Go with your Gutty

Last week’s sandwich adventure was kind of a double whammy- not only was I going out with a cute guy, but he wanted to take me to a sandwich shop. Swoon.

Mudgie’s in Detroit was next on my “to eat” list, so to downtown we traveled. The restaurant is in a cheery brick building in Corktown and is a charming little local spot. The interior is inviting with warm yellow and orange walls, and although the space is somewhat small, seating was easy to come by on a Monday night.

To be honest, I was a little distracted by my adorable dinner date, and was way more engrossed in our conversation than I was in my surroundings.

I did have enough sense to scope out the menu prior to arrival, and I knew the Gutty would be ordered. Who doesn’t love a sandwich that boasts five different meats? It had me at “salami”. We decided to split our sandwiches, so we also ordered the restaurant’s namesake sandwich, the Mudgie.

I love a good beer with sammies, and Mudgie’s has Bell’s TwoHearted available - my favorite! Everything was falling into place to be both the best date AND dinner experience ever, and the food hadn’t event arrived.

It wasn’t too long before our friendly server brought forth our massive meals. Did I mention we ordered the extra large Gutty? As if a meat stack five high wasn’t enough, we opted to go XL and get even more meats loaded on. 

The Gutty, especially the extra large version, is loaded high with Genoa salami, Sy Ginsberg Gold Label pastrami; Sy Ginsberg corned beef, bacon, and beef brisket, rounding out the meat of the meal. As an experienced sandwich eater, I feel comfortable recommending all sandwiches be made with Sy Ginsberg meat; this stuff is awesome. I couldn’t tell you which meat was my favorite, but I definitely loved the meat medley that melted in my mouth with each bite.

The Gutty also boasted sharp cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce (I’m guessing for a touch of color?), and an amazing homemade garlic mayo sauce that produced that awesome, messy, run-down-to-your-elbows extra bit of flavor. All this goodness was housed between a Kaiser roll, until I tried, unsuccessfully, to elegantly eat my sandwich (Thankfully, my date didn’t seem to care).

As I mentioned, we split our meals so I also got to indulge a bit in the Mudgie, which boasted a Michigan raised and grass-fed brisket that was juicy and perfectly seasoned. My sharing skills  must be a little out of practice, because my date didn’t get to experience the brisket and thought the sandwich’s only meat was the perfectly roasted turkey breast. Oops? 

I really loved the vegetable cream cheese on the Mudgie because it, along with the Brownwood Farm’s Kream Mustard, kind of brought the beef and the bird together in flavorful harmony.  There was only a touch of vegetables on this sandwich with a few leaves of romaine and some slices of red onion, and truthfully, I could have done without both.

While the Mudgie was a solid sandwich with a lot of great flavor, my date and I agreed the “Gutty” was where it was at.

I had an awesome time and a great meal at Mudgie’s, and I can’t wait to do it again.

Lasso the Mountains!

Recently in Boulder, CO my good friend Mark and his darling girlfriend, Sarah, took the weekend to show me their fantastic city. We spent time downtown, went for a hike, and even watched Star Wars (I realize that has nothing to do with Boulder, but I’d never seen Star Wars and that’s just embarrassing). While we sampled some of the local Boulder restaurants, I think we all agreed it was a no-brainer we go to a sandwich shop to satiate my sandwich cravings.

Obviously, Boulder boasts more than one place for mounds of meat between buttery bread, but The Sink was an obvious choice. Not only is The Sink a well-known eatery catering to the hungry mouths of Boulder, but Robert Redford was once a janitor there, AND Obama signed the wall. I guess I’m into celebrities, because their past presence at the place really sealed the deal. Also, I think my friends said, “Hey, let’s go here”, and I was hungry.

The Sink is a “Boulder Burger Institution”, but offers eaters a whole lot more than that. Inside the doors, the “Sink Angel” watches over you (at least as you walk through to the restaurant), and the crazy beatnick art on the walls keeps you entertained, and guessing as to what you’re looking at. I could be wrong, but I think we sat next to a rollercoaster that turned into intestines or some other body part. Take a look at the virtual restaurant tour online and you’ll understand my inability to describe what I saw. The restaurant was low ceilinged and dark, but the artwork was fun and silly and interesting, which made it feel comfy and warm. Nobody puts baby in the corner, but that’s where we sat, and enjoyed a great view of what I assume is the main dining room.

