A recent story on AnnArbor.Com reported on the closing of @burger, a hamburger restaurant that opened just a year or so ago. Someone also noted that Squares, a couple of blocks west of @burger on Liberty, also looked as though it had closed. (A sign on the door said they were closed for “summer vacation,” but there’s no date for when they plan to return, so it doesn’t sound to me like they’re planning to return.)

When these places opened, there was talk about these two places being “new concepts.” On the closings, one guy noted, “Where do I go when I want a burger concept? Nowhere. I don’t especially like eating concepts, so I find myself wanting them not all that often.”

My comment would be that the people behind these restaurants should have concentrated on the food rather than the concept.  The reason that Squares is closed is not that the concept was bad, but that the food was bad. The food at @burger on the other hand wasn’t bad, nor was the concept, but it just didn’t stick out enough in a market with plenty of places to buy a burger to draw in business.

Thinking a little bit more about this, has led me to develop a theory about the survivability of new restaurants in Ann Arbor. That is, they have to be quirky or quality or both. Those with both, such as Frita Batidos (see my previous post) are sure successes.

Those that are simply quirky must be really quirky. Squares was quirky, but kind of corporate at the same time. That kind of quirkiness didn’t make up for the poor quality of the food. If you want really quirky, think Blimpy Burger or the Fleetwood Diner.

This is only a partly-baked (pun intended) idea, but I think there’s a kernel (another pun intended) of truth in this. What do you think?

One of Zingerman’s slogans is, “You can taste the difference.” They’re right. You can taste the difference. The question is how much that taste is worth to you.

I hate to sound like a cheapskate, but my love/hate relationship with Zingerman’s is all about finding the best deal there. Back when Silvia and I first moved to Ann Arbor, the best deal was the brownie trimmings. I forget exactly what they cost, but you could buy a bag of trimmings for at least half the cost per pound as the brownies themselves.

And, you could argue, that the trimmings were better than the brownies themselves. They were chewier and tastier than the brownies, if you ask me. Alas, Zingerman’s figured out a way to make brownies without trimming them, and that deal went away.

Now, the best deal from Zingerman’s is their “bread of the month.” Every month, they select one bread from their lineup and sell it for $4.50/loaf. That’s a decent deal given the quality of the bread. And, if you only buy their bread of the month, you get to try a nice selection sooner or later.

April’s bread of the month is the Paesano Bread. It’s wonderfully chewy and tasty, and great for making salami sandwiches, where you don’t want the taste of the bread to overtake the taste of the meat.

Do you have a favorite “deal” from Zingerman’s. If so, please tell me.

The much-heralded Five Guys Burgers has opened up on State St. in downtown Ann Arbor. Silvia and I ventured down there Friday night. If the number of people crowding into that small storefront is any indication, Five Guys should be a big hit.

I’m sure you don’t care how popular the place is, though. What you want to know is are the burgers any good?

They are, actually. For five bucks, you get a double patty burger, with your choice of any number of toppings. These include lettuce, tomato, raw onions, grilled onions, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and a couple of other things I forget. Cheese is an extra 50 cents.

The fries are also pretty good. You can really tell that they’re freshly cut. They have a great potato flavor, but I wish they’d been a little crisper. If you like, you can get them Cajun-style. I think what that means is that they sprinkle some Cajun seasoning on them.

That’s about it for the menu, if you don’t count the sodas. They did have a big box of peanuts out in the middle of the dining room. As far as I can tell it was an eat all you like kind of thing.

The decor leaves something to be desired. They’ve crammed quite a few tables into a very small space, and it felt like everyone was on top of each other, but what do you want for five bucks.

So, what’s the verdict? Well, I’d go back again, but Silvia’s on the fence. I think she liked the food OK, but was put off by the crowdedness of the place. I liked the food, especially the peanuts. We’ll see if it gets less crowded once the novelty wears off.