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 6:41 PM ^
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:46 PM ^
I do believe that I concur.
November 4th, 2011 at 2:23 AM ^
I say get Maize and Blue Deli in the morning, Zingerman's after the game and Fleetwood Diner's Hippie Hash late night. Trifecta complete...
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:43 PM ^
ummmm...there is a garage on s. forest just a few steps away.
and fyi zingerman's is better.
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:47 PM ^
Let's please not bring up the great deli war of Ann Arbor here. I don't want to get way off topic.
Do you think it's going to be possible to get a spot on a game day? That's where I parked last time I was in Ann Arbor, but that was a Tuesday afternoon so it wasn't quite as hard to get around.
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:50 PM ^
Maize and Blue> zingermans
November 4th, 2011 at 8:09 AM ^
It is kind of hypocritical to call Maize & Blue the best sandwich and then also tell someone else to not bring up the sandwich war. I think you brought it up, buddy.
<br>
<br>Zingerman's is by far the best, although Maize & Blue is very good.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:12 PM ^
Typically, that garage has at least a few spaces available, although it is a little more difficult to access with 601 Forest under construction.
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:44 PM ^
Go with the Triple Play Reuben or Madonna's Top Hit.
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:46 PM ^
Get a Courtney's Conversation. I am salivating.
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:57 PM ^
It is National Sandwich day
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:00 PM ^
Must try this Maize n Blue Deli. For discussion purposes, why is it better than Zingerman's? I've always been a huge Zing's fan, but I was just there last week, and my Georgia Reuben wasn't as great as I remember. It was damn good, but definitely had some flaws. Please...tell me about Maize n Blue.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:06 PM ^
Maize and Blue is basically like a small neighborhood deli sandwich packed high with meat and features dozens of combinations of delicious ingredients. Just thinking about it makes me want to drive to AA right now.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:07 PM ^
Seriously. I'll be in town for OSU and was planning to take my wife (who has never been to AA but loves a good Jewish deli) to Zingerman's, but with all this Maize and Blue talk I'm wavering. Can I get someone from New York or LA to weigh in on this? If I'm looking for something like Katz's or Langer's, which is closer?
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:13 PM ^
I do like Maize and Blue. I would say that it's 75% as good as Zingerman's, for about 50% of the cost. If you're just in town to visit, Zingerman's is a no-brainer. Zingerman's also has a huge selection of sides, desserts, and $30 a pound cheese to sample without any intention of buying.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:03 PM ^
Zingerman's is basically an extremely yuppified New York deli. Personally, I think Maize and Blue is good, but pretty standard. Neither place is ideal, but Zingerman's is better.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:39 PM ^
Zingermans is anything but a yuppified New York Deli if for no other reason than they make their own bread and have been an Ann Arbor institution for almost 30 years. Their rye bread recently won an award as being the best in the US. I'd rank their corned beef sandwich better than any NYC deli. If you don't have good bread, you don't have a good sandwich.
One reason why Maize and Blue is liked better than Zingermans is that their products are less expensive, but Zingermans also uses the highest quality ingredients around.
Try a sandwich at both places and let us know which one you preferred more.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:14 PM ^
"I'd rank their corned beef sandwich better than any NYC deli."
I can only assume you have never eaten at some of NYC's great delis. Zingerman's is a great deli for many reasons, but their sandwiches have been wanting over the past several years.
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:38 PM ^
I have tried the Stage Deli, Katz's and Carnegie Deli to name a few. I am not a New Yorker, but I think that Zingermans compares favorably with the places I have mentioned if only for the rye bread which I think is the best I have ever eaten. I have some friends who have met me in Ann Arbor and who grew up in NYC - the discussion about the best corned beef sandwich is always interesting, and biased, as it should be.
November 4th, 2011 at 12:07 AM ^
Zing's pastrami is better than Carnegie (which is entirely mediocre, a giant tourist trap). Not Katz's, though.
November 4th, 2011 at 11:27 AM ^
are my favorite Zingerman's sandwiches. Always good. FYI, If you get the reuben though, plan on drinking a ton of water the rest of the day - lots of sodium. But it's worth it!
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:41 PM ^
is better than all NY/LA. Maize and Blue is like Carnegie -- huge, huge sandwitches -- good, but not great. Zingermans is better than Katz's and way better than Langer's (hate that place)
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:27 PM ^
Your credibility just went way out the door. Langer's is easily the best deli in LA, and certainly one of the best in the country, hands down.
But it sounds to me like the people who like Maize and Blue like it because a) the sandwiches are huge, and b) it's a better value than Zingerman's. Is this basically correct?
In that case, I'll go to Zingerman's. I'm looking for quality over quantity (and it's not like Zingerman's sandwiches are small) and if I'm buying 4 tickets to UM-OSU, 2 plane tickets to get there and 2 nights lodging for the weekend...the price of the sandwiches is the least of my concern. See you at Zingerman's.
