Maize and Blue Deli
So I'm going to be in town for the Nebraska game later this month and I want to get some good food while in AA. I've never made it out to Maize and Blue deli on a gameday before. It's not exactly the largest building in the world, so I'm definitely thinking I should call in my order and expect to eat it somewhere other than inside.
Anyway I was wondering if you guys had any tips for getting the best sandwich in town on a gameday. Should I go before or after the game to best avoid a huge crowd? Also are there any decent places to park over in that area so we don't end up parking on the other side of campus like we usually do?
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:48 PM ^
Their pastrami, Zingermans, that is, is excellent. It is as good as you will find in any deli anywhere. If you don't think so, you don't understand how Zingermans works. I am biased in that I have taken almost a month worth of baking classes there over the last few years, but when you spend some time dealing with Zingermans, you start to understand how they value quality ingredients and use them in all of their products. You also will learn why their bottom lines are not as high as you might think, due to how they treat their employees and the cost of goods sold.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:27 PM ^
It's a better sandwich, although every meeting I've ever had there I get the chicken caesar salad, which is also fabulous. MnB is great too, and cheaper and a more convenient option if you have, say, almost no time like I do some days.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:09 PM ^
According to the owner of one of the delis in question, Zingerman's/Maize and Blue/Amer's all have the same suppliers of most (obviously not certain house items) ingredients. Zingy's prices everything as if they are in NYC or northern Jersey; the other two do not. People will argue ad nauseum about which of the three is best, but the idea that one is the purveyor of special meats or cheeses is largely not true.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:00 PM ^
That information would obviously have to have come from someone advocating for Maize 'n' blue; Zingerman's bakes all its own (widely renowned) bread, makes its own corned beef and pastrami, and, since the opening of its creamery, even makes a lot of its own cheese. They may use the same distributor for some items, but to say that the quality of ingredients at both establishments is comparable would be risible.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:21 PM ^
You have been lied to. That is all.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:36 PM ^
Thats just patently false, Zingermans books are open and they barely make a profit on the sandwiches (the sides are the biggest profit maker). Anyways there is a reason food and wine magazine ranked zingermans one of the 25 best food markets in the world and its not because they overprice the same ingredients as maize and blue
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:00 PM ^
...for many restaurants, but I assure you that an unmarked Sysco truck does not roll up behind Zingerman's.
P.S. We really need to be careful about this topic. It was a locker room sandwich schism that ended Bobby Williams tenure at Michigan State.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:29 PM ^
Maize and Blue, #8 on challah. Yeah buddy, that's good eatin'. Best sandwich in Ann Arbor, hands down. As much as I love the place, though, the sandwiches are about where it ends. If they had a really great brownie, better sides... But who cares, the sandwiches are incredible.
That wall of autographs can't be beat, either.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:31 PM ^
who cares which is better? There is obviously a debate. However, Maize and Blue wins because I can get a sandwich there without paying as much as i would for a meal at Chop House.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:40 PM ^
I went to Maize N' Blue after the Purdue game and didn't even have to wait to get a table. We waited a little while for our sandwiches since people were getting carryout, but it wasn't too bad at all.
As far as Maize N Blue vs Zingerman's. The one sandwich I had at Zingerman's was without a doubt better than the ones I've had at Maize N' Blue in strictly quality. However, the portions and price of Maize N' Blue are far superior. Being a college student, this means that I'll go to Maize N' Blue over Zingerman's 9 times out of 10.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:40 PM ^
Carnegie Deli in NYC $16 on the top, Zingerman's in Ann Arbor $15 on the bottom. The corned beef and pastrami are comparable (Zingerman's used Sy Ginsberg meats, as do many delis in SE Michigan--so much for the exclusivity). Maize n' Blue deli has large portion, but their corned beef/pastrami are not as good as either of these--but good for the price.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:57 PM ^
And that's not even counting sides. Go get a filet at Knight's or somewhere.
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:59 PM ^
It's high, but not crazy. You can't expect to go to a good Jewish deli and pay Subway or JJ's prices. But the best deli in LA (in my and many other's opinion), Langer's, has a famous pastrami on rye with cole slaw and Russian dressing for 13 bucks. It's a full meal, and I'd eat that over a cheap filet any day.
