Day #69, New York Strip Steak

I was very interested in trying this Supple Supper's entree. I haven't tried a real steak for awhile, and was very interested to see how I felt about it. This entree is a fourteen ounce Black Angus strip steak, topped with a medley of sauteed peppers and onions, and our house made demi-glace. It's served with a baked potato, and the vegetable du jour.

The first thing I noticed about this steak was that it is so big! A New York Strip strikes a perfect balance between a higher fat steak such as a Ribeye, and a very lean steak like a Sirloin or Filet, with an excellent amount of marbling.

With the advice of our highly knowledgeable staff, I ordered this steak to be medium rare, rather than medium well, as I normally order any kind of meat. I was surprised with how flavorful and tender this steak was. It was so much better than I had expected, and I think after eating this I will definitely try this type of thing again, without any fear!

I also believe that the demi-glace plays a huge roll in the flavor of this entree. Demi-glace is a rich brown sauce in French cuisine used by itself or as a base for other sauces. The term comes from the French word glace, which used in reference to a sauce means icing or glaze.

I really enjoyed trying this dish, much more so than others. The sides were also amazing, especially because I haven't had a baked potato in years, and was able to remember how much I really like them! The vegetables were also a very good compliment to the meal.

If you like steak, you have to try this! I know I'm glad I did, and I will definitely recommend it to others without hesitation!

Day #68, #36 Miss Smiles' Rainy Day Tuna

Today's dinner was the #36, Miss Smiles' Rainy Day Tuna sandwich. It's the second and last tuna sandwich on our menu that I will be blogging about, which is somewhat of a relief to me! I used to love tuna fish as a child, but grew to dislike it greatly as an adult.

Miss Smiles' is made with albacore tuna salad, honey mustard, lettuce, and tomato on toasted Zingerman's Jewish Rye. Unlike the #14- Calling Mable this sandwich is served cold. The name of this sandwich comes from one of the very first managers that worked at the Laundry. She was always smiling, and even customers commented on her sunny disposition.

I liked this tuna sandwich much more than the last one that I tried. I think that it is probably because it was cold, and because it had our honey mustard. I love our honey mustard, and I think this post is a great example of just how much I love it. We use honeycup mustard, which is made with brown sugar, mustard flour, honey and spices. This combination creates a uniquely sharp flavor in this creamy mustard. The honey mustard really makes this sandwich a winner in my book.

While I still would much rather replace the tuna with turkey in this sandwich, I'm sure tuna lovers really enjoy the combination of flavors in the #36. It's simple, yet a spicy enough to make it a very interesting sandwich! Let me know what you think!

Day #67, Farewell Rudy, Hello Rhodella

The Farewell Rudy, Hello Rhodella was a breakfast that I have put off eating for far too long. It is made with chuck roast hash with Yukon potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions, covered with a tomato gravy, and topped with two eggs over easy, and a slice of french farm bread. Not exactly an ordinary breakfast for me, but definitely something that I can handle.

The Farewell Rudy, Hello Rhodella was named after Mark Hamel's Aunt Rudy, who is Luana's sister. Her given name was Rhodella, but everyone called her Rudy. She died a few years ago, around the time when Mark bought his classic truck. In honor of his Aunt, he named his truck Rhodella, assuming that the chance of someone else using that name was a stretch. He named this breakfast in honor of his aunt as well.

I thought that this breakfast would be similar to the Norma and Floyd's but it is actually quite different. I think that the biggest difference is due to the type of meat used in the hash. This breakfast is made with a chuck roast hash, while the other is made with a corned beef hash. In all honesty, I liked the Farewell Rudy a lot better. It ended up being a really good breakfast, especially with the eggs and farm toast.

I'm glad I tried this because now I understand the differences between the two breakfasts that seem kind of similar on our menu. It was very surprising, and in a good way. Give it a try and see what I mean!

Day #66, Salmon Oscar

Today's dinner is ever so popular- Salmon Oscar entree. It's an eight ounce portion of salmon that is pan seared, pepper-crusted, and topped with herbs and jumbo lump meat crab, and a bearnaise sauce. It is served on top of our potato pancakes and roasted asparagus.

This is one of the most popular entrees on our menu. It's so popular that we left it on the menu when we switched over to our new summer menu. A lot of people like salmon, but I'm really not one of them. Salmon is very healthy, due to it's high protein, high omega 3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. The color of salmon is usually orange to red, resulting from carotenoid pigments in the flesh.

The name "Salmon Oscar" is not a Laundry original. This typically refers to a salmon fillet topped with crab meat and asparagus and served with a  Bearnaise sauce. The addition of the potato pancake is all us, but other options often seen are cous cous, rice, or even an English muffin.

