I'm sorry, but the Maize and Blue deli is simply not very good.
So I decided to give the Maize and Blue deli another try today, thinking that maybe I just hadn't ordered the right thing every other time I've been there. Ordered the #23 "Italian Style" which should be a no brainer great sandwich, but it wasn't. After eating there 6 times now, I've come to the conclusion that it just simply isn't a very good sandwich place. Fairly confident that I could buy some pre-sliced Oscar Meyer lunchmeat from Kroger and make a better sandwich than this place.
I find Zingerman's to be overpriced, but at least they know how to do Pastrami and Corned Beef correctly. I really have no idea why so many people defend Maize and Blue so vehemently.
Your thoughts?
I've eaten so many chicken chimichangas in my 4 years of college. So delicious
You have to get a Jewish deli meat pastrami or corned beef
I will start by saying it's been probably 5 years since I've eaten there, but prior to then, I would take a sandwich there anyday. Can't remember what I used to order, but it was outstanding. I'm sure it was a type of ruben, or typical turkey type simple sandwich. Zingerman's was always sort of ho-hum for me, as I think you pay for the "experiance."
You're not sorry.
Well, I'd like to give a local shop business, but it's pretty much the most overrated place ever.
1) there is only a 1 in 10 chance that a "famous" local place is actually really, really good. The only example I can think of is the Pancake Pantry in Nashville (New Regal Ribs near Fremont, Ohio is another, but I don't think that really is "world famous" despite what they say)
2) If a local, famous place that is actually really really good actually exsists, it is probably only worth going about twice a year because the wait is always really long.
3) Local places that are really really good only have about a %50 of becomming famous. Usually, if they are famous it's because they are either unique or because they have a schtik... like naming yourself Maize and Blue Deli.
I only go to Blimpy Burger a couple times a year, but that's a local place I'd put in the "really good" category. I agree though, most of these types of places are overrated.
There is a limit to how good a sandwich can be; its all about ingredients. If you really want really good food, its so much cheaper to just learn how to cook--plus, you don't have worry about being dissapointed unless its a new dish or you are incompetent.
Your post gets exactly to the point of why Maize and Blue cannot touch Zingermans and why, to some extent, it is difficult to emulate certain cooking at home.
First, with any sandwich, it is about the bread. If you don't have great rye bread, the contest is over before it begins. Zingermans rye bread, in a nationwide review by foodie Saveur magazine, was rated the top rye bread in the US. Try baking that at home.
Second, it is about the corned beef or whatever else you put on that. I've made a lot of corned beef over the years, but with various outcomes. Zingermans is always excellent.
I have always thought Zingermans was top notch, but after reading the reviews about Maize and Blue I tried them recently. It was a classic case of you get what you pay for.
I could drop a tablespoon of warm vegetable oil on a Wendy's hamburger and blindfolded you would not be able to tell me which you were eating.
#31, you're welcome.
Are you sorry because you own the place?
If I owned the place, I'd probably want to keep dissent to a minimum....
this. Could never stand the Maize and Blue deli. I couldn't stand Zingerman's either (or their roadhouse). I actually felt bad when I took my parents there and they paid 50 bucks for 2 and a half overrated sandwhiches and pickles.
I am a firm believer in good ingredients, but I think these two shops are just thriving on the size of AA. In a decent sized city where you can find delis, bakeries, butchers, and even cheese shops--it put's the AA deli's to shame. Plus they are almost never as crowded as Zingerman's.
The one thing I miss most about Ann Arbor is the food, and I have never felt a longing for either of these two shops.
edit: Oh and I forgot, who the hell at Zingerman's decided sandwhiches were supposed to be that small? It's one thing to be rediculously overpriced, it's another to be rediculously overpriced but sell small portions so you force me to go wait in your line from hell and get more food.
The size of the sandwich is a bit on the small end at Zingerman's, and the prices are high enough that people are going feel the sandwiches are smaller.
I see this... Personally I think maize and blue deli is reasonably priced and gives a solidsandwich, however, it is not even close to the quality of zingermans regardless of price, and with all of the good restaurants in the ann arbor area, I will probably not go to the deli that many more times... 3 was enough to know what it is... good, but not fantastic or great
The thing is, Maize and Blue isn't even that cheap. It's still $10 for a sandwich.