November 4th, 2011 at 12:32 PM ^
Keyword Jewish
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:11 PM ^
15 years ago, that Zingerman's sandwich cost half as much and was twice as big. They've been coasting on reputation while decreasing portion size at a pretty constant rate for years, but because they're Zingerman's, they'll be defended to the death by people who don't know any better.
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:55 PM ^
Bando: You are spot on.
I have been going to Zingerman's since they opened: price has gone up and the size of the sandwich has gone down to the point where you feel like someone is ripping someone off. I'll pay $15 for a sandwich, I just won't pay $15 for THAT sandwich.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:04 PM ^
One of my go-to's used to be The Special. Lox, cream cheese, bagel, onion, tomato. Used to be about 10 or 11 bucks. It was huge, bursting with ingrediants, came wrapped up in deli paper.
Today, 14 bucks. It comes in a plastic box. Overtoasted bagel, a paltry little pile of lox, a paltry pile of thin onion slices, a couple slices of tomato, and a little plastic tub of cream cheese. You have to assemble it yourself, and what ensues is a fraction of what The Special used to be.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:18 PM ^
You nailed it. Still tasty, though.
Also, Blimpy's is no longer "cheap food." A burger (with some fixins), something fried and something wet will run you at least $15.
November 4th, 2011 at 9:45 AM ^
November 4th, 2011 at 11:59 AM ^
And I can't believe how much smaller the portions were. I ordered a small, because the bigs used to be a huge meal, and it wasn't even filling for $12. So I got the large next time...and it wa more "these are not the overpriced but huge sandwiches they used to be". They're just overpriced.
November 4th, 2011 at 8:32 AM ^
Doesn't Zingerman's get their corned beef from Neiman Ranch?
I love Zingerman's and went there the Sunday after the Purdue game. But I also tried Frita Batidos (on this site's recommendation) right after the game. To the OP, if you want to add a new and amazing food stop to your trip, you should definitely try FB. My buddy, also a Zingerman's devotee, and I could not stop talking about the chorizo fritas and coconut cream batidos with a splash of rum that we had after the game. Also, I lived in Miami for 5 years, and this blows the Cuban restaurants I went to there out of the water. Incredible.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:39 PM ^
Old Country Buffet or Golden Corral should be your favorite restaurant because, although the food quality is really low, there's no limit on how much you can eat.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:42 PM ^
For the record for the purpose of this thread I would actually say maize and blue is a better gameday bet, I have no clue why people wait in a line for over an hour when there is college football going on but then again i post on here and request off all saturdays so yeah. But yeah zing is better overall quality and if you have the time the experience is great, people who just get a sandwich and thats it are missing out.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:11 PM ^
My usual Maize and Blue jam is the #6 Where's the Beef? That's what I'd recommend.
As far as game days, I think it's best to go somewhere before the game. After the game, usually everyone is looking for a place to grab a bite and it's incredibly crowded. I haven't been to Maize and Blue before or after a game, but I would anticipate it's similar to the other Ann Arbor eateries.
Your parking question seems answered and I don't want to get involved in the ZIngerman's vs Maize and Blue debate. It's a very subjective thing, especially considering the sides are divided. Each has its merit though.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:19 PM ^
... if you are taking orders.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:32 PM ^
Who. Came. First.
Best sandwich ever.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:33 PM ^
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:10 PM ^
The best basketball player I've ever seen in person was Michael Jordan. The second best was my chubby 5'2" cousin...
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:44 PM ^
better ingrediants
better pizza
pappa johns
November 4th, 2011 at 9:24 AM ^
The head nod right before Papa Johns.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:50 PM ^
Subway. Got to try it once.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:51 PM ^
My favorite at Maize and Blue is the Where's Bo?. It's got pastrami, egg, and loads of other goodness.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:08 PM ^
I know this will send me to Bolivia but...
go to Kroger, buy a pound of Oscar Meyer deli meat, any kind of bread, and some jarred condiments. You will recreate Maize and Blue fairly accurately.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:49 PM ^
I'd rather be able to control time and space and go to Drake's.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:02 PM ^
I love the Drake. That was a Seinfeld reference, right?
