If you hadn’t noticed, each sandwich I’ve been writing about
has been featured on many article listings of top sandwich lists. Last year,
Thrillist.com, posted an article named “THESE ARE THE 50 GREATEST SANDWICHESEVER KNOWN TO MAN”. If you are a foodie and really are into sandwiches, it’s a
great read. I’ve had most of the sandwiches on the list before; my post last
week about the Banh mi was one of the sandwiches I never had from the list.
Just recently I had a classic sandwich from the list.
Last Thursday evening, my girlfriend, Stefania, and I went
to the Red Wings game (great game btw, they broke a 7 game losing streak).
Instead of buying something to eat at the Joe Louis Arena (JLA) concourse, we
decided to eat somewhere that was in Downtown Detroit, but also close enough
where we could walk to JLA. Stefania made a great suggestion to go to SignatureGrill, located in one of the Riverfront Apartment Towers, kiddie corner to JLA.
She had been there a few times before and mentioned the food was good. Being
that she is 50% more Italian than me, I trust her word when it comes to food.
First, I will say that the place is jammed pack on a night
of a Red Wings’ game; you absolutely have to make a reservation and you are
lucky enough if you are seated at the time of your reservation. Lucky enough
they had two seats at the bar open, and Stefania and I, starving at this point,
did not complain. The menu, while small, had a lot of dishes that seemed to be
very appetizing; varying from corn meal catfish to a Filet. I initially had no
plans to order a burger or a sandwich, but my eye kept on going back to the
French Dip. I hadn’t had a French Dip in so long, I knew I had to have it;
especially with my petite girlfriend ordering an Angus Burger (which she absolutely
enjoyed).
Now I’ve had many great French Dip sandwiches over the
years. One that I constantly keep going
back is at Nino Salvagios, which is an Italian/International Market. It’s one
of the best French Dip’s I’ve ever had and that is mainly attributed to the
freshly cooked/pink Prime Rib they generously slice. But that is a different
French Dip for a different blog post.
Back to the French Dip I had at Signature Grill. While the
beef was not perfectly pink and thick as the Prime Rib that Nino’s uses for
their French Dip, it was still one of the best French Dip’s I ever had (I have
my girlfriend to thank for this experience) It was cheesy; the Swiss cheese was
gooing out from the sides. It was perfectly greasy, just the right amount of
fat to know that you were eating something delicious, but kind of bad for you
at the same time (sometimes bad can taste so good).
What clutched at my taste buds the most was the Au Jus. Now
most Au Jus’ that I had before were very broth based; while good, it made the
sandwich seem very soggy after each dip, while never feeling you had enough of
the Au Jus flavor with each bite. The Au Jus at Signature Grill was more like a
gravy consistency; it was a little fatty and greasy…it was perfectly delicious.
It didn’t soak the French Dip to the point it was soggy; instead it gave each
bite a creamy consistency. I wouldn’t change a thing about the French Dip I
had, even the meat, which was still very good.
So if you are ever in town for the Wings game and need to
grab something to eat that will hold you over and prep you for the few beers
you will enjoy at the game, check out Signature Grill.
