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While perusing the Netflix “instant-play” a few weekends ago, I somehow decided to watch the straight-to-dvd flick “Ramen Girl.”  It is an epic tale of an American girl (Brittany Murphy) who travels to Japan and becomes a ramen-maker’s apprentice. While the movie was less than memorable, what did stick was how hungry it made me for authentic Japanese ramen.

In case you don’t know, real Japanese ramen is something that can take years to perfect. It contains a rich, usually pork-based broth and is generally topped with dried seaweed, pulled pork, egg, bamboo shoots, and a number of other vegetables. Hungry yet? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that in a few weeks, Tomukun Noodle Bar will be opening on Liberty in the McKinley Town Centre!

Co-Owner Thomas Yon has said that the restaurant will feature authentic Japanese style ramen at affordable prices ($8-$10). The restaurant has also applied for a liquor license and will feature Japanese beer and sake. According to annarbor.com, Yon is currently hiring wait staff and will be ready to open sometime this spring. Personally, I’m extremely excited to see ramen coming to the Ann Arbor community and I hope he can pull it off!  If not, you can still drop an egg into a package of Maruchan and pretend it’s the real thing. Here’s hoping…
 
 
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Palio by Sarah H 
In my opinion, Palio had one of the best dinner deals for restaurant week. They offered soup/salad, choice between two pasta dishes, and a mini dessert trio for $12.50. I had the soup, minestrone, followed by a pesto pasta with grilled chicken, followed by a trio of canoli, tiramisu, and a brownie. While the soup was a bit over-salted, the large portion of pesto pasta was creamy and satisfying, and the canoli and tiramisu were delicious. Service was very attentive, making for a delightful restaurant week dinner. 

Grange by Zak K
My episode of restaurant week began at the North American International Auto Show. I skipped a few classes last Thursday (all of them) to relive what used to be an annual tradition:  scrutinizing every car at the auto show with my dad. Unfortunately, about halfway through our visit, Cobo Hall erupted into flames. We made it out in the knick of time, and I thank the restaurant deities that we got out early or my dad and I would still be sitting in Detroit traffic with tens of thousands of car nuts in their cars. Thankfully we made it to the Grange unscathed and on time.

I was wearing jeans, and to my surprise and relief our waitress was as well—I hate being underdressed at these Main Street restaurants. We opted for the 25-a-head dinner, starting with fresh greens and goat cheese or a potato and onion soup. These starters fit Grange nicely. They were both simple to the point of quintessence and they highlighted the fresh ingredients that are so carefully chosen at Grange. However, if you are not accustomed to eating raw greens with only the slightest dressing, you would be wise to stray toward the more complex dishes.
 
 
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Here at Wolverine Cuizine we enjoy a good deal more than a good meal. During last week’s Restaurant Week many of us found both, so read on for the best and the worst of Ann Arbor Restaurant Week 2010. 

Café Felix by Rachel L 
Restaurant Week was held January 17th-22nd this year in Ann Arbor and it continues to be one of the best deals around. Three course lunches were only $12 a person and three course dinners were only $25 a person at some of the best restaurants in Ann Arbor. These prices made a meal at these restaurants affordable for even students to go without their parents. However, Restaurant Week was also characterized by long waits everywhere. On Saturday night, a few friends and I headed down to eat at Seva’s, the local vegetarian restaurant on Liberty. But our call-ahead seating still left us with a 45 minute wait. So we decided to head down to Main Street. Knowing that it was Restaurant Week, one of my friends made a few calls to discover that most places were booked solid. Grizzly Peak had a 2 hour wait! Dejected, we started heading back to William Street. Then, somebody pointed out Café Felix, where there seemed to be no wait. We walked in and were seated immediately. Additionally, for some reason, whenever I’ve been to Café Felix, I’ve never had to wait. There never seems to be a crowd, even though the restaurant’s food rivals many other well-known restaurants and they offer a large drink menu with inventive martinis. As we were seated Saturday night, we were wary that the Restaurant Week deal at Café Felix would not compare to others because it was just so empty. However, our meal turned out to be great. Most of us ordered off the Restaurant Week menu. We received fantastic house salads with goat cheese and an entrée of either Chicken Boulouris, Rigatoni with veal and pork hand-rolled meatballs or Chicken and Prosciutto Fettucini. We tried each one and they were all very well done. For dessert, we each had a Nutella crepe with ice cream as part of the deal. Café Felix presented us with a very good meal with no wait. The emptiness of the restaurant may have implied that many people, like us, simply resort to Café Felix when everywhere else is full. Rather than choosing it as a second choice, I think next time it would be worth a first choice. And as Restaurant Week is officially over, that next time will definitely be with my parents because my paltry budget can only handle Ann Arbor’s yearly special deal.  

Vinology by Nick D
Restaurant week is awesome. $12 lunches are a steal in a town trending towards San Francisco pricing. In order to take advantage of this situation, I visited Vinology, a classy bar and grill on Main St., to sample their fare. 
 
 
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Anne Heche after a trip to one of our MANY Starbucks
As many of you may know, the state of Michigan offers financial incentives for studios to come film in the state. Because of this, a number of celebrities have been spotted in Ann Arbor lately, leaving foodies everywhere wondering, "Where are they eating?!" Well here's the word on the street regarding recent celebrity outings:

October 2009: Anne Heche and Ed Helms dined at Grange Kitchen and Bar. Heche and Helms are currently filming "Cedar Rapids", a film about an insurance agent (Helms) trying to save the jobs of his colleagues by attending an industry convention.

October 2009: David Schwimmer spotted at the bar at Cafe Zola. Schwimmer is directing the movie "Trust", which recently began filming in Plymouth and Ann Arbor.
 
 
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In case you missed it, chef, author, and all-around-bad-ass, Anthony Bourdain spoke last Saturday at the Michigan Theater as part of the "Ann Arbor Conversations" series. Walking out with a beer from the Ann Arbor Brewing company, he seemed thrilled to be in Ann Arbor, home to "one of the greatest bands ever, The Stooges." And Ann Arbor was thrilled to have him, the ultimate rock star of the food world. 
 
Bourdain opened by stating that he would lay off the Rachael Ray jokes for the night, for the sake of them being too easy. Instead, he opted for a story about food network personality (I'm not going to say cook) Sandra Lee. On multiple occasions, Bourdain has publicly called Lee "the hell spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker", and her show "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee" "a war crime on television." At the recent premiere of "Julie and Julia," Lee approached Bourdain, who was sitting with his wife, and began to run her fingers all over his body, telling him that "he had been a bad, bad, boy." She then tugged on his earlobes, asking if they were red yet, before moving on. Bourdain sat there, frozen, and at that moment realized that "It's Sandra Lee's world and we all just live in it."
 
 
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Hey there Michiganders! In case you haven’t heard, the #1 bad boy of cuisine, Anthony Bourdain, will be coming on November 7 to do a Q&A at the Michigan Theater as part of the “Ann Arbor Conversations” series. The series will feature three different Q&A sessions with celebrities such as Bourdain, David Sedaris, and Frank Warren.  Bourdain is most famous for hosting “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel, his provocative memoir, Kitchen Confidential, and for generally having one of the filthiest mouths in the industry. In addition to his impressive resume, “No Reservations” is the only show on the Travel Channel that has a viewer discretion advisory, so it’s sure to be an entertaining night. Vegetarians and Rachel Ray fans beware!