This Friday, I’m bringing things back to Ypsi, very close to campus, and kind of the opposite on the healthy spectrum.
What and Where
The Wurst Bar | 705 West Cross St., Ypsilanti | 734-485-6720
Ratings (1=Terrible, 5=Mind-blowingly Great)
- Tastiness: 3-4.5 (see comments)
- Service: 2
- Price (1=super cheap, 5=super expensive): 3
- Value: 3
- General Vibe: 4 (daytime experiences only and not counting the bathrooms)
Comments
- When I heard that Theo’s was closing up and being replaced by a bar specializing in gourmet sausages, my first reaction was “wait, that place Theo’s was still in business? I had assumed it had been abandoned.” Go figure.
- And of course my second reaction was “gourmet sausages, huh?” Wrong again. They make them all in house and they range from the traditional (bratwurst, Italian sausage, Mettwurst) to the exotic (for example, rabbit, fig, and white wine; rattlesnake; bison and lamb). They are all excellent, though I have to say that for the most part, the difference between these sausages are more about the spices and less about the meats since once you grind something up into a sausage it all kind of tastes like, well, sausage. This is of course why lesser quality sausages are often made up of “miscellaneous” left-overs. But again, the freshness of them along with the variety of toppings and mustards and the like is all very impressive.
- The other fun feature I’ve had so far are the tots– tater tots that is, though there is also a sweet ‘tater tot option I find quite tasty.
- But then just the other day I had what was for me the best food option I’ve had there so far, the Nut Burger. That’s their usual burger (which is a combination of ground brisket, short rib and chuck with “unami spices”) with cheddar, bacon, and a layer of crunchy peanut butter on the bun. I know what you’re thinking and I was completely sober when I ate it, and it was really REALLY excellent.
- But the reason for the “tastiness” range is there is the vegetarian options fall short. They do have “hot seitan” and apple and pecan (and tofu) sausages, along with a rotating vegetarian burger, though my vegetarian dining companion tells me that the options are inconsistent. Probably not surprising in a place that specializes in sausage. I don’t know, maybe they need a salad or something.
- Service has also been pretty inconsistent. I think they’re getting better at it and all of these tattooed and pierced young people are perfectly nice, but things can be a little too leisurely. If you’ve only got 30 minutes for lunch, probably not the place for you.
- At the end of the day, it’s worth remembering it’s a bar. They take a lot of pride in their craft beer choices which rotate often, and they have all the other usual liquors and such. I haven’t been there at night– only for lunch and happy-hour/late afternoon kind of times– but like I said, it’s a bar, so if dark-ish places with lots of TV and people drinking booze offend you, I’d suggest a pass. It seems family-friendly enough at lunch and in the early evening, but I have a feeling things get rockin’ at night, which often features things like bingo, trivia, whiskey night, etc.
- I like what they’ve done with the interior of the place a lot with groovy red plastic chandeliers, a white faux buffalo head, old movie posters, and the like, but the bathrooms are vintage Theos, including a trough-styled urinal in the men’s room. I read someplace they’re planning on fixing that soon though.