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:06 PM ^
it was better than I remembered, and compared favorably with Zing's. Always loved that place, but at some point it just got to be over the top for me. I'll take the atmosphere at Katz's any day. One of the owners came up and engaged my shy daughter in conversation and she was really charmed. Even when the sandwiches were great at Zingerman's, I found myself resenting the smirking, self-satisfied people buying them.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:34 PM ^
I'll take Katz's pastrami over Zingerman's any time and every time. And even though Katz's can be kind of a tourist hell-hole, and even though it has a picture of Jason Williams on the wall (the Jason Williams who killed his limo driver, not the Jason Williams who wrecked his motorcycle and ended his basketball career), Katz's atmosphere is better it's not filled with over-privileged, self-centered pseudo-gourmets who think that they must know more about food than everyone else because they can afford to spend more money on food than everyone else.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:44 PM ^
Big fan of Katz's myself, and if you want to beat the crowd, weekdays for lunch are great. I work in real estate development and the company has properties near Katz's so I stop in whenver I'm nearby at lunchtime.
November 4th, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
So that would be Jayson Williams.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:02 PM ^
I'm no New Yorker, nor from LA but I know good corned beef. There are very few places around here to find it. Zingermans is one of them. Maize and Blue deli just doesn't use the same quality meat...
November 4th, 2011 at 10:14 AM ^
November 4th, 2011 at 2:57 PM ^
I see, so M&B is really more of a sandwich joint than a deli.
November 4th, 2011 at 8:36 PM ^
Maize and Blue is a deli, but they hold the pretentiousness.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:12 PM ^
But I have to say Maize and Blue is worth switching every so often. If only so you can experience a sandwhich you can't fit into your mouth. Like not even almost. So much roast beef......damn now I'm hungry.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:48 PM ^
That's what she said.
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:11 PM ^
That's what he said.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:04 PM ^
1) Go there.
2) Do not leave.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^
Maize n Blue has great sandwiches, but for subs, give Sottini's on 4th Ave a shot. The meats and veggies are sliced very thin, which, in my opinion, is what makes a great sub. I try to hit up Sottini's every time I visit Ann Arbor. Highly recommend the pastrami.
To answer your question, I went to Maize n Blue on game days a couple of times back when I lived in Ann Arbor, and I don't remember the place being crazy busy. As a poster above mentioned, there's a City of Ann Arbor parking structure right around the corner on S. Forest.
I'm also planning on being in Ann Arbor for the Nebraska game. Can't wait.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:10 PM ^
MAIZE N BLUE it can't be beat
MAIZE N BLUE what a treat
Zingerman's ain't close a bit
Zingerman's it tastes like shit
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:14 PM ^
Zingerman's is actually pretty damn good. I have done a fair amount of work for their expansion, so I get an opportunity to bum a lunch now and again.
Maize and Blue is better on the wallet.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:11 PM ^
I went last weekend before the Purdue game, since I was taking two of my girlfriend's brothers for their first Michigan game, and wanted to also introduce them to the staples of Ann Arbor cuisine. Maize and Blue opens surprisingly early, at 9:00 AM, and we got there around 9:45 or so to eat before heading towards the Stadium, and we had no problem getting a table. I can't speak for after the game, but if you're willing to go early, you'll have no problem.
And the Ham-I-Am is phenomenal. So if ham's your thing, I'd definitely recommend it.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:13 PM ^
You have two girlfriends? Nice.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:17 PM ^
Has more than two.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:08 PM ^
Misplaced Modifier!!!
In other news, I am a jerk.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:08 PM ^
Respectfully, I disagree to your assertion that a modifier has been misplaced.
I have one girlfriend, hence the singular possessive.* She has four brothers, two of which I took to the game. Thus, I took "two of my girlfriend's brothers." Awkward, sure- but correctly stated nonetheless.
*If I had two or more girlfriends [agreed: nice.], and I took their brothers, it would be plural, as in "my girlfriends' brothers."
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:49 PM ^
As multiple girlfriends guy than grammar guy. I would have let it go
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:56 PM ^
You are correct.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:18 PM ^
Lol at all you people, zingermans is clearly better, better ingredients=better sandwich, anything else is just lying to yourself, and you cant even say there are better variations at maize and blue since you can create a sandwich if you want with any ingredients. Throw in being able to sample anything just puts it over the top. but seriously how do people like it better? its a shorter line and more convient but thats about all i got and im not just saying all of that because i work at zingermans and people showing up is how i keep getting paid
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:19 PM ^
Tell me about the pastrami. I'm being serious.
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^
I've always thought pastrami is the most sensual of the salted, cured meats.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:04 PM ^
Cantstandya would be proud.