So, watching Diners, Drive Ins & Dives and I noticed a girl wearing a M hockey shirt. Turns out they are in Ann Arbor. Going to go to the spring game and found a new place I want to try. Will it be worth trying out, from all you locals?
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Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger
Don't get to go there very often now that I don't live in A2 anymore (or since I started doing triathlons and avoiding burgers). I'm a big fan of the bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg. It's the only place I know of that will still give you a runny egg on a burger.
Love that place. Remember to bring cash, they don't accept credit card.
Haven't been there in about a year. I had to take a picture of my last creation, by far my best yet.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jvandervest/BlimpyBurger#5331068600131822626
...never EVER order the chicken on a football Saturday...burgersburgersburgers...best in town!
Nah you can bring a card; they have an "ATM" at the cash register where you can take out money and then pay for your meal. 25 cent fee, I think.
In the 6 years I've lived in Ann Arbor, there has never been a time when they didn't have an ATM machine.
As of the last month or so, they now have a standalone machine instead of swiping debit cards at the register.
I was there yesterday, cash only, they got rid of the atm a while ago because it slowed things down.
Is Ed too tall Jones to tall? Blimpy is amazing
'nuff said.
Krazy Jim's is a must. But try and find someone who knows what's up when you go, because they don't waste time with people who don't know what they are doing, and you will get yelled at.
On a side note, the girl who eats the 21 patties was the captain of the women's club team that year. I started going out with the assistant captain from that team soon after the episode aired...apparently the practice that they talk about going to in that episode was the first day of tryouts. When I met the captain when out with the team, I said, "Oh hey, the girl from Blimpy Burger!" She hated me until St Patrick's Day (Irish drinks heal all wounds).
Enough with the Krazy Jim's... it called BLIMPY (burger, if you have too). Refer to the majestic burger place as such.
I've had their burgers since I was in utero...I went to high school with the owner's son. I think I know what it's called, thanks
Know that any coins you get in change are going straight into the tip jar (the cashier puts them there).
A friend of mine thought he'd outsmart the cashier; he had an order that came to something like $4.72. He gave the cashier a $5 bill and then got out change for 72 cents. The cashier proceeded to toss the change into the tip jar, put the five in the register and got out the 28 cents change to throw into the tip jar. It was pretty dang funny.
Best burgers, and environment in Ann Arbor. BE SURE TO KNOW HOW TO ORDER! She reminds me of a friendlier soup nazi.
Back when I was an undergrad, I was wearing my UM class ring while eating there once, and I took it off so as not to get it all greasy. I accidentally left the ring on my tray when I bussed it. I got a few blocks away and realized what I'd done. I went back and started poking around the top of the garbage. She saw me, and asked what happened. I told her, and she said, "I'm going in there with ya, honey!" Next thing I know, she's flinging Blimpy wrappers and greasy napkins out of the garbage and has her head practically halfway down the can, then emerges with my ring. Blimpy's has had my enduring loyalty ever since.
But if you take a tray for a to-go order, she might kill you
She is absolutely nice, but not when you're in line. She is one of the reasons I love the place and the atmosphere in there.
Her name is Devi (I hope I'm spelling that right; pronounced Da-VEE). I think the yelling during ordering is part of the atmosphere Blimpy's creates, not a reflection of her personality. She's very nice.
I started taking my two sons there when they were very young and still fussy about food. Ordering a single with nothing (and I mean nothing) on it was the the most they would do. She was always very patient and kind to them and remembered them every time we came in. If they finished their whole burger, she would give them a Tootsie-Pop from the jar behind the counter. Actually, she would have given them a a Tootsie-Pop no matter what, but she was trying to get them to feel more comfortable about trying the food. It worked. Now they both love Blimpy's.
So good. Its something that you can only eat once in a while though, because you can actually feel your arteries clogging as you eat, which I guess is an OK tradeoff for a delicious burger. Also, be sure to get the deep fried veggies. They are really good and since theyre veggies they must be healthy, right?
Dude, Blimpy's sucks. Greasy 1/15'th pound patties. Buy a quad from Blimpy's and a quad from Wendy's and let me know if you can tell the difference(besides the botulism toxin that is). If you can I will buy you both. The fries are good, but hardly worth waiting in line(or trying to find parking for that matter).
Connor Oneil's turkey reuben. That's what you want. Better fries and Guinness as well.
You could say similar things about most every great place in A2: the Fleetwood (the food isn't great, the place is dirty as sin, etc.), the 8-Ball Lounge (grimy, cramped dive with lousy beer and no women), the Peoples' Food Co-Op (limited selection, high prices, impractical location for grocery shopping), Ashley's (overpriced drinks, food will kill you), Dominick's (below-average sangria, way too crowded, closes too early). That's not the point of these places. They give the town character. If every place was like Connor O'Neil's, then we might as well have the campus in fucking Canton, Mich.
