Black Sheep Tavern

Our less-than-mediocre experience started as soon as we walked in the door. Literally everyone in the dining room fell silent and stared at us when we walked in. Weird and uncomfortable. After we placed our order, which was simply two burgers and a taco salad, we waited as three tables of people who had arrived after us received their food well before us. When our food finally arrived, it was totally cold and had clearly been sitting for a while.

Bad service and mediocre food. None of us will be returning, which is a shame as we love supporting local businesses.

Beautiful restaurant.   Service is usually good and very friendly.   When they are on, it is a great place for dinner.   When the chef or service is off, it is okay at best.

Breakfast is always consistent and good.

I so want to give this place four stars, because it's cool. Kewl. Like Manchester itself, a little town outside Ann Arbor where small-farming-town charm meshes with Ann-Arbor-esque funky-artsy sensibility.

But I'll share my experience first.

We stopped here for lunch on a sunny autumn Saturday.. The Black Sheep looked like a real hometown hangout -- like a place where everybody goes and lingers.. And it was packed.

The interior:  that appealing mix of age -- tin ceilings, old brickwork -- and bohemian coolness. There was a refreshing diversity of customers, and a vibe that a lot of these folks were indeed regulars. Comfy lounge chairs in one corner; a chessboard for a leisurely game; some nice sheep-related objets d'art; good stuff.  A blackboard announced an upcoming Halloween party for adults; and this establishments seems to have a history hosting events and music (despite not that large a space.)

The menu: Nothing fancy, but solid diner food, which is what we were looking for. ( I ordered a turkey Reuben; my partner ordered a bleu burger.) We weren't in a dessert frame of mind but the desserts sounded great. The bar is small and cozy, and offers some regional microbrews. (Interestingly, when we asked if they served Stella Artois -- not a microbrew, of course, but a beer we enjoy -- the waitperson was mystified.) Our sandwiches were good; hit the spot. I appreciated the fact that my sandwich was a genuine "Rachel" with coleslaw, not sauerkraut, on it. The prices are very reasonable, especially in this spendy part of the state.

Four stars so far.

But...now I have to tell you about the service.

"Random" might be a good descriptor. Or "indifferent," at least in terms of the younger staff. We waited and waited for our menus. The waitperson forgot our silverware and napkins and had to be reminded twice to bring them.  The waitperson got my partner's side order wrong. A couple who came in after us waited even longer for anyone to notice them, and we finally flagged down an older staffperson whom I believe was the owner and pointed them out to her. And the same lack of service seemed to be going on elsewhere around the dining area. Despite a full house, the poor service didn't seem due to lack of help, but rather lack of helpfulness and git-go on the part of the younger waitpersons.

I think the Black Sheep would be an excellent place to spend a lazy morning over an omelet and endless coffee cup. Or a blizzardy winter day. And if you have good dining company, as I did, you can put up with a certain amount of sub-par service. But I just can't give this place that fourth star, even though I bought one of their souvenir shirts anyway.