If you like seafood, I bet you would love the Salmon Oscar. Most people do, judging it's popularity. However, salmon is generally a little more "fishy" than other types of fish, so if you don't like that flavor, you probably won't like this. Despite the great health benefits of Salmon, I think it still will be awhile before I can actually enjoy it!

Day #65, #35 Julie's Fond Farewell

I am so excited to blog about this sandwich- the #35, Julie's Fond Farewell. It's my second favorite sandwich on the menu (second only to the #28), and it's the only sandwich on the menu that I ordered "as is" before I started the blog. I really love everything about this sandwich.

This sandwich is named after a past, well, very past, employee named Julie that worked at the Laundry.

Mark never thought that she would be able to make it working on the line, but she ended up being one of the best employees working on the sandwich line that he has ever seen. During this time, we had three very young female employees that worked together on the line, and did a phenomenal job. The name of this sandwich was a gift to Julie when she left the Laundry to go to college.

The sandwich is made with smoked turkey, coleslaw, Vermont cheddar cheese, tomato, and mayo on grilled rustic bread. It's similar to the #12 Georgia Reuben, but I prefer the rustic bread to rye, and also the cheddar cheese to Swiss. If you like the Georgia Reuben though, I would definitely give this a try! It really is a great sandwich!

Day #64, #33 Marionette and the Bust of Elvis

 

Today's sandwich was the #33, Marionette and the Bust of Elvis. It was named after a guest named Marionette, who has long since moved away. She was a regular though, always coming in dressed eccentrically and really stood out from the crowd. Sometimes she would come into the Laundry by herself, with her bust of Elvis, and sit it across from her on the table as she was eating.

This sandwich is made on Zingerman's rosemary focaccia bread. I really like the rosemary focaccia, along with the tomato basil focaccia that we get in daily. Focaccia is quite popular in Italy and is usually seasoned with olive oil and sometimes herbs, and may be topped with onion, cheese and meat, or flavored with a number of vegetables. Focaccia doughs are similar in style and texture to pizza doughs, consisting of high-gluten flour, oil, water, salt and yeast. If you haven't tried ours, I strongly suggest it!

The inside of the sandwich I find to be just as interesting as the bread that it is made on. There's a variety or roasted vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, squash, and onions. It also has a garlic mayo, which yellow color surprised me, but it actually was very good.

I liked this sandwich because it was so unintimidating, however still unusual. It's a great sandwich for vegetarians, or those that enjoy their veggies in a sandwich. I would most definitely get this again, and I already know I'm going to eat the rest as my mid-night snack later!

Day #63, #30 Roast Beef

Similar to the last post, this sandwich also does not have an interesting name or history behind it, it's simply known as the #30 Roast Beef.

I've never actually had deli roast beef before, and I was in for a surprise. The only kind of roast beef I have ever tried was the roast beef from Arby's. Although I eat very little red meat, I love Arby's roast beef sandwiches. Our roast beef was different than that though, and I was told that it was due to our's being a "quality roast beef". It's actually a USDA choice grade meat. There are 8 grades of USDA meat: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner.

This sandwich is made with rare roast beef, Vermont cheddar cheese, lettuce, red onion, tomato, and mayo on fresh (un-grilled) Italian rustin bread. This might be the first time that I have tried our rustic bread un-grilled, and it was very good. It was soft, and went very well with the roast beef on this sandwich.

The #30 is a simple and easy choice for those that like roast beef. I thought it to be different than what I am used to, yet surprisingly good.

Day #62, #29 Corned Beef

This sandwich is the first of the two sandwiches on our menu that don't have interesting names. The #29- Corned Beef, isn't the most interesting on the menu, but that's just kind of how the sandwich is. This sandwich is made with corned beef, regular yellow mustard, and Switzerland Swiss cheese on grilled whole wheat bread.

I split this sandwich with Jon Foley, our head bartender. He was excited to share it with me because it is one of his favorites. Even I can see the appeal of this sandwich. If you like corned beef, it is an incredibly easy sandwich to eat. Our yellow mustard is very flavorful and makes the sandwich a little more interesting.

Overall, this would not be my first choice. However, if you like corned beef, and mustard, or just a simple sandwich...I would give this one a try.

Day #61- Caprese

This is the last item to blog about off the salads menu! I feel sad about it, however it's a good feeling to have one section of the menu totally completed.

Our caprese is made with fresh Burrata mozzarella, Sliced Roma Tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, drizzled with balsamic vinegar reduction, and extra virgin olive oil. Served with a simple bruschetta.

When I read the description of burrata Mozzarella on the menu, I thought it to be odd- mozzerella filled with cream. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. The name "burrata" means "buttered" in Italian.

