Ann Arbor foodie day

A few times a month, I'll have 'foodie' days with friends (and yes, they are as great as they sound ;) I always make myself a promise that I'll run a few extra miles the following day so I don't feel as guilty.....and it gives me motivation as well for the next outing. We'll usually pick an area or cuisine and spend most of the day trying out new dishes, catching up, leisurely walking around and having a few drinks. I spent several years living up in the Ann Arbor area, and miss it tons, so I'm always looking for an excuse to come back. I had been wanting to check out  Mark's Carts which just opened for the season, along with Frita Batido's for awhile, so we opted to spend the day there. Ann Arbor is the perfect place for a foodie day because:

 1) It's home of the Wolverines (GO BLUE!!)
 2) Their culinary scene is pretty impressive
 3) Since it's a college town, they have a good range of cheap eats to fancy pants dining
 4) Most areas are very walkable with lots of things to do, which helps in between your food stops

The morning started off with the requisite Starbucks, then the drive out from the D. What could be better than a sunny, crisp Saturday in AA? This bad boy:

Cheese Dream is one of my favorite food carts in the area. This nutella and Zingerman's cream cheese sandwich melted in your mouth.....and all over my hands..... but was worth every messy minute.

After I cleaned up my face from Cheese Dream, we tried a pork belly mini sandwich. Some of the best I've ever had from a food truck before - seasoned and cooked really well.

And this is where I lost it......my willpower that is. Frita Batidos is the B.O.M.B. So she didn't go that far on Top Chef, but Eve Aronoff knows her stuff. I loved her former Ann Arbor restaurant Eve's, and I'm pretty much now smitten with Frita's. This photo (taken on my iPhone) doesn't really do it justice, but it was one of the best meals I've ever had in Ann Arbor, and there's been a lot of those.  This was the chorizo frita with sweet chili mayo and avocado spread, topped with shoestring fries on fresh brioche. The aptly named, "Best Snack Ever" was a bowl of layered coconut ginger rice, black beans, melted muenster, and cilantro lime salsa. We washed it down with a Coconut Cream Batido, a tropical milkshake made with fresh fruit, crushed ice and sweetened milk, with or without rum. Everything was so fresh and served at the right temperature. The batido tasted better than most of the watered down fruity drinks I've had at even high end beach resorts over the years. I honestly wanted to go take a nap in my car so I could come back back later and try more. So, if you're ever in the mood for Frita's, let me know so I can join you!