Being Open Minded

Growing up in an Italian household and around Italian families has exposed me to some very interesting foods throughout my life. Most of my friends wouldn’t even think of trying some of these dishes, as it is outside of their comfort zone. This type of exposure has given me an open mind when it comes to trying out new foods; I have a motto of “I will try anything at least once.” If I didn’t have an open mind or lived by those words, I would have missed out on a lot foods that I enjoy today.

My open mind to food led me to a great Vietnamese sandwich that I had today. Today was not my first day sampling Vietnamese food; I’ve been enjoying Pho for quite some time and have been working my way slowly into other traditional Vietnamese dishes.  If you ever go, you have to try any of their grilled pork dishes; they grill it to almost perfection.

One of the places that I frequent the most is called Pho Hang, which is located in Madison Heights, Michigan. Pho Hang is a typical Asian, mom/pop shop. The menu is long, but yet very descriptive, and the prices are very fair for the portions you get. When you walk in long tables surround you, each with filled with soy sauce, sriracha sauce, fish sauce, and hoisin sauce. It’s nothing fancy, but it is welcoming at the same time.

Today I tried Pho Hang’s Vietnamese sandwich, a Banh mi. A Banh mi sandwich is typically filled with cucumber slices, cilantro, fresh jalapeno, pickled carrots, and shredded daikon, with a protein and fish sauce, all on a French baguette. My Banh mi had Vietnamese sausage and shredded pork skin for its protein.

The Banh mi was a very delicious sandwich; I would actually place it in my top 10 sandwiches. You can taste the garlic and peppers from the pork sausage and the texture is very soft, which makes it very easy to bite into the sandwich. The shredded pork skin gives a great fat flavor that is not too overwhelming. The pickled vegetables provide a necessary crunch to the sandwich that can tend to be a little wet from the fish sauce. All of the flavors tied together gave me an overall sense of freshness; it really reminded me of summer and I thought how great of a summer sandwich this would make.

I washed every bite down with bubble tea, which is a Taiwanese based tea. The base is typically a black or green tea and you can choose to either have it with milk or without milking. The ingredient that gives this Taiwanese tea the name “bubble tea” is the chewy tapioca balls. It’s really a unique experience and is very refreshing.

So if you are feeling adventurous enough, go to Pho Hang and order a Banh mi. Don’t let the fact that this is a Vietnamese sandwich throw you off, because besides the fish sauce, there are not any unusual ingredients. If you are really feeling adventurous, try their traditional Pho.

When Substitutes Work

In my blog post “No Substitute for the Real Thing”, I spoke about how popular sandwiches should just be left alone, without overdone variations. Most of the time it simply does not work out and you are left disappointed with your order. However, there are times where a variation on a popular sandwich can have positive results.

Yesterday, I took yet another risk on a variation of a popular sandwich. I wanted to prove that not all variations are bad and that establishments can pay homage to a classic in their own little way. House of Reuben does just that; they have several variations of Reuben’s, hot pastrami sandwiches, hot corn beef sandwiches, and many other old time favorites. In all they have about 30 different sandwiches on their menu. That is not a far cry from their original menu from 1969-1970 that boasted 20 different sandwiches.

I had decided to go with a Reuben that had a slight variation to the original. Since I am not the biggest fan of  Sauerkraut, I decided to go with their sandwich called the Lamp Lighter. The Lamp Lighter is made with hot corned beef, swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing all on grilled rye bread. The real only substitute is the coleslaw.

So how did this stack up to the original? Was I disappointed again with yet another decision to go with a variation on a classic? This time I was not disappointed at all. The hot corn beef had the right amount seasoning to it and was not overly salty. The swiss cheese provided enough sharpness to contrast the seasoned beef. The grilled rye bread was very flavorful and the coleslaw and Russian dressing tied everything together. I actually prefer this variation than the original, again I am not the biggest fan of Sauerkraut and the coleslaw was a really good substitute for me.

I enjoyed every bite of the Lamp Lighter; every stomach filling bite because not only is this sandwich delicious, it is also pretty big. House of Reuben stacks this sandwich with a lot of hot corn beef and coleslaw in between two thick slices of rye bread. This sandwich definitely fills you up for $6.75.  If you are really hungry, you can order a king size for $8.15; I wouldn’t want to know how filling the king size is.

So if you are in a mood for a traditional Reuben sandwich, hot pastrami, hot corn beef; check out what House of Reuben has to offer. They definitely live up to their name by providing several variation of the popular classic sandwich. I haven’t tried their classic Reuben from their menu, so if you do try it, let me know what your thoughts are.

No Substitute For the Real Thing

Today I was in the mood for something substantial, something greasy, something fatty, and something cheesy. I knew that Noah’s Deli in Dearborn would have a wide variety of what I needed. I’ve been to Noah’s a few times before while working in Dearborn for the past 6 years and was always satisfied.

Noah’s Deli has been serving up great sandwiches and diner food in East Dearborn since 1977. The corner spot deli is a fairly small building where patrons sit at a u-shaped table while your order is prepared right in the middle. If you come early during the lunch hour, you can watch the ingredients being switched out with fresher items. It's a great sight because you know you are getting quality.

