Questionably 'The Best of Ann Arbor'

So I was thinking about what to write about, and I remembered that The Michigan Daily just came out with their annual 'Best of Ann Arbor' feature. The Daily staff did a nice job compiling their subjective opinions and writing up some quick, entertaining blurbs about each, so I decided to argue some of their selections. Naturally, I agreed with some of the runaway winners--Sadako for sushi--but others are down right questionable. (Note: I heard this Totoro place is really good for sushi, but I have never been.) So, onto some of my choices, and I take a lot of things into account as you will see.

Breakfast: I am tired of Angelo's winning this category. It is so overrated. Northside Grill is the best breakfast in Ann Arbor. Angelo's is where all the freshman go with their parents, and I went too and it's the only time I have been. We waited like 45 minutes and had a pretty good breakfast but the fact that everyone is obsessed with the place is a turn-off for me. Northside is off the beaten path a little bit which automatically scores it points and proves that you have to know a little bit about this city and are willing to explore lesser-know places. Lesser-know is interesting too because most students don't know about it, but Northside is always busy (not a positive but I have never waited longer than 15 minutes) mostly with AA locals who know where to eat breakfast. Their skillets filled with a mash-up of ingredients are a great range of flavors. I don't like pancakes but theirs are awesome. The huevos rancheros are super tasty and a great breakfast alternative, and they offer mouth-watering breakfast sandwiches. They even serve coffee outside to people waiting, and the service is great. One time I went, they had a fricking Elvis impersonator singing and dancing on the counter. Beat that, Angelo's.

Burger: Ok, so I don't mind Quickie Burger, and the super-nice dude who I think is the owner who is always at the cash register is really cool . They have a location to die for, and their burgers aren't bad. But, jeez, Blimpy Burger is so much better. At Blimpy, they don't hide anything. They cook three feet away from you, and if you look down the counter, you can see them individually scooping and forming each patty out of a container of freshly ground beef. Everyone knows about Blimpy's 'atmosphere' and 'experience' but aside from that, the customization of your meal at Blimpy is simply special. You literally tell them everything you want on your burger from the bun, to the number of patties, cheese, condiments, vegetables, add-ons, whatever. And the best part is yet to come when you finally get to unwrap your messy, dripping heart-attack on a bun sitting in those weird, '70s style swivel chairs and take a bite of beef heaven.

Pizza: At least Pizza House didn't win, right? Still, I don't think Cottage Inn has this city's best pizza. Granted, I have a bad taste in my mouth about Cottage Inn (the take-out version) from freshman year when I lived in West Quad and thought it was Dominos with a different name. But people have to start giving Silvio's some more credit. The place is the shit. Never in my life has pizza tasted so fresh as every time I eat at Silvio's. And I never even know what is on the pizza because most of the combinations are so awesome I have to ask the server what I'm salivating at. Luckily, our class got to enjoy Silvio's at one of our meetings at ISS. I think I ate half a pie and was kind of embarrassed to go after my fourth and fifth slices. Needless to say, it's also organic, so you can kind of convince yourself that it's healthier for you.

And I'm not even going to get into the Chipotle-won burrito category.