Fustini's Oils & Vinegars - Ann Arbor, MI

Fustini's - specialty balsamic vinegars infused with natural flavors and oils that will be Rachel Ray's EVOO seem like McDonald's.

Have you ever tasted good balsamic vinegars? I mean so good that you almost feel like you're drinking wine? I haven't either until this past Saturday when my family and I were fortunate enough to discover Fustini's in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown Market after a delicious lunch at Zingerman's Deli (a deli deserving recognition of its own on another day). 

Fustini's carry over 21 different EVOO's and 20+ balsamic vinegars - each of which you can taste test!

When you first walk in you are captured by the bright lighting and little "kegs" that hold each vinegar and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). From traditional balsamics to others infused with natural flavors like Ginger & Honey (which we bought), Cinnamon Pear, and Lavender. It is a foodie and cooks (or chefs) dream!  Did you know that in order to be called a tradition balsamic vinegar (which all of Fustini's is) they MUST be imported from Modena, Italy? The others you may find in your local grocery store is only considered commercial vinegar. Each traditional vinegar must be barrel aged for at least 12 years, Fustini's carry a 18 year traditional balsamic and it is delicious! When tasting the 12 year vs 18 year - the longer aged balsamic was sweeter and smoother. Traditional balsamics must also be made from trebbiano grapes (fresh, fruity, & sweet). 

Fustini's carry over 40 different EVOO's and balsamic vinegars with 4 locations in MI, making cooking fun and gift giving easy!

I curious as to where and how Fustini's got started and was told that the store owner often visited Italy and wanted to bring back a taste of Italy with him. He wanted to share and help cooks incorporate the different oils and vinegars into lives of Michiganders while providing a fun and creative environment in the stores. The best part about the store is every oil and vinegar in there can be taste tested! So try your heart out!  Another neat thing is each "keg" has its own recipe on the bottom to give you ideas on where to start. 

Each "keg" comes with their own recipe (L to R - Specialty product: EVOO infused with white truffles, Ginger & Honey balsamic)

My family and I personally like (after trying about 10 different vinegars) Ginger & Honey balsamic vinegar. It's light, fresh, with a tad of sweetness. We've already tried it on sandwiches (rye bread, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, prosciutto, and ham) and salads. Their specialty product we tried was EVOO infused with white truffle oil, words cannot begin to describe the deliciousness inside that tiny bottle (and it is tiny - in a 1.3 fl oz bottle with its very own dropper meant for salads, on top of cheeses, and eggs). The flavor of the white truffle oil is so concentrated that you only need a couple of drops to make any food you're eating seem like you're eating at the finest restaurant. 

Interested in learning more? Please visit their website at Fustini's or better yet stop by one of their stores, it is definitely worth trying their delicately crafted oils/vinegars. (Ann Arbor, Holland, Petoskey, & Traverse City)

Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream (Home of the Big "Ugly Burger")

Bub's farm animals enjoying some ice cream (Murals painted by local Indy artist Mike Brown)

If you live in the North Indy area Bub's Burgers should not a be a secret, actually it's really not much of a secret to anyone, Bubs hosted an episode of Man v. Food with Adam Richman. Located in the heart of Carmel's Art District this whimsical restaurant is home of their famous "Ugly Burgers". Their menu is fantastic and simple - entrées including the original Ugly Burger, Ugly Elk Burger, their take on Hot Dogs, & Chili in a bread bowl (with an accompaniment of appetizers). By the way, "Big Ugly Burger" = BUBs (the owner and his brother in law's nickname). Ah, but don't forget this is Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream. Attached to the restaurant is an ice cream parlor serving up cold treats for those in the restaurant (in form of malts/shakes) or people passing by on the Monon Trail .

Light hearted atmosphere and the many pictures of "Big Ugly" champions

One of the first things I noticed as I walked into this restaurant is the smiling faces of all the "salesmen" (I was told by the manager, Mike, that the servers/host(ess) were not simply there to serve us food they are known as sales people providing the best customer service and make patrons excited about the food). The staff is younger, like straight out of Carmel H.S. young, but I was pleasantly surprised by their manners.

The second thing I noticed? The massive amount of pictures that covered the walls of this place! If you finish their "Big Ugly" (1 lb burger AFTER cooking) your recognition comes in form of your very own 4x6 picture! The more you finish the bigger the picture. If you can finish 4 "Uglies" you get your very own life sized cut out (Adam Richman only finished 2 but my friend Sally and I sat next to his life sized cut out..I guess being a celebrity with your own TV show helps).