Having recently moved from Austin, TX, I was adament that I did not want any barbecue or Mexican (or Tex-Mex or any variation of “Mex”), so one would assume that upon careful perusal of the menu, I would choose something like the Mesa Chicken, or Avocado Melt. I should not have been ordering anything with the words “Texas” in the description, but I can’t help it, the Cowboy Rueben called to me! (The Turkey Apple Brie burger called as well, but burgers are not sandwiches, and thus not allowed if on a sandwich mission.)

The Cowboy Reuben was a Reuben only in that it was on rye bread and contained coleslaw, although Reuben purists may argue that sauerkraut is a necessary Reuben component. Because I sort of hate sauerkraut, coleslaw is cool with me; it’s still cabbage, after all.

Making this Reuben a “Cowboy”, the rye bread was stacked with smoked brisket in a Texas Chipotle BBQ sauce. I’ve never been a huge Texas BBQ fan as it’s incredibly dry compared to the delicious BBQ of Detroit I grew up on, but in a sandwich, and loaded with sauce, I’m not so picky. The chipotle sauce had a mild, yet tangy flavor that paired well with the toasted rye and cheddar cheese. 

Speaking of cheddar, the toasted and buttery rye bread would have been nothing without the cheese! Remember the game “The Farmer in the Dell” where the cheese stands alone? It always made me sad to picture some poor wedge of cheddar just hanging out on a farm by its lonesome. As I’ve grown to believe a good cheese can steal the show, or sandwich, I guess the game makes sense. Cheese makes most bites better, and that was certainly the case with the Cowboy Rueben.

All melty and gooey, the cheese kept the saucy brisket in line and urged the coleslaw to join the group. Each mouthful pulled all the pieces together, but the lingering flavor was of cheddar and chipotle. I hope that was the intention because I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I believe my friends got burgers and beers, and while I’d certainly be up for that the next time I visit The Sink, I was glad I lassoed myself a little taste of Texas in the middle of the mountains.

Little Deli, Big Sandwich

I realize it's been over a year since I've written about a sandwich, but fear not, that doesn't mean sandwiches haven't been consumed!
Sandwiches are near and dear to my heart, but sometimes writing about them isn't. Especially when they're the super messy sandwiches and your tip, tap, typing fingers just can't seem to feel computer clean.

Now that summer is in full heat-stroke swing in Austin, I thought there would be nothing better than to sit outside and eat lunch at a picnic table. Thankfully, school's out for summer so my teacher boyfriend was able to join me and knew of a great deli in town.

Don't let the name fool you, Little Deli may be a small place, but they make up for it with big portions and big taste.

In my opinion, the Italian sub is a great go-to at a deli. Most have 'em and most are delicious. Little Deli offers their submarines in two sizes, the 6" or the 12". While I totally wanted to chow down on a warship-sized submarine, I chose the 6". Plus, I was eating in front of my boyfriend and wanted to maintain the illusion of my being a dainty girl. (I'm not sure anyone believes that, however)

It's kind of hard to pretend to be dainty when you order a sandwich loaded with meat. Nonetheless, I only ate 3" inches of deliciousness and not so easily saved the rest for later.

My Italian was everything I want an Italian to be. Spicy capicola ham sliced paper-thin and loaded high then topped with Genoa salami to keep things in place before another round of ham and pepperoni rocked the boat. Next up is the provolone that is so wondrously mild it doesn't take away from the mountain of meat, but acts more like a cherry atop a sundae.

I really loved that all the items on the sandwich were sliced thinly, especially the onions and tomatoes. I love me some veggies, but I'm really there for the cold cuts. The onions were little whispers of flavor while the tomatoes gave the sandwich some depth. Lettuce was there for looks and to help hold in the oil and Italian spices.

Every few bites required a napkin, but it was totally worth it. My hands had a lovely sheen afterward, which didn't allow for typing, but was totally ok. You know, they do say olive oil is good for the skin... just sayin'.

My guy ordered the Roast beef sub, but a carnivore to the core, he requested his without veggies. I guess he has a "don't mess with the meat" kind of attitude. I managed to snag the best bite (literally the one he was saving- the part at the bottom where all the beef was hiding out under the provolone) and it was a tasty sandwich.

 I love the bread at Little Deli; it's got a great outside crunch and an inner softness. My teeth were like a hot knife in butter biting through. The thought is making me salivate all over again.

Without a doubt I will be visiting Little Deli again, only next time I'll go it alone to pig out and eat the whole sandwich in one sitting. And lick my fingers afterward, of course.

A house of corned beef!

In Toronto a week or so again, I ventured out for a delicious sandwich to silence my increasingly loud growling stomach

Luckily, I was downtown, and even more lucky, I was within walking distance to a boatload of sandwich places

I planned on going to...some specific sandwich joint... but I forgot where it was located and stopped in the first sandwich place I saw

The Corned Beef House was the first I saw, and I thought to myself, "Sweet! A house dedicated to corned beef!"

