Paul W.
Yelp
Living in the neighborhood, I'm glad this place is around. With 40-odd taps, it's a good locale for exploring some new brews and maybe getting a bite without having to drive (and park) in downtown Ann Arbor. Still, experiences with the food and the service at Rappourt haven't exactly turned me into a fan.
On our first visit, my wife and I split a chicken sandwich with apple slaw and the salami grinder. The first wasn't too bad. The chicken was tender and well seasoned, and the apple slaw was delicious. But it came on a thick ciabatta roll, and the breadiness overwhelmed the bird. Had a similar problem on the grinder: the salami was sparse, and I barely tasted it as I chewed my way through the bun. The salad with cilantro-lime dressing I had on the side was good, however, and wife said her fries were excellent. While it is nice when sides aren't an afterthought, they shouldn't outshine your main dish, either.
We ordered burgers on our second trip there, and they had a nice flavor, and even though mine came well done instead of medium as ordered, it still was juicy. The mushrooms we ordered on them were obviously grilled fresh, not pulled from a can. However, the patties were smaller than I'd expect on a bar burger, and the gruyere on them wasn't distinguishable from basic swiss. Overall not a bad burger, but not a burger worth $12, either.
We waited quite a while for those burgers to come too, even though the place wasn't more than a quarter full. Waiting seemed to be the motif for the night. After arriving we'd sat at the bar, with staff passing by us, for several minutes before someone took our drink order, or even said hello. Once he got to us, the bartender was friendly and gave us some good beer suggestions, though when it came time to order a refill he was MIA. On our first visit, we also had a long wait for food, and the bartender initially served us someone else's order.
We did sit at the bar on both visits, since, as you've probably gleaned from other Yelpers, the seating consists mostly of picnic tables. Not bad if you're out with a large group, but if you're on a date, you may prefer a little more space between you and the other patrons.
Rappourt is new, and I expect still in the learning process. I hope to see them up their game in the months to come.