Relative to the portion size and price of Zingerman's it's cheap.
I understand your issue with Maize and Blue, but I think you went over the top by comparing it to cheap lunch meat from the super market. I am a die hard Maize and Blue guy in the AA deli wars so take this for what you will, but this is my personal opinion of them.
1. It's perfect "college food" by that I mean large portion size, relative price and location make it preferable to Zingerman's to a student on a budget.
2. The food isn't the same quality as Zingerman's, but then again that's like comparing the food from a small time local steak house to something you'd get at a five star restaurant. I LOVE Maize and Blue's sandwiches.
3. It's awesome game day food. I can get a sandwich there around 1030ish before a noon game and be full until the game is over. My pregame ritual when I'm in Ann Arbor always involves going there first.
At the end of the day if you want something that's going to be equal to the high end delis in New York City then you go to Zingerman's and you pay high end deli price. If you want a huge sandwich that tastes damned good without waiting in a long line and paying top dollar you go to Maize and Blue. Personally as a college student with a crappy part time job I fall in the second category.
Out of curiosity what sandwich do you order there? My personal favorite is #28 minus onion.
edit: By the way why are people negging aaamichfan's original post? Just because someone has different taste in sandwiches than you doesn't mean they deserve to be negged. It's not like he posted something neg worthy.
It's the offseason, and this thread is moderately entertaining. I consider that a success.
"Fairly confident that I could buy some pre-sliced Oscar Meyer lunchmeat from Kroger and make a better sandwich than this place" ...is why I negged the post. Oh, and I negged you too. The "First rule of MGPoints..." and all. No hard feelings, eh?
Just curious how he managed to get that negative.
Also after his second post his point total remained the same. Does it mean he no longer can move his point toward positive territory, like sometime when Team 144 plays?
Every now and again the airline loads up and people return, so there is hope. If not, there is always Profitgoblue.
There was a place in Farmington called Breadbasket that was awesome (size, quality of the corned beef & pastrami were old-school Zingerman's-esque). Don't know if they are still open though.
There's a Bread Basket just outside of Ann Arbor. Not the best I've ever had, but probably the best in the Ann Arbor area.
Dimos > Maize & Blue > Zingermans > Ahmos > Breadbasket
I've never actually eaten at Dimo's(other than one random doughnut once), but the Corned Beef at Bread Basket is better than all on your list than Zingerman's. However, you get a bigger sandwich at BB.
I was going to say something about your corned beef obsession... but really, isn't that the best barometer of a deli/ Sandwhich shop's quality? Corned beef is one of those foods that doesn't seem like there is much of a range in quality.... untill you have really good corned beef, then it's like "woah". This discussion reminds me of an argument I often have about beer-- to me, 70 per cent of beer is all roughly the same in quality. 20 percent is undrunkable, and 10 percent is really good. Beer is just beer unless its beer.
Generally if a deli has great corned beef, there's a good chance that every other item they sell is going to be top notch. In my opinion, it's one of those things where the only time it's great is when you get it from a place that makes it "in house".
bread basket doesn't make their corned beef in house. they get it from a place in detroit.
nevertheless, i ate at one of these in livonia for the first time the other day, and the corned beef was incredibly good. better than zingerman's (where the absurd price and hype turns me off) and maize 'n blue (where the size justifies the price but the quality just isn't there).
According to their website, they make it in house, every three hours. Apparently they use Sy Ginsberg, which is the same stuff Zingerman's and most of the good Jewish delis in the area use.
didn't know what you meant by making it in house, i guess. the waitress told me about getting sy ginsberg from detroit, and i was assuming that didn't count.
Corned beef or pastrami are your barometesr of how 'good' a deli is.
If they f*ck up corned beef, you may as well just not bother going.
undrunkable--adjective. Beer that is so crappy you'll never drink enough to get drunk.
I dont' dislike it but I don't love it. I go there everyonce in a while because their sandwiches are decent, but definitely not great. The one thing I will say is that they definitely do give you enough food, which is nice since a lot of places don't.
So we had a thread about Rich Rod and another on "Zingermans vs. Maize and Blue Deli" on the same day.
Can we never have debates about these topics again?
NO RELIGION OR POLITICS