Day #26, House Salad

I really switched it up today and had a salad, and the first salad on the menu is the House Salad.

I'm a huge salad fan, but I haven't had this one before, I usually stick to the Sparty's, Tossed, or Caesar, which we will get to later...

The House salad is made with Nueske's pit smoke peppered ham, Amish turkey breast, Switzerland Swiss cheese, hard boiled eggs, and cherry tomatoes, on a bed of mixed greens. Our salad dressing options are all homemade: ranch, raspberry vinaigrette, maple balsamic, Russian, Aegean (Greek), Maytag blue cheese, or Caesar. All salads are also served with a bread end and butter.

I can honestly say I never really liked any dressing until I started working here. However, there's a huge difference between bottled dressing and homemade dressing made with fresh ingredients. I like all of the dressings that we offer, except for the blue cheese...but then I just don't like the flavor of blue cheese. My favorite dressing that we have is ranch, and I honestly think it's the best ranch dressing I have ever had.

This salad is a very popular item for both dinner and lunch. It's very healthy, and has a lot of protein. The dressing is always served on the side, so you can decide how much you would like.

I enjoyed eating this salad. It was, of course, too large of a portion to finish. I would recommend this salad to anyone, it was a great dinner!

Day #25, Baked Eggs

The baked eggs doesn't have a interesting name, pretty self-explanatory I thought, but this dish really has a lot going on. Our baked eggs are made with two eggs, spinach, tomato, bacon, and Parmigiano Reggiano. It's served with a Zingerman's butter croissant and a small tossed salad.

It's definitely a large amount of food for breakfast, or any meal. I thought having a salad at 7am was a little interesting, but Chef Jody said it's a European thing. I googled the idea, and it's actually known as a weight loss strategy, and it's a good way to get your daily amount of vegetables in early. Our small tossed salad is made with spring mix lettuce, shredded carrots, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and croutons. It's one of those salads that when you sit it in front of someone, they always ask, "That's the small?".

I really enjoyed having the baked eggs for breakfast. The eggs are cooked so that they are over hard, which I personally prefer better than over-easy. The spinach and tomatoes not only give it great color, but add flavor as well. A lot of the flavor comes from the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and it certainly has A LOT of cheese on top. When it comes out of the oven the cheese is bubbly and looks delicious. I also liked the croissant, but I had tried one before when I had the Ron and Deb's Weekender- if you want to read more about the croissant check out that posting.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone. The baked egg and croissant are enough to fill anyone up for breakfast, and even if you aren't used to eating salad in the morning you can have it boxed for lunch!

Day #24, #13- They Call Him J.L

They Call Him J.L., also known as the #13 is named after Jimmy Lipari, of Lipari Foods- located in Warren, Michigan. Jimmy went bankrupt a few times before really making it big. He went from selling groceries out of the back of his pinto to wallpapering his condo with silk wallpaper. After he made it big, his wife drove a Lexus, but he still drove a pinto to work. His past allowed him to really understand the struggles of the average business owner, and he was very encouraging to Mark Hamel when he was starting the Laundry. Because of that, Mark named the #13 after him. It's a classic Delicatessen sandwich with the mustard and pastrami; simple, but still delicious.

This sandwich is made with warm pastrami, Switzerland Swiss cheese, red onion, and hot mustard on grilled Jewish Rye.

Well I've never had pastrami before, and even though I have a degree in hospitality business (which includes food courses) I couldn't even remember if it was pork of beef (Pathetic, I know). Pastrami is a highly seasoned beef made from a cut of plate, brisket or round. After the fat is trimmed, the meat's surface is rubbed with salt and a seasoning paste. This can include garlic, peppercorns, cinnamon, red pepper, cloves, allspice, or coriander seeds. The meat is then dry-cured, smoked, and cooked. It can be served hot or cold, but most commonly it is served as a sandwich on rye bread.

Well I've already tried everything on this sandwich besides the pastrami, so I found that to be the real test. I expected it to be similar to corned beef (I don't know why) but it was not the similar really at all. The texture was much more moist and chewy than that of corned beef. You could also really taste (and see) all the seasonings on the pastrami.

Did I like it? I'm going to say it was different than expected. Not necessarily bad, just different for me. I think the next time I have it I will not what to expect as far as texture and flavor goes, and I will probably like it a lot more.

Day #23, Appetizer- Wild Mushroom Empanadas

The Wild Mushroom Empanadas were an appetizer that I was excited to try. Our empanadas are filled with mushrooms, dry sherry wine, paprika, and fresh thyme in a flaky crust. The crust used for the empanadas is the same as the crust that is used for our delicious quiche. As it's used in this appetizer it is meant to be soft and flaky.

