Steve's Lunch was a diner located at 1313 South University that was owned in the 60s and early 70s by a Greek fellow named Steve (hence the name) Vaniadis (sp?). Until then the place served up typical American style food - burgers, hamburger steaks, etc. Circa 1972 it was purchased by a Korean Couple by the name of Goom Sook and Wan Youl Lee. Until then Mrs Lee was a geneticist and Mr Lee worked for the UofM in biostatistics and aerospace (worked on the first Mars probe). However, they were tired of working for other people and decided on a restaurant. They soon would be affectionately known as Mr and/or Mrs Lee as they began to add a Korean "flavor" to things - bi bim bop and kimchee. Mrs Lee also instituted daily specials like Hungarian Gulash, Beef Stroganoff, New England style clam chowder, and beef barely soup. They were often known for their unique and outgoing style and Sundays were a madhouse with people standing behind occupied stools reading the paper. The place became a regular hangout of some of football players - Billy Taylor, Rick Leach, and Paul Seymore to name a few. And God help them if they showed up after a loss. Mr Lee was an unforgiving and loyal Wolverine fan. But no sooner would he lambaste one of them for making mistakes on the field then refused to take their money when it came time to pay the tab. "Do better next time - that's what you owe me!" He would say. The (now) owner of Zingerman's Paul Saginaw used to frequent the place on a regular basis and catch hell from Mr. Lee for his outlandish Jewish "fro". BTW Paul, you still owe Mr Lee's son some boric acid - no, he didn't forget ;) It was a cultural institution and the first Korean diner in Ann Arbor. In the late 70s Mr Lee suffered a stroke and they decided it was time to get out. It was sold to many different owners after that but was never quite the same. It's gone now, the way of the bagel factory (is Bicycle Jim's or the Pan Tree still around?) and replaced by Rich JC in the same place. So many people have come and gone at that place...so many wonderful stories.

Review on Gas, Fud, Lodging: http://www.fudcourt.com/gasfud_mich.html