At Oyster Bar/Spaghetti Machine, 'different' is delicious
At Oyster Bar/Spaghetti Machine, 'different' is delicious
By CONSTANCE CRUMP JAN 17 1986
NEWS RESTAURANT REVIEWER
The Oyster Bar/Spaghetti Machine marches to the beat of a different drummer. Where else in Ann Arbor are diners subjected to a list of Don’ts before they even open the menu?
“Do not order any WHOLE WHEAT NOODLES unless you have tried them here before. They have a very distinctive taste which you may not like. If you order them, you do so at your own risk,” one curiously self-limiting menu cover statement advises.
Despite a caveat which alerts diners that, “We claim no allegiance to any particular ethnic cuisine, except to our own way of cooking good food,” one Crumpet speculated, “I’m not sure you could bring a ‘real Italian’ here and have them like the place.”
I’d have to agree in the case of die-hard traditionalists - a group with which I claim occasional affiliation - but no one who tastes OB/TSM food with an open mind could argue that the ends don’t justify the means.
Sauces are admirably uncontrived. The veal is the best in town, its quality unmatched by anyone else, even retail meat markets. The salad bar is a winner and still champion, too, with labels to tell which dressings are homegrown and which are outsourced, and deliciously different condiments like capers, perfectly flavored Kalamata olives, and beets.
Among the pasta sauces, carbonara had little character, although proscuitto to replace bacon is worth the surcharge. Sicilian - a spicy blend of tomato, onion, green pepper and eggplant - is a favorite with OB/TSM regulars.
Fresh-tasting clams in the white clam sauce aren’t the common canned variety that endanger one’s orthodontia with
NEWS PHOTO • ROBERT CHASE
Oyster Bar and Spaghetti Machine chefJimmy House
their grit. Fresh mushroom, butter-basil-garlic and pesto sauces are all superior. The kitchen tends to overcook spaghetti, alas. Fettuccine usually fares better.
A recent dinner with an octet of opsomaniacs was an unmitigated success. Entrees vanished so quickly I was hard-put to demand my usually obligatory tastes of others’ choices. Seafood Creole, veals marsala and Francaise, tournadoes forestier were inhaled to the accompaniment of sighs and whispers of gratification.
My own osso buco, like the other menu offerings, was a little different. The unexpected is a trademark at OB/TSM. Although unconventional, it’s delicious, starring an amazingly meaty veal boneless shank and a healthy portion of vegetables, all stewed in their own juices. I missed the traditional gremolata garnish - a zingy, finely minced dollop of lemon zest, parsley and garlic.
The select wine list is heavy on the reds. The Crumpets enjoyed glasses of the house wine, both white and red, as well as 1983 bottles of Frascati Superiore and Barbera D’Asti.
“Greg (owner Fenerli) buys wine the way I like it - dry,” remarked one Crumpet who’s an OB/TSM habitue.
Desserts are simple and satisfactory, from cannoli to rich creme renversee au chocolat, nearly the ultimate chocolate pudding, with a stop for creme caramel (one of my favorite non-chocolate desserts) along the way. .
The easy-going air of the place is confirmed by an equally easy-going but efficient staff. One of my all-time favorite Ann Arbor waiters, Mark Fisher, makes restaurant dining a pleasure, not merely a refueling stop, or worse, a grueling contest of wills between waiter and diner or shameless campaign for baksheesh. The rest of the staff is also thoughtful and unobtrusive.
CRUMPETS
Oyster Bar and The Spaghetti Machine
301 W. Huron St. at First St.
663-2403
FOOD 8 out of 10
SERVICE 10 out of 10
ATMOSPHERE 9 out of 10
HOURS: Lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.; dinner, Sunday and Monday, 5 until 9 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday, until 10 p.m.
LIQUOR: Full bar and wine list, wines by the glass.
PLASTIC: MC, VISA
PRICES: Moderate. Dinner for eight, $180 with wine, tax and tip, not including drinks.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Tricky. Requires assistance to negotiate steps at end of hallway near entrance.