fresh noodles that makes such a simple and ordinary dish as Pad Thai so wonderful. We also ordered a very small portion of Mongolian Beef and three sad pieces of Chicken Satay, which came with three tiny triangles of toasted white bread. Toasted white bread? All of this for a whopping $60 with tax and tip.

Maybe my expectations are too high. Ann Arbor is a tiny city - actually - it's more like a hamlet. Yet before we moved here people raved about the great restaurants and the quality of food. Even little Milwaukee, jut a few hours to the northwest, was better than this! Ann Arbor has a fairly cosmopolitan population of people from all over the world, many of whom love to eat out. It is frequented by tourists by nature of the UM, Michigan Football, and its proximity to Detroit (which I admit, is not exactly an eighth wonder of the world.) Yet so far our experience has been disastrous. (Here are a few exceptions: Shalimar, although expensive, is delicious and not afraid of spice; 0ur brief encounter with Cafe Zola merits another visit; Casey's is affordable and unpretentious; brunch at the Broken Egg is simple and always satisfying.)

As a solution to this problem, M. and I eat out less. Why bother when we can both produce better fare at home, thanks to the wonderful resources and stores such as the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market, Bello Vino, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and People's Coop at practically every corner?

(I see I'm not the first person who has experienced a similar overwhelming sense of sadness, anger, bewilderment, disbelief, and resignation.)