Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Meredith and I made a trip downtown to explore last night. We found free parking and great brew pub, Blue Tractor Brewery which had a really tasty 5-beer sampler for just $5.95!! It included all of there current selection and the seasonal, which was actually a guest apperance of Luciernaga "The Firefly" from the Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, in Dexter, MI. In addition, we had a basket of the green chile cheddar muffins - yum! This selection from Jolly Pumpkin was my favorite, and this brewery is a total of ONLY 6.2 miles from my apartment, so I will defineately be making a visit in the very near future. The rest of downtown was beautiful and just about every establishment had outdoor setting; it felt a bit like Europe in that regard. Most of the places we strolled by on Main Street were resturants: mexican, several seafood joints, steak houses, Indian, Ethiopian, BBQ, Cuban, Japanese and other asian grills. We did not see too many places there were just bars, but again, we were only on a few streets. There were lots and lots of good happy hour specials and one in particular at Vinology that we will stop to tomorrow.

I also discovered a grocery store/wine cellar/butcher/chocolate shop/deli/organic home & body boutique/everything else gastronomical one could desire within walking distance from my place - The Plum Market. They had lucious fresh berries out for tasting and some delicious homemade lime chips. This place is way more than a grocery store; they have thier own wine room, king crab legs, pizza oven, and a deli bar spread - I think this maybe the death of my wallet. I didn't look too closely at the prices, but did purchase a box of Kashi cereal on sale for $1.99!! I am not sure how they will compare since most of the brands looked like niche, small organic producers, but I will take advantage of the produce, fresh meats and cheeses, deli, and specialtiy items. Thankfully the Kroger and Meijers is also close for my pantry staples.

The Michigan Secretary of State took a furlough day yesterday so I was not about to get my license and registration changed, however, this ended up being good, because I still have to get my paperwork from AAA for the MI auto insurance. I did however make it to the library and am now a proud owner of an Ann Arbor public library card. I rented some books on CD for my upcoming trips.

Today I'm meeting with Alan and will hopefully get everything done to get the grant submitted today or tomorrow. I have several other things to accomplish before I head to Rochester on Friday.