November 4th, 2011 at 2:14 AM ^
No. Drake's Sandwich Shop which was on N. University across from the diag from 1929-1993. I guess you never had the limeaid.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:51 PM ^
#73. Unbelievable. That honeycup mustard is amazing. And there's a parking garage on South Forest basically across the street, usually parking even on gameday.
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:02 PM ^
I wasn't impressed with Maize and Blue Deli. I love corned beef and I was actually pretty disappointed with theirs. Their other sandwiches are good, but I'm too much of a corned beef addict to order anything else.
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:55 PM ^
If you can't do corned beef and pastrami right, why call yourself a deli?
I'll cheerfully admit to being a Zingerman's slappy, at the same time have sadly noticed the decreased amount of meat per sandwich, with the slow, steady rise in price.
Back in the day (late 90s), I could barely finish a whole Zingerman's. Nowadays (and no, I haven't blimped up, I'm still the same 180#), I can gobble one down with little effort.
November 4th, 2011 at 3:01 AM ^
Haha you sure you just haven't packed on some pounds?
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:07 PM ^
I love Zingerman's pastrami, but it was beat out by a restaurant in the Herbie Hancock Building in Chicago.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:09 PM ^
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:09 PM ^
You gotta go to Zingerman's. It's pretty much what heaven will be like (except that in heaven, everything will be free). Just go around and get free samples of cheeses and honeys that you've never heard of but that turn out to be amazing. Try some of their many balsamic vinegars. They've got great sandwiches, but it's not just about the sandwich. Get some hot chocolate, and request that it be made with Calder Dairy milk. That's to die for. Also, get an eclair. The eclairs are astoundingly good.
If you go to Maize and Blue, you'll get a good sandwich for much cheaper than Zingerman's. But if you go to Zingerman's you'll spend more but you'll learn things. You'll learn about the potential of food, you'll probably run into some new things, and you will taste things that you've never tasted before. And the service is really good too. Everyone knows everything about the food.
There's delis all over, but Zingerman's is pretty unique in my experience. A lot of what I know about food I've learned from talking to people there. You learn how great things can be when they're done right, and how that's done.
November 4th, 2011 at 12:23 PM ^
I don't know if zingernans is the best for gameday though. With M&B you are right there on campus where things are much more lively than in Kerrytown
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:23 PM ^
One of these days I need to wade into the corned beef and pastrami waters. I've always wanted to try them, but I don't want to blow money on a sandwich I don't like.
That being said, if you are an asparagus fan give the Laura’s Asparashazham a try. Its asparagus on top of peppered ham(delicious), and smoked mozzerella placed between grilled sourdough. It was delightful, until I had to pay for it.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:42 PM ^
Ask to taste some to see if you like it, a good deli will let you try some of the corned beef/pastrami, at least in NYC and I know at Zingerman's.
November 4th, 2011 at 12:05 AM ^
As simple as that is, I can't believe its never crossed my mind to just simply ask. Especially considering that I ask to try the honey walnut shrimp every time I go to Panda Express becuase its awesome, but I don't want to pay the extra $1 to have it as an entree.
November 4th, 2011 at 6:37 AM ^
You won't spend money on pastrami in case you don't like it, but have no problem ordering an asparagus sandwich?
November 4th, 2011 at 11:41 AM ^
In hindsight that does sound odd. However, I've been a big asparagus fan for as long as I can remember. Its probably my favorite vegetable. Also, if I didn't like it on the sandwich I could just pull it out and eat it as a side. Never having had pastrami and being locked into it if I don't like it made me a bit hesitatant. I'm definitely going to ask to try a sample next time I go though, although its going to be hard to unseat the asparashazam since that was the best sandwich I've ever had.
November 4th, 2011 at 12:11 AM ^
I prefer Maize & Blue over Zingerman's. Mainly because I'm cheap. I'm willing to eat some lesser food if I save $2-3.