The city of Ann Arbor kicked off its 17th annual Restaurant Week Jan. 18, offering University of Michigan students and community members the opportunity to try different cuisines at discounted prices. The event, organized by Main Street Ann Arbor, features deals lasting until Jan. 23, with most restaurants offering complete meals at a fixed, lower price. Certain spots also feature “menu for two” deals for couples or friends and family meals to go. This year’s event featured a variety of restaurants including Miss Kim and Mani Osteria, as well as cafes such as Le Bon Macaron.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Ashley Schafer, executive director of Main Street Ann Arbor, said she believes the event is a great way to stimulate the downtown community and uplift residents.
“With it being cold, this really is kind of a way to get people outside of their houses post-holiday,” Schafer said. “Our businesses need that traffic, because it does slow down pretty substantially for them in these colder months, but it also really showcases the things that our restaurants offer kind of on a year-round basis.”
Schafer said Restaurant Week is an opportunity for locals to experience more of Ann Arbor’s cuisine and without being deterred by prices.
“These (pre-fixed) menus are intended to be meals offered at a discount,” Schafer said. “So you can try these restaurants, whether you’ve been intimidated by the price or maybe even just the menu. They’re a little bit smaller portions, a little bit smaller price and you’re able to find a new favorite, or maybe just try something new.”
In an interview with The Daily, chef Ji Hye Kim, who owns Miss Kim and its newly opened counterpart Little Kim said Restaurant Week is a way to introduce customers to Korean cuisine.
“For us, the Restaurant Week is really our invitation for you to come and experience the food,” Kim said. “We don’t change the portion size, and we don’t create a one-off menu. We highlight our bestsellers, crowd-pleasers and my favorites on that menu. And when you get a three course meal, appetizer, entree and dessert — you are getting full size.”
Le Bon Macaron, a French cafe in downtown Ann Arbor, offers more than 100 different flavors of macarons. Co-owner Kelly Toland told The Daily a big part of Le Bon Macaron is the cafe’s atmosphere.
“It’s a great, small, cozy space,” Toland said. “We usually always have tables available, and we love seeing people come in and just connecting and talking and reading a book, but it’s a great little space downtown.”
LSA freshman Addison Sandifur said Restaurant Week provides a respite from the long winter months.
“Everyone’s really stressed out studying, so it’s nice to go out and eat with your friends,” Sandifur said. “Ann Arbor is such a good college town, and I feel like a lot of students don’t take advantage even though we are right next to all these restaurants and shops.”
Daily Staff Reporter Tara McIntosh can be reached at taramcin@umich.edu.