You go for the company. I pray the health department never shuts them down. I dont know that there's another place on Earth where you can find that much social cultural and economic diversity.
you're assuming they follow the ban, which would be distinctly un-fleetwood.
So you have been to Canton, MI?
When i finally went to UM, my little sister gave me a long list of things I had to do when I was a (grad) student, like not stepping on the Block M on the main campus. Sadly, I never made it to blimpy's, and she is ragging on me to this day about it, but i did make it to Dominicks -- hey, i was taking evening B-school classes.
While I understand the point of your post, I take issue with the Dominick's comment. Below-average sangria?!? Blasphemy!
The beer...yes overpriced. Selection...? Yeah, I haven't even gotten past the Guinness. Even a black and tan is a waste...Cool to look at, but for the same price you could have had the whole Guinness.
But the food is the opposite of overpriced. A huge reuben and the best fries you ever had go for like $7. If you want to talk overpriced, go to Zingerman's and pay $12 for a freaking sandwitch. Now that is overpriced. Delicious, but overpriced.
I can tell the difference between Wendy's and Blimpy's. Can I take you up on that bet the next time I'm in town? I do like the grease bomb burgers at Greene's in Farmington the best though.
If he's buying now, I'm going for a record then...
Bate's (in Livonia, NOT Farmington) SLAYS Greene's. No offense.
By far the best sliders IMO.
I have heard Bate's is good too. I'll have to try it next time I'm in Michigan. Is there one in Farmington that isn't as good?
There is one in Farmington, but I'll be honest -- I've never been to it. I just have to root for my hometown sliders.
Does Wendy's have fried broccoli? No.
Point goes to Blimpy.
Wait, you're going to say Blimpy Burger sucks, and suggest CONOR O'FUCKINGNEILLS?!?!?!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA.
What can you possibly have against Connor Oneil's? Have you tried THEIR burger? Now that's a religous experience. Blimpy's in next to west quad. Woo freakin hoo. So is diag party store, you going to try to tell me their pizza is edible?
What does location matter? Red Hot Lovers (or whatever it's now called) is next to East Quad, and it's awesome.
My thought was that location is what Blimpy's has going for it.
It's Ray's Red Hots now...and their dogs are now ridiculously overpriced. I went a couple weeks back and spent over $4 to get ONE standard sized chili dog. I don't know about you, but I'm in college and don't have money like that. It was great back when it was Red Hot Lovers, but now it's priced into oblivion. Sad.
Before I left Ann Arbor in 2005, I used to hit trivia night at Connor's on a regular basis, so I am quite familiar with their menu (unless it has changed significantly since then, which I doubt). The burger is good--I would not describe it as a "religious experience." But their roast beef sandwich was terrific (cold--the hot version is awful) and they also had something called the "Irish Boxty" that is very good and, to my knowledge, not available anywhere else in A2.
In other words, I not only have nothing against Connor O'Neil's, but I actually have fond memories of the place. Doesn't change the fact that Connor O'Neil's could vanish in a puff of smoke and nobody would really miss it. But losing Blimpy Burger would be like losing another campus tradition.
Chili cheese fries. Quad with egg & bacon, cheddar, black olives, tomato and A1.
Cheaper than food!
It was better when Jim was there, of course.
Just in case anyone wants to watch it. I have never seen the episode, but as a lover of all things Blimpy, I have wanted to see it. Thanks for mentioning that it was on tonight.
So much salami...call my mommy
I love seeing any classic a2 establishment getting its due recognition but hopefully the next show that comes to town leaves their douche bag host back at the studio.
While not my favorite TV personality, Guy is easily near the top of personalities for the food network (I think Alton Brown holds the top spot). At least it's not Rachel Ray - definitely waiting for her to drop off the face of the earth.
But it leaves us hanging . . . did the girl eat all 21?
for the first time in over 30 years. Hasn't changed, except that I can't eat as much as i could back then.
It's an institution! That's a great episode. The lady there told me they were going to be on it, but they didn't air it for like 6 months.
Though as was said, eat there too often, and you might as well start planning your bypass surgery. You can feel you heart die a little with every bite.
It's worth it.
I get that Blimpy's is an institution one must try but, if I had to pick my favorite greasy spoon in A2, I'd go with Red Hot Lovers. Blimpy's is a treasured but largely overrated institution.
By the fact RHL doesn't technically exist anymore.
Before you contemplate doing anything horrible, it's been replaced by a supposed reasonable facimile, but it's not technically the same place or name.
I was there a couple of months ago. I don't remember it being that much more expensive than it was before the closure. Keep in mind, basically every place in town has raised prices somewhat in the past five years.
