November 17, 2011 - 2:12am
Food Wars: Something pumpkin
BY DAILY ARTS STAFF
Pumpkin pie latte from Espresso Royale, 324 South State St.
This isn’t just some paltry pumpkin spice latté — no, this is the real McCoy. The coffee crafters at Espresso Royale add condensed milk to lend a certain thickness to the drink. With sweet aumtumnal tones blending into the creamy texture, this is the only pumpkin pie you can drink through a straw.
Pumpkin pecan cheesecake from Café Ambrosia, 326 Maynard St.
A bite of Café Ambrosia’s pumpkin pecan cheesecake is a treat no matter what it includes — the moistly bready crust, the cinnamon-topped sweet pecans or that unbelievably pumpkin-y, cheesy interior.Anyone staying in Ann Arbor for Thanksgiving need only stop here for their squash-spiked dessert.
Pumpkin bagel & cream cheese from Bagel Fragel, 1760 Plymouth Road
A short walk from the Bursley bus stop on the last frontier of campus lies a quaint bagel shop. Bagel Fragel houses a pumpkin flavor explosion so intense that fallout shelters are required nearby. A pumpkin bagel base poses no threat to anyone’s canine teeth while pumpkin cream cheese melts away like ice on an Arctic glacier.
Pumpkin pie ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, 304 South State St.
Close your eyes and taste it: A frozen treat served in thick scoops, rich with pumpkin-y flavor. The signature Ben & Jerry’s treat has liberal amounts of pie crust morsels folded into the creamy mixture, and each bite inspires satisfaction. This flavor is a limited edition — it only comes out once a year. So there’s no excuse not to get it while you can.
And the winner is: Everything pumpkin!
Each week, one Ann Arbor staple menu item becomes a battlefield as Daily Arts editors butt heads over which restaurant makes it best. Where should you go for your burger, fro-yo or garden omelette? Daily Arts will fight for the truth.
