A Day in the Life. . .

It is always hard to predict what a 'typical' day at the cafe will look like. Part of the joy in being in this line of work is the constant unexpected treats as well our fantastic regular customers. More on them will come later (Coke Guy and his Doppelganger, you have been warned!) but today was like any other day in that it was wonderful and different and busy and fun.

We had quite a few of our lovely regulars (Alice, Coke Guy and his lovely wife, Office Guys, Stacey) as well as our lovely friends Yen and Nick from Chin-Azzaro and a wonderfully engaging group of food and travel writers on a trip sponsored by the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. There is little we enjoy more than talking about food (and wine) and our visitors were well informed, inquisitive and charming.

A few pictures of the day to give you a feel for our atypical 'typical' day:

The cooking starts early. . .

But we always try to keep jazz hands alive in the kitchen

Lentil soup, mmmmm, lentil soup. . . (sadly recipe being very top secret)

Sauteed sweet baby peppers

Tomato-Swiss Chard Soup
Stuffed yellow pepper dolma with lamb

Baked pears with cloves and Turkish Tea

Come visit us soon!

Holiday Party!

As you all know, we have monthly parties which feature a special prix fixe menu and entertainment. In the past we have had ballroom dance performances (amazing what you can do with a small space and in one!), belly dancing, opera recitals, and musical theatre recitals, usually featuring one of our incredibly talented employees.

Our next party is our annual holiday party which will feature a fantastic seasonal menu and singing by a very talented student at the University of Michigan's renowned musical theatre program

This party tends to book out very quickly so reserve early!

Happy Holidays,

Ayse and the Team at Ayse's Cafe

Hello and Welcome!

After many requests, we have decided to finally launch our blog to share with you, dear customers, some of our favorite memories from serving Ann Arbor for over 18 years!

It has been a delight to have all of you come to the cafe, some of you since we first opened. While the restaurant business is hard (local legend has it that the majority of newly opened restaurants close within the first year) your patronage has made our business thrive, your kindness and friendship a pleasure to go to work every day.

So as this blog is a work in progress, we'll start by saying hello and that we are looking forward to seeing how this blog evolves.

Come visit us soon and in the meantime, wishing you all the best for the holiday season,

Ayse and the team at Ayse's Cafe