The filling that we use is similar to a duxelles. This is a french creation, made with mushrooms, onions, shallots, and herbs sauteed in butter and reduced to a paste. It is often used in stuffing or sauces, or baked into a pastry. The paprika and dry sherry used in this dish creates a unique flavor, and is often used in many Spanish dishes.

The empanadas are served with a creme fraiche, meaning "fresh cream" in French. It is a sour cream containing about 28% butterfat, coming from the buttermilk used rather than the regular cream often used in sour cream. Although you don't really need any type of dipping sauce for the empanadas, the creme fraiche is a great addition.

Overall, this dish was awesome, and I rarely say that. I would order this again as an appetizer, or even as a meal. It was filling, but I didn't feel overly stuffed from the dish. For anyone that loves mushrooms this is a must-try. It had a great flavor and unique texture that I had not experienced before and I absolutely loved it.

Day # 22, #12 Georgia Reuben

Today I ordered the #12 Georgia Reuben. This sandwich is made with roasted turkey, Switzerland Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and coleslaw on grilled Zingerman's Jewish Rye.

This is a twist on the classic Reuben sandwich that is incredibly popular, but the corned beef is replaced with turkey and the sauerkraut is replaced with coleslaw. From what I have read online, this sandwich is incredibly popular in the state of Michigan, despite the southern connection in the name.

I've never had a #12 before, but I've had our #35, which also has turkey and coleslaw...so I was pretty sure I would like the combination. Our coleslaw is a little different than most because the dressing is made with mostly mayo, sour cream, vegetable oil, and heavy cream. Traditional coleslaw almost always has some kind of vinegar listed as a main ingredient. We also use green and red cabbage, and green peppers, in the slaw giving it a fun unique color.

This sandwich has a lot going on. The coleslaw, turkey, Swiss, and Russian make a great combination. The more I have the Russian dressing, the more I like it, and it's a dressing that I had never thought to try until I had the Reuben sandwich.

I really liked this sandwich. If you haven't tried our coleslaw, it is a must. It looks and tastes so much different (and better) than the coleslaw you see at other restaurants. I can see why I see the sandwich ordered over and over again; I know that I will definitely order this again as well!

Day #21- French Laundry Veggie Pizza

Today I'm having the "sister" to the French Laundry Pizza- The French Laundry Vegetarian Pizza. It not only skips out on the chicken, but also the kalamata olives, goat cheese, and roasted red peppers. It's a completely different pizza altogether.

The vegetarian pizza is made with Roma tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and extra virgin olive oil.

I'm going to start out by saying that I love pizza. It's one of those foods that I'm always in the mood for. Although today, I was craving a chicken Caesar salad (I'm not at that point in the blog yet) pizza ended up sounding equally as good.

This is different than your average pizza- starting with the tomatoes, basil, and extra virgin olive oil taking place of the tomato sauce normally found on pizzas. I found this to be a refreshing change, and it made the pizza seem healthier. Extra virgin olive oil is the best kind of olive oil that you can get. These oils are cold-pressed, a chemical-free process that involves only cold pressure, which produces a natural level of low acidity. To be considered "extra virgin" the olive oil must have and acidity of less than 1%, and rate over a 6.5 on the Italian Tasting Panel's scale.

The fresh mozzarella cheese on the pizza is also a great change than the average bagged cheese used at most pizza joints. It's fresh, and you can taste the difference in flavor and texture.

I love this pizza. I would recommend it to anyone that loves pizza and wants to try something different. And if you want to make it a little more interesting, you can always add mushrooms (my favorite) or other toppings to the pizza to get even more flavor!

Day #20, The Beckham

Opening two days in a row can be pretty tiring, I'm glad I have good breakfast and blog time to look forward to! Today's breakfast is the Beckham- Two eggs over easy, applewood smoked bacon, roasted Yukon potatoes, and grilled French Baguette. Once again, it's a a whole lot of food. If I were to see someone eat the entire thing, I would be seriously impressed.

This breakfast entree is named after...guess who?? David Beckham. At the time the dish was introduced, Beckham was the #1 athlete in the world, but realtively unknown in America, since soccer is not very popular here compared to the rest of the world. The Laundry thought to give him some extra exposure in Fenton, MI with what has become one of our most popular breakfasts.

It's easy to see why this is so popular- It's incredibly basic. There's no lox, or blue cheese, or anything for you to be scared of here. It's just a very well made, traditional breakfast. The grilled baguette is a nice twist to what would normally be toast, and the roasted Yukons have a great garlic flavor (which I'm sure will lead to great breath).