I swung the doors open and practically ran up the stairs (I admit, I didn't expect them to be there, and apparently my first reaction to surprise is to run)
The restaurant was pretty small with the bar taking center stage and booth seating and little tables around the perimeter of the room.
I was a loner for this meal, so I saddled up to the bar and was quickly greeted by the bartender (this was not peak lunch hours, mind you)
Apparently, their turkey sandwich and, surprise surprise, their corned beef sandwich are the most ordered

I would be a fool not to order a corned beef sandwich in the House of Corned Beef, or rather, The Corned Beef House

I placed the order of corned beef on rye with spicy mustard, and I'm pretty sure the kitchen heard me- it's a small place
After what seemed like two seconds, I had to stop people watch out the windows and chow down
When I brought my eyes from the windows to the sandwich, I was a bit shocked

Isn't corned beef supposed to be a darker pink/red? All the corned beef I've come across in my life has had a deep, rosey red color; this corned beef was pink
Like, pretty pink nail polish pink

Hmmmm
I hate when I get a sandwich and before first bite, I'm questioning it

The meat was generously thrown on the rye, and you could see a bit of the mustard dripping down the layers
Aside from the meat color, this sandwich looked pretty appetizing

The first bite gave me a zesty mouthful of spicy mustard and rye, but why didn't I taste the meat?
There was a subtle spice to it, but could that be blamed on the mustard?
A few bites in a I was tasting the beef; maybe my buds were off that day

Eating a sandwich of this size and difficulty was not easy to do alone
Every second bite a lump of meat fell of the rye and onto the plate- bye the 10th bite I was fork and knifing it
Good call, Liz

I was a little bit disappointed in the The Corned Beef House
I mean, if you're going to put an item in your name, you better do that item well
They didn't do it bad, but it wasn't up to my standards

The meat was juicy, moist, and tender, but the flavor was severely lacking
Thank god I opted for spicy mustard, because that's what kept me biting

The redeeming quality of this sandwich is the second half, which was much to much for me to embarrassingly eat alone (bits of meat and mustard flying is NOT attractive and extremely hard to play off when solo dining) made a very tasty cold afternoon snack

Perhaps the corned beef sandwich at The Corned Beef House should be served chilled- the beef seemed to have reveled in its brine and was ten times more flavorful, which is really saying a lot

Who you callin' Phat?!

Making the obligatory weight loss resolution, I was happy to make my last meal a sandwich (truthfully, I'm happy to make ANY meal a sandwich)

Phat Sammich in Birmingham was next on my "To Eat" list, so with my dining partner, I made the trip

While I was slightly bummed that joint got hip with it's spelling, the fact that the building looks like a converted ice cream shop cheered me up
The inside could use a paint job, and I'm not crazy about the hippie theme and peace signs, but I was there to critique the food, not the decor

A huge sign of all their sandwich offerings is posted next to the register
This overwhelmingly long offerings always causes me a minute of panic
Do I rate their Rueben or mow down on their signature sammich?
These decisions are never easy.

Luckily for me, I had just recently had an unbelievably awesome eating experience with blue cheese, so the Buffalo Chicken Sammich called to me
The sammich isn't crazy with ingredients, but it has blue cheese! I was excited!

Upon order, I pretty much began envisioning blue cheese crumbling from the sky onto delicious buffalo chicken, all hot and spicy. It was a glorious thought, I assure you

Also taking a southwest approach, my pal ordered the Mexican Chicken. Personal opinion: this sammich is special because it includes Doritos. I love any place that includes Doritos on a sandwich because I clearly remember my grade school sandwiches often boasted the same such ingredient.

Orders in, we sat at the counter and munched on our massive order of tater tots. I'm not really a tots girl, but I must say, these were the best tots I've ever had. The tots were piping hot with a delicious outer crunch but inner softness. Expertly salted, these tots had it all. These were NOT my grade school tots. I almost had a "Forget the sandwich, I'll just eat tots!" moment, but then my sandwich arrived.

Whoa. What a sandwich.

Standing about 6 inches tall, thick seasoned pieces of buffalo chicken anchored the sandwich and was layered with a hearty slice of tomato and lettuce
Like a little hat, the sesame seed bun rested delicately on top
But wait! Where was the blue cheese?!
Apparently blue cheese meant blue cheese DRESSING. I should have known...

