Mitch's Place

The Location: 1220 S. University (at the corner of S. Forest), Upstairs

The Facts: Mitch's Place relocated a few years ago to it's current location from down the street. The bar features two pool tables, booth and table seating, and several televisions around the room generally with various sporting event on. Supposedly, they have a kitchen that serves various barfood type items, though I have seen one person ever eat there. Mitch's is generally open fairly early in the day, (I've walked in at noon on a weekday) but I don't know their exact hours. They are generally closed Sunday

The Specials:

Monday: $3 60oz pitchers of High Life

Tuesday: Well drinks starting at $1.50 at 9pm and escalating a dollar an hour after that.

Wednesday: $2 pitchers of High Life, $3 long island iced teas, Cover starts at 10pm and is $2.

Thursday: $2 bottles, $3 well drinks

Friday: Various shot specials throughout the night, $3 bottles of Amstel Light and Heiniken.

Saturday: $3 Bottles

Other Info:

Karaoke is on friday nights apparently supplied by some chick name Lori.

Review:

What is there to say about Mitch's? Well, it's a bar... That's about it. The nights when it's financially viable to go there, i.e. Mondays and Wednesday, it can get pretty packed, especially on Wednesday. It isn't terrible for meeting new people, but it is a bit loud so you'll have to deal with that when conversing with people. There is generally enough seating, though often the high tables are taken up by people who go to play beer pong. I honestly don't get the 'let's go to the bar and play beer pong' people. It seems strange to me, but I guess it's one of the draws for some people.

Other nights, Mitch's is pretty quiet, especially Tuesdays and Saturdays. Personally, if I plan on going, to Mitch's I show up just before cover starts on a Wednesday. Any time else, it seems like a lame way to go. However, if you do go on that Wednesday, you can drink (terrible) beer for very cheap, and still have a decent time. On Wednesday Mitch's has the same advantage as GTC's, you can run into a bunch of people you know. It also has the problem in that it's pretty generic.

The atmosphere is dull, to be blunt. I'm not a huge fan of the 2nd story bar. To me, a bar should be at least on the first floor, if not the basement, but I guess that's just my preference.

Oh, and the pool isn't free.

I give Mitch's two stars. I'd give it 3 on a Wednesday, but I just can't bring myself to uprate it that much for one really crowed day where there is rarely enough waiters/waitresses on to service the entire crowed. Sorry Jodi.

To me, it look like a Ann Arbor, to me

I've been very privileged in my life. I've been able to visit places all over the world. I've spent time in hundreds of very interesting cities, both foreign and domestic. I've lived in many places as well. However, none has felt more inviting, livable, relaxed and exciting as the one I've lived in for the last 5 years.

The Ace Deuce.

For those reading this, you've at least been here, if not lived here. The plurality, if not the majority of Ann Arborites are what I would describe as Neo-Beatnik Bohemian Hippite Yuppies. It's a strange amalgamation of counter-culture and upper-middle class. The status quo of Ann Arbor and the status quo of the rest of the world seem diametrically opposed. 

While there are the occasional breaches in traditional Ann Arbor style (Jimmy John's/Espresso Royale's replication) the uniqueness of almost all Ann Arbor businesses speaks to Ann Arbor's desire to 'do it's own thing'. Ann Arborites have been able to keep the chain resturants, like McDonald's and Bennigan's out away from this center of progressive culture in the midwest.

Ann Arbor strives to be independant. No where have I lived has a place been so focused on contructing itself as an Ivory Tower (I personally don't find that to be a negative thing, call me pretentious). It features UofM's library system, the 9th largest in the U.S., the Ann Arbor Film Festival, one of the premier festivals for showcasing Avant Garde films, and also happens to be the 2nd oldest film festival in the nation.

If you were to spend more than an hour in the city, and not notice the passion for the arts in Ann Arbor, you would be either Tommy Walker or a pre-Anne Sullivan Helen Keller (well, maybe a post-Anne Sullivan too...).

