Tamaki – Ann Arbor, MI

Custom Sushi and Rolls

Located at 521 E. Liberty St

Designed for the College town, with locations around by the University of Michigan and Michigan State campuses.

I stopped into a store down the street to pick up something I needed and was chatting with the sales guy.  As we talked about lunch he mentioned Tamaki.  I still went to the place I intended that day, but felt the need to come back and try this spot.

They have a Cafeteria set up:

From the reviews I have seen people either Love it or Hate it.  I personally am Not a fan. 

People who did like it seemed to like the cafeteria style, build your own sushi style of it.  That is not a feature I like, but I am not 20 anymore either.

I went with items I felt comfortable with comparing to other places I have gotten sushi and other Asian dishes at.

Salmon Roll and Dumplings:

The Salmon roll had no flavor, very disappointing.

I thought the technique in preparing the dumplings was interesting.  They had them frozen and popped them in the deep fryer to cook and make them crispy.  If the filling had more flavor I would have liked them more.

I personally have no interest in visiting again, not terrible, just fell flat for me.

More information is on their website: http://tamakiroll.com/

The photos of the food on their site give the impression of real plates, implying a sit-down service environment.  You order in the cafeteria style line, and my plate was disposable.

The debate over UnMilks

Milk is a personal preference affected by the society you grew up in, what you were raised consuming as a child/young person, and your health.

Note: From what I understand, Humans are the only species that continues to consume milk into adulthood, and the only species to drink the milk of another species.

Cow Milk – Not good for human digestion.  Hard for us to process and it causes various issues with our bowels.

Goat Milk – Closer to human milk then cow milk.  Not common in the US as milk, used more for cheese products.

Soy – a common substitute for animal milk products.  Due to the processing of the soy bean it can increase estrogen levels when consumed on a regular basis.

************

Now on to types of “Milk” people are turning to as alternatives. 

Rice – Very thin; Plain is that, no real flavor to it; options of vanilla and chocolate are available.

                    

Almond – Thin; No flavor in the sweetened or unsweetened.

        

Oat – thicker consistency could work well for a replacement in recipes.  Sweeter like a touch of oatmeal.

          (A recent find at the Market that I am happy about)

                

Take a look at the Nutritional information and make the right choice for your needs.

Note: Personally we are not milk drinkers and only used it with cereal.  Now it is something we only buy when called for in a recipe (Smashed Potatoes, or baked goods)

My personal choice is the Oat Milk.

Bagger Dave’s

Rob and I rarely go to franchise restaurants, for two reasons:

1) We like to support local businesses as much as possible

2) They tend to use more preservatives since they ship product out to the different locations and to keep the food consistent no matter which one you go to.

For a while (no longer) we did go to Bagger Dave’s here in Ann Arbor… The reason: our friend Abbey was working there. 

For a franchise the food was done well.  They hand make the patties for the burgers per order, and you can taste the difference.  They offer pre-designed burgers, or you can build your own.  Good Fries and Good drinks (including local beers) to go with the burgers.  I must say, I was never disappointed from any order. 

  

If you have a Bagger Dave’s near you, or are traveling and need a bite to eat, they will fill you up with good fare.

Locations in Michigan, Indiana, and Missouri

http://baggerdaves.com/