I highly recommend this place - it's fun (especially on your birthday, they make the whole restaurant sing to you, case in point on the child pictured up top) and the food is pretty tasty. I would recommend the elk burger (less fat, more protein) and their delicious sweet potato waffle fries with marshmallow dipping sauce! We also had their hot wings - but ask for the sauce on the side, it got a little too salty for us.

Unfortunately, the owner Matt, was at their new location in Bloomginton so I didn't get to meet him last night. However, for a local burger joint it speaks highly of the food and concept for multiple locations. For more information on Bub's and their sister cafe please visit their website.

Happy Eating~!

Ghyslain Richmond Bistro

Ghyslain Maurais, a Quebec native, found his culinary passion in architectural education. He changed career paths in pursuit of his passion. Ghyslain is now certified in French pastries, chocolate décor, candy making, blown/pulled sugar and bread making. After meeting his wife while working in Ohio - they relocated to her home town of Union City, IN. Since then they have made wonderful gourmet chocolates & fine French pastries. A true gem in Indiana - hence I've dedicated my first blog to them. Cheers!

An array of French Pastries on display. (L to R Caramel Cheescake, Soleil Levant, Charlemagne, Tiramisu)

Impressive handmade & hand panted chocolates. My personal favorite is the Japanese Yuzu Dark Chocolate

Their lunch menu (from the Richmond location) is also delicious and affordable ($9-$12) while their dinner menu is chef's choice and changes daily (a bit pricer). Because it's a locally owned restaurant I find that many times the staff is also more willing to accommodate and are friendlier. They opened on a Monday to serve our large party (with a minimum charge of course) when they're usually not open.

 Neat little team time depending on how strong you'd like your tea (also available in their store for ~$15)


For more information on their story, their locations, and their menu please visit:
Ghyslain Homepage

The Pour House - Cambridge City, IN

Store Front

Denise and John have moved across the United States 48 times, yes I said 48 times (!),with their two daughters for the past 30 years. With John's work always needing to move around - they've finally settled down in Indiana. This is longest they've stayed put in one place and that was about 10 years back. Around 4 years ago Denise took her two favorite "past times" (meeting new people and antiques) and merged them together to form the Pour House. Think... Cracker Barrel but a lot more intimate with furniture you can sit on and buy.  Which actually happened; as we were talking about all the antique furniture around her store, a gentleman a couple weeks back liked the chairs he was sitting on so much he bought all 4 of them!

Neat Knick Knacks on sale, stuff your momma would've told you growing up.

Now that her daughters are fully grown, she has expressed some hardship over maintaining a business. She admitted it turned out to be a lot more work than she expected. Their tagline was "Antiques and Sweets" - where the original concept was to sell a couple of homemade pastries along with the antiques but The Pour House became quite popular in the small town of Cambridge City. One can imagine why Denise would think it's a tad difficult - however with that being said they are now a full cafe with WiFi (Yes it may seem strange I added that tid bit in there... You must be thinking, "Cheryl this is a cafe of course it has WiFi". On the contrary my friend, for a small town like Cambridge City, The Pour House maybe the only  place that has it). The Pour House now serves homemade soups, sandwiches, and fresh pastries/cakes daily. When asked where her culinary traits came from - Denise happily replied: "My mother's kitchen!". The red velvet cake, cherry turnovers, and even homemade fudge are all within the family recipes (even Denise's dad had a recipe to give: the fudge).

Some Sweets (L to R Amaretto & Maple Nut Fudge, Petite Turnovers, Orange Cream Fudge, Frozen Chai Frappé)

The dining area and "store"

p.s. Cambridge City is a town with less than 1,900 people but are a part of the Richmond/Wayne County "Antique Alley" comprising of over 900 dealers from Richmond to Knightstown (which really is only a couple miles apart from each other). Read more about it on the Wayne County Website

Until next time~ Happy Eating!

The Beginning

A Semi-Formal Introduction...


So..by now there are probably a bijillion food blogs out there (that isn't even an exaggeration...) and they've all made the same disclaimer I'm about to make: I by no means am a real food critic. I love eating, trying different restaurants, and mostly enjoy the company I'm out with. As a backgrounder; I work as a sales rep/marketer and every once in a while I picture myself  having the pleasure of being Anton Ego (the pointy nosed food critic from Ratatouille) eating at nice restaurants and having that "...mmm that was delicious" moment.  By nice restaurants - I simply mean delicious food, great atmosphere, and the awesome people that serve it. I decided it's time to take this passion [obsession] and the collection of photos of food through the years and share my memories/taste buds. So enough of my rambling... Let's eat!