There are more than 10 small art galleries around town where local artists showcase their work. Most of these are located at the Main Street area. Various arts festivals take place throughout the year, including the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, about to celebrate it's 50th anniversary this July.

I wouldn't say that 'Ann Arbor has something for everyone' because, as much as I enjoy a good cliche, it just isn't true. 'Tree City' is offputting to some, simply because of it's athetics. While it has more trees in an urban area than any place in the world, it also has quite a bit of concete, to offset the 147 parks that populate the city. Some have difficulty settling this fact in their minds. While it can be a beautiful place(Nichols Arboretum, UofM's North Campus, etc.) it certainly is a city, and as such, you have to live like it's a city (lack of parking, heavy traffic, especially at rush hour, etc.).

This post seems like it has little or no point, but I say it all to try point out why I think AA is such a unique place, and, in part, to display what I like about it.

Upcoming posts

Just a small post to let you know what's coming up.

I'm currently working on reviews for Babb's, Ashley's, and Mitch's Place.

I'm also in the process of adding another writer to the blog, to assist in content.

Also, I found this link from 10 years ago, but it's still pretty apt, and I found it humorous.

Updated Event: Euchre Tourney

Previously.

BTB's euchre league is now held on Tuesdays.

Dominick's is Open!

Huzzah! Constant Buzz is back!

Dominick's opened earlier this week. I stopped in this afternoon, and all is well.

Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival

While I want to focus this blog on Ann Arbor area specific content, I feel like I could shoehorn this in with enough B.S., so here goes, and try to stick with me.

Last weekend, I went to the MBG's winter beer festival in Grand Rapids. As at least an amatuer beer snob, I have to say, this was heaven for me. Dispite it taking place in the cold parking lot of the Whitecap's stadium, and my lack of appropriate clothing (I forgot to bring my jacket and shoes without holes in them), I have to say I had an absolute blast.

In the parking lot, they had 3 tents set up, with booths for each brewery. Each of the over 35 breweries brought anywere from 3 to 12 of their beers with them. When you arrive you are given 10 tokens to exchange for about half of a small cup of beer (~4-6 oz). Additional tokens could be purchased 20 for $10. However, often you could simply not give the people serving you a token and they wouldn't care. Tickets for entry were $35 if purchased beforehand and $40 if purchased at the gate, but the event sold out several days beforehand anyway.

Grizzly Peak and Arbor Brewing company showed up to offer up some of their beers, but Blue Tractor did not (not a huge loss, in my opinion). Both seemed fairly busy from the look of it, which I suppose is good for motivating people to come to AA and stimulate our alcohol driven economy...

But actually relating this to the Ann Arbor area is as follows: The MBG Summer Festival will be in Ypsilanti July 24-25, which is, as most of you know, just a hop, skip, and dodging-of-gunfire away. Tickets go on sale May 1st. I'm guessing this will be a bigger event so I'd make an effort to get tickets early. Get out there and support Michigan breweries!

Cinco de Montho at Cantina

BTB Cantina, once a month, has a night of extreme specials. Starting at 5pm on the 5th of every month, all bottles of beer are $1 and shots of Cuervo are only $.50. Every hour the price of each of these goes up by $.50 and settles at $2.50.

While I have a love-hate relationship with tequila, as I believe we all do, this is a rockin' deal for that first hour. I do believe this is actually in violation of the law (selling alcohol under the cost to purchase - Handle of JCE ~ $34/40 shots), but hey, who needs the law?

The first time I went was in January (coinciding with a friend's birthday) and it wasn't crowded at all. However, I also stopped in for Febuary 5th at around 5:15pm and it took 30 minutes in line to get a drink (I promptly left after said drink).

Next month's Cinco de Montho will probably be equally or more crowded, as student's will be concluding their first week back from Spring Break, and needing to unwind.