I like this breakfast favorite. I'm getting used to over easy eggs for breakfast, but if I were to order this on my own I would order them scrambled or over hard. Anyway, I can see why this is a favorite of many, and the name is especially easy to remember since Beckham is so good looking!

Day #19- Eggs Benedict Arnold

Early Sunday morning at the Laundry, and today's breakfast is the Eggs Benedict Arnold. It's fried eggs over house-made biscuits, topped with Detroit breakfast sausage gravy.

Everyone has heard of Eggs Benedict. So what's the difference with the Arnold? With the Arnold the English muffin is replaced with a biscuit, and the hollandaise sauce is replace with a country gravy. Often, the poached egg is cooked longer, so that the yolk is fully cooked- (with our Arnold, we pan fry our eggs rather than poach them.) So even though it has part of the name of the traditional eggs Benedict, the only thing that is kind of the same is that it is made with an egg.

This is served as a heaping portion. Two biscuits, two eggs, and a ridiculous amount of sausage gravy. I'm not a sausage fan, but this stuff was pretty good. However, I don't know how my fiancee (who is a personal trainer), would feel about me eating this. But, if you like sausage gravy, I think this is a dish that most would enjoy. I'm glad I tried it, I'm always hearing compliments about how good our sausage gravy is!

Day #18, #11 Reuben

Today's dinner was the #11, Reuben. This sandwich is made with warm, house boiled corn beef, Switzerland Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on grilled Zingerman's Jewish Rye Bread.

This sandwich is a classic all over the United States. The origin of the sandwich is disputed between two creators- Reuben Kulakofsky from Omaha, Nebraska and Arthur Reuben from New York, New York.

The sandwich is made with either Russian dressing or thousand island dressing. Until I had started working at the Laundry, I had never heard of Russian dressing, so I was interested to see what the difference between the two dressings are.

The recipe for Russian dressing generally calls for a base of either mayo, yogurt, or ketchup.

Traditionally, classic Russian dressing is made with sour cream, a tomato product and caviar, with some pungency, possibly from horseradish. Thousand Island is usually mayonnaise based, with ketchup, relish, pickles, onions or chopped hard boiled eggs added. It's a variant of Russian dressing.

Either dressing is used on the Reuben now but Russian was the original classic. These days most recipes for Russian dressing do not call for caviar, probably because of the price. At the Laundry we use mayo and ketchup as the base for our Russian, but skip out on the hard boiled egg that would be found in Thousand Island. With all the variations to both recipes, it is almost impossible to distinguish between the two dressings.

I was incredibly surprised with how easy this sandwich was to eat. Really, really easy- and with so many ingredients on it that I "don't like" such as Swiss, corned beef, and sauerkraut. Well, I partially take that back- I've never had sauerkraut, only assumed that I wouldn't like it. It's actually pretty good stuff on a sandwich. I absolutely do not eat Swiss cheese, and I could barely even tell that it was Swiss because of all the other flavors in this sandwich. I can see why the Reuben is an American favorite, it's actually pretty good.

Day #17- C'est Grace

Today I had the #10-C'est Grace. It's kind of an interesting name for a sandwich, and people never really know how to pronounce it. It's actually a play on words- C'est is pronounced "Say" in French and it means "it is" or "this is". The Grace part of the name comes from a woman who came up with this sandwich, named Grace. She ate lunch here pretty much everyday, and loved the strong flavors in this sandwich. When Mark learned that Grace had passed away from cancer, he named this sandwich after her because he really like her and her appreciation of good food.

This sandwich is smoked turkey breast, sweet red onions, bleu d'Auvergne blue cheese, and extra strong French Dijon, on grilled Zingerman's pumpernickel bread. Whew, what a whole lot of flavor in this sandwich. The French Dijon is so spicy, and the blue cheese has a bite to it as well. You have to like the spicy mustard, and blue cheese to be able to really enjoy this sandwich. I'm not a huge fan of anything too spicy, so it was difficult for me to get beyond the first few bites of this sandwich without my eyes watering! The blue cheese and smoked turkey are a somewhat odd combination, but the flavors really play off of each other well.

Bleu d'Auvergne blue cheese is made from the Auvergne region of France, a region located in the center of the country and very difficult to get to by car. It is however, a great area to raise cows, so there is a lot of cheese made in this region. Often, Roquefort cheese overshadows the popularity of this cheese, but bleu d'Auvergne is still considered one of the great blue cheeses of France.
Overall, this sandwich was probably the hardest for me to eat because of all the intense flavors, but if you like that sort of thing, give it a try!

Day #16, Bub's Meat and Potatoes

Today I had another item off the breakfast menu- Bub's Meat and Potatoes. Sounds like a pretty manly dish; you rarely hear of a woman being called Bub by anyone. It is a very hearty breakfast- a handmade potato pancake topped with tenderloin medallions, over easy eggs, and Gorgonzola cream.