I love most cheeses, especially fresh mozzarella cheese. I was really excited to try this different type of mozzarella cheese, and I was not disappointed. I could actually taste the cream in the mozzarella, which I did not expect. It was really very good though, especially with the basil and tomato.

The balsamic vinaigrette reduction was not my favorite, although it did add flavor to the dish.

I'm surprised that I had never ordered this dish until now. I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to other as well...I know that I will order it again!

Day #60, Bohemian Breeze

I haven't blogged about a salad for awhile, and this warm weather lately always makes me crave it. The Bohemian Breeze is a great summer salad- home-made chicken salad, mandarin oranges, fresh strawberries, and cashews on a bed of crisp romaine lettuce. It's served with our awesome home-made raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

I've had this salad before, but I'm going to admit that I didn't really like the chicken salad. I picked most of it off, and didn't really give the salad as a whole a very good chance. This time I ate the salad as it should be eaten, mixing the ingredients together to get the whole flavor. This made me realize that eating a piece of chicken salad by itself is so much different than eating it with strawberries, cashews, and mandarin oranges. By eating this salad I realized the importance of trying to eat a dish the way that it was meant to be enjoyed.

This is by far my favorite summer salad. The fruit and cashew combination, and it made me feel like I was on vacation while I was eating my dinner. I would most definitely recommend this year-round, even though I really do think it is perfect for dining on the patio in the warm weather!

Day #59, #28 Ron's Lifesaver

I was so excited to blog about this sandwich because it has been my favorite since I started here at the Laundry. I remember the first time I ordered this sandwich I thought, "Pesto and Mayo? That's an odd combination." However, after the many times I've had this sandwich, I think it's a great combination.

This sandwich is named after a past employee named Ron Neely. If you are familiar with our breakfast menu, it is the same Ron that the Ron and Deb's Weekender is named after. He used to work the cash register on the weekends. He also used to work for Bob and Tom when they owned the party store in town and was a wiz on the register (which was important because it was a really old machine). Ron was always chronically sick and this was the sandwich that he ordered all the time. It was a lifesaver!

This sandwich is made with smoked turkey, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, Italian pesto, sweet red onion, tomato, and lettuce on grilled Zingerman's french farm bread.

It's by far my favorite sandwich on the menu. I usually order it without onions, but this time I ventured to try it with the onions, and still liked it just as much. It's a great sandwich for someone who will eat anything, or a picky eater. I'm also a huge fan of our smoked turkey, and I always tell customers that I think it is the best smoked turkey that I have ever had, and I really eat a lot of turkey!

I would suggest giving this sandwich a try. If you do, let me know what you think. I'm sure the Ron's Lifesaver will not be a disappointment!

Day #58- Vegetable Gratin

I'm waiting for Mr. Mark Hamel to get back to me on the history of the next sandwich. Therefore, I decided to move on through the dinner menu and have the Vegetable Gratin. It is made with a Spanish style rice, topped with seasonal summer vegetables, and fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; then baked until golden.

The dish is vegetarian, but not vegan, because of the cheeses. The rice is a little spicy, but it was still easy for me to eat. The seasonal vegetables on my dish were yellow squash, zucchini, and tomatoes. I thought that the vegetables and the cheese complimented the rice very well.

When I was talking to Chef Jody about this dish, I told her that it's pretty similar to what I make at home most of the time. It's true, most of the dinners that I make include rice, vegetables, cheese, and chicken. Although I will say that this dish was much better than something that I would have made at home.

I know that I will order this dish again. I genuinely liked everything about it, and that is usually pretty rare for me. Even if you aren't a vegetarian, I suggest that you give it a try. I think that it will surprise you!

Day #57, #26 M & Em's Mid Shift Break

The name "M and Em's mid shift break" comes from Mark's brother Matt and cousin Emily. They both worked at the Laundry years ago and came up with this sandwich.

The sandwich is made with roasted turkey, artichoke hearts and Italian pesto on grilled Zingerman's French Farm bread. It's kind of a plain sandwich, only because it is made with so few ingredients. The pesto and artichoke hearts add a lot of flavor to the sandwich though, and I don't think that I would have it any other way.

Zingerman's French Farm bread is my second favorite kind of bread that we carry. It's made with a white-wheat mix and a sour starter. The crust is harder than that of other breads, but that crust is generally a signature for most Zingerman's breads. I especially like the French Farm bread grilled, it really compliments the sour starter.

Overall, I really liked this sandwich. I wasn't sure about the artichoke hearts at first, but I enjoyed the flavor that they added to this sandwich. I always love our pesto as well. I will most definitely have this sandwich again in the future, as well as recommend it to others!