For my birthday, my entire family usually comes up to Ann Arbor and we go to a nice restaurant. In recent years, it’s been the Gandy Dancer or the Chop House. This year, when my mother called and asked me where I wanted to go, I suggested the West End Grill or Pacific Rim, slightly different than the usual Main Street  ventures but still great quality. However, I failed to tell her that the weekend of my birthday was the Purdue game and Parent’s Weekend. So when she tried to make a reservation, she was denied at both places. She then tried another eight restaurants and all were booked solid during dinner hours. She was finally able to get us a table at Weber’s, a steakhouse just outside downtown Ann Arbor. The only thing I knew about Weber’s was their ridiculous billboard “Meat with Friends.” Naturally, I was a bit disappointed and wasn’t expecting much from the dinner.  I was very wrong though as Weber’s turned out to be a total winning experience.

When we arrived, our reservation was honored immediately and our server came quickly. My parents both had cocktails that were mixed at the table and were well done. As we  scanned the menu, we were happy to see how diverse it was with premium steaks and seafood. We ordered calamari, oysters, and a shrimp cocktail for appetizers and everything was very fresh and tasty. As appetizers ranged from 7-10 dollars apiece, there were definitely enough per serving for the price. Weber’s started off well but finished even better as each one of our entrees was fabulous. My filet mignon rivaled the one I ordered a year ago at Chop House. My sister had an entire lobster that was prepared nicely and tasted great. My mother got the stuffed flounder, which was the best entrée, and was a special for the night. My father got the rack of lamb which was spiced perfectly. We were happily surprised at the quality of Weber’s and while entrees were expensive, anywhere between 15 and 30 dollars, it was a great restaurant for a special occasion and was definitely worth trying. You can definitely look past their tacky billboard and realize that it is a wonderful place to “meat with friends.”