Noah’s is really known for their Hot Corn Beef and Reuben sandwiches, I’ve had both and thoroughly enjoyed them. Today, I was craving for something a little different; I wanted something fatty, greasy, and cheesy; so why not Noah’s take on a classic Philly Cheesesteak? It seemed like it had all of the right ingredients; grilled steak, onions, peppers, and cheese all on a grilled sub bun.  Was it as good as it sounded in writing? Did it live up to a true Philly Cheesesteak?

The short answer is no. First, I felt that they skimped out on the meat and cheese, the whole essence of a Cheesesteak. Second, I knew I was taking a gamble with Noah’s using Swiss Cheese instead of Provolone or Cheez Whiz. Lastly the sub bun was hard at the ends and was pretty bland.

I took my first bite, and while the flavors were pretty decent, I could not help but feel disappointed. Where was all of the fat and grease? The steak was pretty dry and the flavors felt really underpowered because of the filling to bun ratio; the bun was really bland as well. Then the cheese, there was simply not enough of hot melted cheese and the Swiss just had a less of a sharp punch than the Provolone or Cheez Wiz would have had. While I ate the whole sandwich, I felt more disappointed after each bite.

After I finished, I started thinking that in some cases there is no substitute for the real thing; and in this case no version of a Philly Cheesesteak, besides the real deal from Philly, can really do the original any justice. I should have gone with a sandwich I knew Noah’s could execute perfectly. So the next time I see a famous regional sandwich or dish served as an establishment’s “version”, I might think twice about ordering it.

What are your thoughts? Is there no substitute for the real thing? 

A Two Year Craving

Every foodie experiences a craving that they need to satisfy. Perhaps you’ve seen a certain dish on the Food Network and immediately felt that hunger pang, or you just simply heard someone talk about in detail an amazing meal that they had. I’ve had that moment plenty of times and I recently satisfied a two-year craving.

I remember when it first started. I was watching Man v Food. The episode featured a restaurant in Maine, called the Lobster Shack. The lobster on the show looked amazing, but what caught my eye the most was the lobster roll. I’ve always loved eating lobster, but never heard of a lobster roll. Perhaps being from Michigan, we don’t hear about popular variations of eating fresh seafood. After watching that episode of Man v Food; I knew what a lobster roll was and I had to have one.

Usually if I have a craving for a particular meal, I satisfy it within a day or two, but my mission for satisfying my lobster craving was proving to be very difficult. Again, being in Michigan, what restaurants around Detroit, are going to serve fresh Maine lobster rolls? I’ve searched just about every popular seafood restaurant in the tri-county area and my hopes of satisfying my craving was dwindling. It seemed like the only way to get a lobster roll was to go to Maine or Massachusetts, which at the time I could not afford to do, so I put my quest off to the side.

Earlier this year, I was introduced to a great sandwich spot in Corktown, which is one of Detroit’s historic neighborhoods. The place is called Mudgie’s and they have some of the best sandwiches I have ever had in my life. They utilize a lot locally raised meats and grown vegetables. You see a lot of green/organic terms such as grain fed, grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free, etc. Mudgie’s is using quality and healthy ingredients throughout their menu.

I’ve enjoyed my experience at Mudgie’s so much, that I started following them on Twitter (@mudgies) and on Facebook for regular updates; about every day Mudgie’s posts their special sandwich and soups. This place is serious about providing their customers a great eating experience and always tries to keep things fresh.

On one Monday summer morning before leaving for work, I logged on Facebook and in my news feed, one of the first posts I see is from Mudgie’s. Their special that day was fresh Maine lobster rolls; I immediately knew where I was going for lunch.

The morning hours were moving extra slow that day; my anticipation and appetite grew by each hour leading to lunch. As soon as you walked inside Mudgie’s that day, the smell of fresh Maine lobster was in the air. When my lobster roll was finally placed in front of me, I took a moment to admire it. You could see the vibrant colors of the lobster and the celery mix laying on freshly cut romaine lettuce. They were not conservative with the serving, nor did they cut the lobster into small pieces. The lobster was cut into thick chunks and I had a couple of claw pieces. The hoagie bun was perfectly toasted, not too crusty and not too soft either.

After admiring, I finally attacked. It was love at first bite. Mudgie’s didn’t douse the chunks of lobster in mayo or dressing; it was a lite enough layer where I could taste the tang from the mayo but still taste the rich and meaty flavor of the lobster. This was by far one of the best sandwiches I ever had; actually one of the best foods I have ever had. I found myself savoring every bite, as if it were going to be my last. Again, the hoagie bun was perfectly toasted and never fell apart in my hands.

My craving for a lobster roll was finally satisfied and I was not disappointed at all. It exceeded every expectation I had during my two-year craving. The only negative part to the experience was that my lobster roll was finished and I wanted more. I’ve had other lobster rolls from local areas since then, but they paled in comparison to the one I had at Mudgie’s. I only hope that Mudgie’s brings back the lobster roll special every now and then so I can have that perfect moment of food coma.