Let me tell you about the new love of my life, Zingerman’s.  This fabulous company dominates the Ann Arbor food scene, one bite at a time, with its tasty restaurants and manufacturing operations.  We visited several of Zingerman’s franchises during our weekend of eating, ending up at the Creamery and Bakehouse for some goodies and an afternoon tour.

Surprisingly, these two upscale food-making businesses are tucked away in a rather unassuming industrial park a couple of miles outside the city center.  The whole affair looks rather like a rent-by-the-month storage center.  Zingerman’s must not be aiming to reel in the casual passerby, as this area gets no foot traffic.

Fortunately, the facility’s interior is much classier than its in exterior.  In addition to three different on-site stores (the Bakehouse, Creamery, and in-progress Coffee Company), we explored various eating/lounging spaces, demonstration kitchens, and wall displays discussing the company’s history and future plans.

One of the highlights of our visit was checking the wedding cake gallery, full of artistically designed cakes which almost certainly cost more per person than our entire wedding meal.  I love the black and white one to the far right the most, but the draped one to far left was also stunning in person.

  The tour we took was the Creamery Tour scheduled for 1:30 p.m., which is priced at $5.00 per person.  We arrived in the creamery early and spent the half hour before it sampling the store’s wares until our stomachs hurt.  We tried lots of cheeses (Manchester, Mozzarella, Manchego, Great Lakes Cheshire) salami (Felino – literally the best salami I’ve ever had), and gelato (dark chocolate, chocolate chip mint, vanilla).  By the time we finished, the tour was almost beside the point as we’d gotten more than our $5.00 worth in samples and a discount coupon for that price.

The actual tour was good but not great, as there isn’t really much to see and 45 minutes was kind of long.  We did enjoy a demo of mozzarella cheesemaking and then got to taste the freshly made cheese.  We also watched gelato being run through a mixer and then got to taste that too.  Are you seeing a pattern here?

After the tour, we bought some cheese and the amazing Felino salami which was $19.99 a pound but well worth it.  We also hit up the Bakehouse for bagels and Zaaang! candy bars which are one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted.  We ended up leaving the Zingerman’s about two hours, $40, and 2 million calories after we arrived.  Overall, it was an afternoon well spent!

I’m a little surprised that I haven’t yet blogged about the Chicago area institution that is Giordano’s.  After all, it’s been around for decades and my family has been dinning there at least a few times a year since I was probably fifteen or so.

There are Giordano’s locations scattered all over the city and its suburbs.  We nearly always visit the Prudential Plaza branch (directly off Michigan) but have also stopped in for a pie at the Randolph Street location and, most recently, the Oak Brook location.  All the branches have a similar feel and equally delicious food, although the Oak Brook site did seem a little newer and less “authentic” than the downtown ones.

Here’s an interior shot.  Giordano’s has pretty traditional “pizza joint” decor, with red and white checkered table cloths and a mixture of tables and booths. 

We usually start our meal with an appetizer, which we sometimes regret by the time the pizza comes!  These are the mozzarella sticks, which have an excellent texture.  For a larger group we tend to order the combo platter which comes with fried mushrooms, zucchini, and mozzarella sticks.  A slightly healthier alternative is the antipasto salad which comes with a variety of meats, cheeses, onions, and olives.  Most appetizer items cost $7-$10 and all are very sharable.

Now, for the main event – PIZZA!  There are several types available, but you want the stuffed variety.  Although we often play around with toppings at other pizza places, here we usually get extra cheese and that’s it.  After all, you can’t improve upon perfection.  Expect to pay about $15-$30 per pie, depending on size and toppings.

Giordano’s pizzas take at least 30-40 minutes, but the end result is well worth it – ooey, gooey cheese, firm yet flaky crust, and flavorful tomato sauce topping it all off.  A single piece may fill you up, but I usually try for two.  DELICIOUS!!!  No wonder Giardano’s is a Chicago institution!

If these pictures have somehow failed to sell you on Giordano’s, you can read my in-depth rave about the restaurant here.