Dominick's

Before I left Ann Arbor to come to Interlochen for the summer, my work pals and I had a little summer get-together at Dominick's. I would have to say that Dominick's is an Ann Arbor institution. It's been around for years and years. Here's what makes it so special: it's only open in the summer... and it's only open until 10 PM! Carol calls it a "ghost bar." I call it genius. Dominick's is located in a residential neighborhood around the corner from the law quad, and I have visions of law students ordering pizza and sangria and debating truth and honor in our society. Or maybe, they just order the pizza and sangria and get all loud and rowdy. Either way, Dominick's is the place to do it. Aside from the charm of the summertime/illicit drinking-in-the-daytime atmosphere (and ya'll know how much I love drinking in the daytime), Dominick's is a crazy building. Out front, there's a stone porch on the lower level and a wooden deck up top, and out back there's a fountain and lots of intimate seating. I think I even saw a gazebo, but it was reserved. That's cool, too. You can reserve a table... at a bar! And the food at Dominick's is great. They have all kinds of appetizers and food. I ordered a little pizza, and it was super delicious. My friend Carol got tomato bruschetta, and I know they have a plethora of other Italian/Spanish dishes. And then there's the sangria. Yum. Somehow, drinking a little glass of sangria at 5 PM on a Wednesday just seems like the right thing to do.
If you're not sold yet, let me offer you a final nit of information about Dominick's: they serve all their beverages in Mason jars. If you order a half-pint of sangria, as I did, you'll get in a teeny tiny Mason jar - and if you order the pitcher of sangria to share with your friends, it will come in the biggest Mason jar you've ever seen. That's cool.

Dominick's - A