Walkin' Around Checkin' Stuff Out. #85
Greenline Checklist Update!
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The updates continue...and so does the heartburn!
Kinzo Udon.
Drop whatever you’re eating and head over to Kinzo Udon now. The place is that good.
A new(ish) noodle shop opened by the UofM, I heard they made their own udon noodles so we had to check that out. I didn’t have high hopes, but WOW...it was good. Simple, fast, cheap, in a pretty cool space and the food was great. The world needs more places like this.
I love a place that does one thing and sets out to do it well. It would be a lot easier if they just got their udon from some food supplier, charged more and upped their profits and put out an ok bowl of noodles. Hats off to the people that work a little harder to make things better because it’s the right thing to do.
I love seeing something being made from scratch especially in a quick serve restaurant. I didn’t have high hopes for this spot, but it blew me away. So much so that we came back the next day.
The provide free hair ties because things are about to get messy.
I can’t say enough how the world needs more places like this: Cheap, quick, cool and really good.
Spicy Feta.
This used to be The Naughty Greek (a fantastic joint) that was sold to these guys. I think even they miss The Naughty Greek because there is still signs of the old spot all over.
When a place is really good it’s sad to see it go, but it’s a little odd to leave the old logo up...it’s like leaving framed pictures of your old girlfriend hanging-up long after you’ve broken up. In this case it’s a sad reminder that old old place was better than the new.
Don’t get me wrong, the place isn’t bad...it’s just not as good or unique as what it replaced. It’s a reminder to support the places you love as often as you can because they won’t be around forever.
Flashback:
This is the drawing I made at the original Naughty Greek when it first opened back in 2019. I draw to record things…to have something to mark a place in time. These drawings outlast many of the places I draw which bums me out…but it’s great to revisit.
Read about this new place and had to check it out...glad I did. Great food, great space, great prices...and they have beer and wine(!)...what’s not to like. Even got a chance to talk to the owner and that really sealed the deal. The guy has so much passion for what he’s doing...making the food authentic, with the very best ingredients etc...and he left a gig in the corporate world to make it happen...right there with his daughter on the cash register...you gotta love that.
Twins Mexican Cuisine.
When there’s a food truck in front of a brewery you make an unexpected stop because you never know what you’re gonna get. (“Cuisine” is an interesting word to describe food truck food.)
Clearly a family run operation, this dude took great pride in having us try his food. It was damn good, too...if you found yourself a few too many beers deep at the brewery this is the food you would want.
Twins Mexican cuisine world wide headquarters on wheels.
Oki Doki Sushi.
This place definitely felt like a chain. It’s not, but they clearly have visions of stamping these out by the hundreds. I guess the area around the UofM is a good testing ground for concepts. The name is a little too cheesy for me, but what do I know?
The menu was big...probably too big. Sushi, ramen, bento boxes and sushi tacos. Sushi tacos??? Sounds weird. My advice to them is to change the name to Sushi Tacos and only sell those. They were by far the best things on the menu. They were interesting, fun and actually really good. The sushi wasn’t very good at all, but the sushi tacos were great...go figure.
Slow night behind the sushi bar.
It was oddly quiet at a prime time for food so maybe other people think the name is kind of cheesy, too.
Mu Mu Tea.
Another place that feels like a chain. I imagined 100’s of these all over Asia like Starbucks. I was actually hoping it was a chain because we avoid those on our checklists. I have to confess I’m not a big fan of the bubble tea trend and they just aren’t that interesting to visit. Just the smell of the sugar in these places makes my teeth hurt. I keep lobbying to skip them but I get overruled. Oh well.
Sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar...
At Mu MU they care enough to set up fancy plants and light fixtures, but you gotta order your own stuff on a screen. I didn’t think anyone was actaully working there. Drinks would magically appear on the counter when they were ready. Maybe the whole joint is run by robots...?
Sugary powers and syrups as far as the eye can see. People looking happy and getting instantly jacked from the first sweet sip.