The sandwich was even a bit too big for my big mouth, so a careful bite strategy was employed
I tried my best to get a mouthful of each ingredient in every bite, and with a little bit of effort, that was possible
Mouthfuls tasted like game day tailgates with wings and the only thing missing was the celery stick
The chicken was breaded and fried and had just the right wings taste for my liking, although the sandwich could have used more blue cheese

I like the flavors, but I did not like that the strips of chicken fell out of the sandwich
Every bite required me to push the strips back into the bun; it was like playing food Jenga

The sandwich was pretty good, but next time I'm trying something else, and I'm bringing a fork

*The Mexican Chicken Sammich

Granny Sammies

One thing I love about coming home home is upon stepping out of my car, I usually hear "Hi Liz! How are you? Do you want a sandwich?" called out to me
Who does this calling, you ask?
Why, it's my Grandma! Shouting from the window!
(The first time this happened, I looked around like an idiot trying to locate the body for her voice)

Now, she could be asking if I want a sandwich because she knows I love them, but I really believe she asks if I want a sandwich because don't ALL Grandmas ask that question?

There's something so familiar and comforting about a Grandma sandwich
My Grandma's sandwiches go something like this:
Plain white store bought bread with real mayonnaise spread on both slices. She does the mayonnaise very thin; I think it might be a carryover from the Great Depression?
Next up is turkey from the local deli, but only two slices; no need to go crazy.
Flopped on top of the turkey comes American cheese, (American cheesefood would be more accurate) and a single leaf of lettuce.

She'll then sandwich it up and cut in half. Down the middle. No fancy-schmancy diagonal cuts for my G-ma.

In my extensive sandwich eating, I realize this is a very simple, and perhaps boring, sandwich.
The fact that my Grandma makes it for me, and shares the other half with me, puts this sandwich at the top of my list.

King of Steaks

Last week I was in Philadelphia, so of course I was on a quest for a REAL Philly Cheese Steak.There was some debate on whether I should visit Geno's Steaks or Pat's King of Steaks (located across the street from each other) for the cheese steak of my dreams.

I liked the idea of trying a cheesesteak from both establishments and holding my very own steak off in the middle of the street

As it turns out, I didn't really think my plan through- chesesteaks are massive!
Pat's got more nominations, so my buddy Megh and I stood in line.
















I wish one of us had been native to Philly because the instructional ordering sign was a bit daunting... and unfriendly.

Things to know before shouting your order at the window:
1- What kind of cheese steak you want (yea, I know. I thought there was only one kind, too).
2- Type of cheese. Choices were Provolone, American, and Cheez-whiz. I chose Provolone, not because I was advised against the whiz, although I was, but because steak and Provolone just strikes me as a delicious combo.
3- Onions? Of course! Onions and steak are like BFFs and you'd be crazy not to ask for onions!

Order shouted at window one, WAIT for your food before going to window two for your drink and fries, otherwise, the guy behind you (thankfully it was Megh in my case) will get your sandwich for free.

Wrapped sandwich in hand, I suggest you take a seat at one of the holey metal picnic tables around the building.

One little nit-pick: If you're selling me sloppy, messy, runny, drippy sandwiches, could you please offer tables without holes? My pants would appreciate it.












The cheesesteak looked amazing.
It was the perfect temperature for an unwrap-and-bite, and it smelled divine.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but my first bite wasn't it .
Don't get me wrong, the sandwich was delicious, and I most definitely ate the whole thing (forgetting about the steak-off I had planned on holding).
I just thought it would taste, well, different somehow.

A nice crusty half baguette (I'm told it's Amoroso's bread? I can't be sure about that) split to hold the contents, created the foundation.
The steak was piled on, one thin slice on top of the other, which was truly a sight for hungry eyes.
Tucked to the sides of the steak were multiple slices of Provolone; the more the better.
Topping it off was the grilled onions for a slight tangy flavor that does nothing but compliment the succulent meat.
I really enjoyed this sandwich, but I felt there was a bit of flavor missing.

As I wasn't totally sure how to order to begin with, I was feeling much too timid to ask the loudmouths behind the counter for tips on dressing up my sandwich.
I know, I know, it isn't like me to let fear get in the way of the perfect sandwich, but what can I say?
Who knows, maybe you're not supposed to dress up the sandwich?
I feel like that would be like asking for A1 sauce for a filet mignon...

Even still, I think the cheesesteak could have done with a bit of hot sauce or something... maybe some crushed red pepper?

If I find myself in Philadelphia again, I'll have another cheesesteak.
Maybe I'll save all the glory for Geno's Steaks next time, or maybe I'll find room in my stomach for a steak-off.

Whatever happens, after some proper schooling in cheesesteak creation, I'll be back for another.