They probably needed the money to buy a new freezer. A few weeks before RHL closed you couldn't even buy fries any more because their freezer had failed. They appear to have some new equipment now.
That is sad news. I have not been back for a while. I am weeping openly as I type this. Thanks for breaking it to me gently.
Kinda Blue.
(*ducks*)
Don't eat a quad and then try to run a half marathon 1hr later. Just trust me on this one..
sometime during said 1\2 marathon run.....
All about Mr Spots tenders with a side of hot sauce, no ranch
Absolutely my favorite restaurant on campus. I gotta stick with the cheesesteak though, too good to get anything else.
I think I still carry around 3 or four extra pounds because Spots was on my route home on Packard. Bell's pizza is probably responsible for 5 or six more.
I never ate at Blimpy Burger, but I did work in East Quad between '05-'07, and one of the ASCFME employees was Davee (sp?) Askew, who is in that particular video. Also, my friend James Rocker is also in that video and owns the current record for most patties consumed at once (40 -- or specifically, a quint plus thirty five).
I really need to go check it out. I love a good greaseburger.
I graduated from high school in A2 and went to undergrad and med school in that fine city. I've been gone for 9 years, and there is nothing I miss more than Blimpy Burger. Quad with an egg and fried mushrooms. Delicious.
btw, Spot's kicks ass too.
Living a block from Blimpys my senior year was a great decision.
Triple with feta, banana peppers, grilled onions for me.
So you can remove nostalgia for central campus from the equation. He never stumbled down there from the dorms with his buddies. With this in mind, you have to admit that Blimpy's has absolutely nothing to offer him aside from "So you can say you've been there".
As far as cultural experiences go, you're looking at a bunch of spoiled college students packed into an infinitely small infinitely noisy space. Picture the universe moments before the big bang. Throw in a few splashes of hot grease from the grill and you have the blimpy burger experience.
If you want an experience, go to the aforementioned Fleetwood, or Abe's in Ypsi. We're talking Anthropology here. Or yeah, go to Dominicks for the open air and conversation...Honestly, there are any number of Coney Island's with infinitely better food than Blimpy's.
Honestly, there are any number of Coney Island's with infinitely better food than Blimpy's.
So what? You can live a life of abundance and enjoy Coney Island's and also enjoy Blimpy Burger. Sure, there are other good establishments in town -- there are better burgers, and it would be nice if more students would take the 5-10 minute walk to explore places West of Main and North of the 4th ward -- but that doesn't mean you can't get a good burger and a fun experience at Blimpy's on Thursday night and another interesting experience at the Fleetwood after closing down the 8 Ball on Saturday.
Blimpy's does not have to suck just because other places are good too. Rather, Blimpy's is awesome and interesting just like those other places: one of the reasons Ann Arbor is such a special town.
1. The old Brown Jug (i.e., before it was remodeled)
2. Omega Pizza
3. Big Market (long-gone liquor store on Huron & State that used to deliver keg beer; the proprietor's 11-year-old kid used to ring up my vodka and whiskey purchases)
4. Backroom Pizza (before they started messing with their recipe)
I never really liked Bell's Pizza all that much; I wonder why I ate so damn much of it?
Its sound like you have Ann Arbor memories similar to mine (I still live there, though)
I remember Omega Pizza quite fondly. I'm from the east coast and prefer NY-style pizza. Omega was the closest facsimilie in Ann Arbor during the mid-80s.
I lived a couple of blocks away from Big Market (but it was on Huron and Division, not Huron and State).
I really miss Mr. Rib, which was in a couple of locations. I found it when it was on N. Main and Summitt, near Depot St. My favorite was Soul on Roll -- pulled pork and cole slaw on a bun.
Then there was DeLong's BBQ Pit, near Kerrytown. I went there during my grad school days to get catfish sandwiches -- because I liked catfish and because my stipend was not enough to pay for ribs. Once, after I placed my order, the guy behind the counter said, "I didn't think white people ate catfish."
I may shed a few tears over that.
Yeah, I thought I might be a block or two off with Big Market. I think it's a chicken gyro place now.
I was a student from 1993-97, and then I moved back to A2 in 2001 and lived there until 2005. But I live on the west coast now, so I've only been back a couple times since.
But Mr. Rib was the best BBQ I've had. I used to follow those guys around town as they evaded the tax man...and with the decline of Smokehouse Blues, there isn't even decent BBQ in town.
The Roadhouse does a pretty authentic Carolina style BBQ, the best I've had since moving back from there, but it's quite expensive.
Zingerman's Roadhouse? Or something different? I'm more partial to Memphis style, but it's all good. I'd certainly give the place a try.
About both DeLong's and Mr. Rib.
