Ann Arbor Food Scene: Afternoon Delight

     Every weekend as I am walking to work sun, rain, or snow there is always a line out the door and halfway down the block snaking its way out of Afternoon Delight.  I was always intrigued but never had time to eat there during the week because of class and work and never felt like standing in line during the weekends so I had never actually been inside.  I had never been inside but I have heard so many people tell me that it was the best place for lunch.  So during my lunch break one Wednesday afternoon I decided to head over to Afternoon Delight since it was a week day and was not crazy busy.  Even if there wasn't a line out the door this day the inside was almost full anyway.  Even on a random Wednesday afternoon it was pretty full.  The outside of the building is a pretty non-descript building a few large windows and an awning is all that separates Afternoon Delight from the record shop and antique shop next door.  Afternoon Delight itself is located on the corner of Liberty and 5th Ave, across from the post office.  
      Inside Afternoon Delight is set up like a cafeteria, plastic lunch trays and all. You get your silverware, tray, and glass at one end while you place your order.  You drag your tray down to the other end of the counter and pay for your food and wait for it to be served. Afternoon Delight has two menus: there is the everyday menu then also a list of seasonal special items that change weekly or so. The lighting in the restaurant is very harsh and the seating again reminds me of a cafeteria even more so because of the salad bar stuck in the middle of the seating area.  There are awards all over walls from the Michigan Daily and other newspaper about their salad bar and their breakfast/lunch.  Everyone who comes to Afternoon Delight raves about their bran muffins and their quiche.  Even while in line everyone order one or the other or both even.  I am not typically a fan of bran muffins so I stuck with the Quiche Lorraine which struck my interest.  It came with soup or salad and I chose the Chicken Orzo soup which sadly was enimic and lacked much flavor compared to the quiche. The quiche was really good, its was salty with the ham and really cheesy as well which is always a plus for me.  Even while the ambiance of the restaurant is not all that appealing, cafeterias very rarely are, I have to admit that it is a great place to grab lunch or even breakfast.  There is a well earned reason why there are lines down the block during the weekends and why people should eat here at least once and judge for yourself.