I liked DeLong's because of the catfish and because it was a couple of blocks from where I lived.
Mr. Rib was the best. I've never understood why someone who could actually manage a business and pay the IRS didn't take him in as a partner. Who knows, maybe Mr. Rib just wanted to go solo. It's a shame that people can't enjoy his food somehow, though.
I often thought when they were in a parking lot corner "I" should offer to do it. If for no other reason than to consistently eat it (when they actually had the Packard storefront it was heaven). But from order waiting chat I got the feeling that they weren't looking to work for anybody, which even in a partnership, if one person is fronting all the money, it kinda is. But I'd do anything to have them somewhere around here.
But I can relate to a lot of it.
1. People who only know the new Jug don't know what they're missing. Funny story- the brothers who opened the place originally went to college with my mom, and she had them over for a party, and taught them how to make pizza (which wasn't ever-present back then).
2. I lived in Couzen, and I think we bankrupted them with their breadsticks, which was basically a small cheese pizza without sauce, for like $3. We ordered boxes of them every night.
And you like Bell's because of their ridiculous booklet coupons. It wasn't good; just cheap. Particularly when they misprinted them. But I've told that story before...
It is the finest lunch place on the face of the earth. As a post (drinking all day tailgate) football stop it gives you the hot yummy grease you need to get fired up for hitting the drinking spots.
Even in my student days I maxed out at a quad. With onions. Yum.
Sorry for the two posts.
The show oversold the 'nazi' aspect of the ordering process. They aren't really that anal about it, but they do want you to order in their method since it improves the grill speed and that is a real small grill.
Blimpies has died down on the 'nazi' aspect of ordering over time. When I first lost my blimpy virginity in 2003, they were harsh. I saw a few people get cussed out of the place. Literally. Nowadays, the "How to order for blimpy virgins" sign no longer is up and they don't say a word when you mess up.
Everytime I am in I say they should bring that atmosphere back. It was awesome.
Live on south division less than a block from blimpy.
Quint on kaiser, bacon, egg, mushrooms, cheddar, lettuce, and catsup.
Fries kinda suck though.
I agree that Abe's is where one really finds true culture.
Was in there at 2 am once. The jukebox was stuck on Money by Pink Floyd. Did they unplug it? Hell no! They just let it play over and over and over and over....
to this day when I hear the bassline start I break out in a cold sweat....
I have to say I love Oasis on South U more than any other place on campus. My friends hate it, sometimes they get food poisoning, and it's expensive, but for whatever reason I have a four-year streak of good experiences there. Ali (the very tired looking guy who hits on sorority girls at lunch) has taught me some Lebanese Arabic.
Anyone who doesn't like Blimpy Burger doesn't recognize good food. Quint with egg for me.
the only problem is its a little bit too out of sight out of mind not being on state or south u ... also iwish they were open late
I'm more partial to Casey's Tavern for burgers, but that is a totally different environment. I haven't been to Blimpy in about three years, but if you are looking for a good greasy burger it doesn't get much better than this:
Quad Burger with Cheese (image courtesy of roadfood.com). I think the bacon is taunting me.
The first time I went in there I got yelled at because I was answering the wrong questions at the wrong time. Here are the official rules from their site.
When you come in:
1) Every person must stand in line and order their own food.
2) Every person intending to "dine in" must have their OWN tray. (Food is packed "to go" if you don't have a tray.)
3) Pay attention so we can ask questions about your order.... and please, NO CELL PHONES in line!
When it is your turn to order:
1) First, the deep fryer order: french fries, fried veggies, etc.
2) Then, what size Blimpy: double, triple, quad, quint
3) Next, decide what kind of roll: plain, onion, kaiser, etc.
4) Any grilled items: onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc.
5) Just before the burger comes off the grill, you will be asked to pick what kind of cheese you prefer, if any.
6) After the burger comes off the grill, you will be asked what type of condiments you would like - please start with "wet" items like mayo, ketchup or mustard... and only say what you want and NOT what you don't want!
After you have finished and you are savoring the last bite of Blimpy goodness:
1) Please bus your table and recycle beverage containers.
2) Start planning for your next trip to Blimpys!
My Pepper Steak Bullet addiction is kicking back in...
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Reviews/1540/krazy-jims-blimpy-burger
Don't know much if anything about food in AA, But Fuddrucker's in sterling heights FUCKS.SHIT.UP.
just joined the blog. best sliders are at vinology. half off late night
Blimpy's is an Ann Arbor institution. I agree with the general comments about the woman there being kind of a burger nazi, but it's a good experience, especially on a gameday. Get this, I went there in '08 when I was back in AA for the Utah game. First time back in three years. The dude there remembered my staple order without me telling him and asked why I hadn't been there in a few years. I was impressed.