This dish is named after Chef Jody's son, Kyle, who is nicknamed Bub's. Chef Jody made the dish for him quite frequently- and it is her version of steak and eggs.

I found it quite unusual to be eating steak for breakfast, or at all for that matter. It's been years since I have even attempted to eat steak, so this was overall very interesting to me. The taste of the steak was better than what I had remembered, which is a big step for me. The Gorgonzola cream was totally different than I had expected, it had a hint of blue cheese flavor, but it was not too overwhelming like blue cheese normally is for me. I guess I should have expected to like it since I love out Apricot Gorgonzola Dip. The only thing I really disliked about the dish was the over-easy eggs. There was nothing wrong with the eggs, they were cooked to perfection, but I always prefer my eggs over hard or scrambled.

I can see how others would see this as a breakfast favorite, and I'm happy to have experienced something else outside of my "food box."

Day #15, Winter Squash Risotto

Winter Squash Risotto is the entree for today. I had to eat this one before our menu changes on May 4Th! It is by far the best vegetarian option that we have, and it is one of my favorite menu items overall. It's made with a medley of roasted winter squashes, tossed with Arborio rice in a creamy parmesan sauce, and topped with pine nuts. It is also served with a large piece of roasted squash and simple bruschetta. It is a quite a heavy meal, which is obviously perfect for winter but not so much for spring/summer.

Risotto is generally made from a high starch, medium or short grain rice. The rice we use, Arborio rice, is an Italian short grain rice named after the town of Arborio in the Po Valley where it is grown. The rice is flavored with broth and parmesan cheese, and often includes other ingredients-such as the squash in ours. Risotto is a traditional Italian dish and literally means "little rice". It is one of the most common ways to cook rice in Italy.

The squash adds additional flavor and texture to the dish. I very much enjoyed this dish, the creamy risotto was nothing short of delicious. However, I ate less of the dish than any of the others I have had so far, only because it is quite heavy on the stomach. I took the rest home to enjoy later...I'm not sharing this one with anyone else today. :)

Day #14, Scallops with Pumpkin Beurre Blanc

Ohh scallops...they can be frightening to those of us who do not venture into the world of seafood. However, many people love them, and that is why this is a very popular dinner entree at the Laundry.

Ours are jumbo sea scallops on a bed of orzo pasta flavored with saffron and pancetta bacon, and drizzled with a pumpkin beurre blanc. Reading that from the menu, I wonder what a few of this ingredients are; such as saffron, pancetta, and orzo.

I learned from Chef Jody that orzo is actually pasta, not rice, although it could easily be mistaken. Orzo is often mistakenly referred to as "Italian Rice". In the past, orzo was made from barley, which is where it finds it's name; orzo means barley in Italian.

Saffron is pretty interesting stuff as well. It is a spice derived from the saffron crocus. Saffron has long been the worlds most expensive spice, and it is native to Southwest Asia. Saffron has crocin in it, a carotenoid dye, which adds a yellow hue to the orzo in this dish.

Pancetta is a type of dry, cured meat, similar to bacon. It is pork belly (the same as bacon) that has been cured and spiced, and dried for about three months. The main difference between bacon and pancetta is that pancetta is not smoked, and bacon always is smoked.

I thought this entree was very interesting. The scallops were intimidating at first, and I was genuinely surprised when I found them very easy to eat. They are extremely tender and are cut easily with a fork. My favorite part of this dish was the orzo...the flavors from the saffron and pancetta were like nothing I have had before. The pumpkin beurre blanc was a great addition to not only the scallops but the flavors in the orzo as well.

After having this entree I am no longer afraid of scallops, and might even eat them again....

Day #13, Appetizer- French Laundry Pizza

Today I had the French Laundry Pizza for dinner. This pizza is made with tender chicken breast, kalamata olives, goat cheese, roasted red peppers, arugula, and pesto. The pizza is sliced into four pieces, to split as an appetizer or eat on your own. I love pizza, but I have never ordered this one until now because it has goat cheese and olives on it.

The goat cheese was actually a very nice addition to the pizza, and it went will with the pesto and roasted red peppers. I like the cheese because it was so much different than the kind of cheese that is normally on the pizzas that I eat. I still don't like olives after eating this dish, but I known now that I can handle them when they are mixed in with a lot of other flavors.

However, the most interesting facts I learned about this dish actually related to the olives. Kalamata olives originated in a region in Greece sharing the same name, an area famous for it's production of olives and olive oils. The Kalamata olive is often known as the Greek olive, and has a taste and appearance much different than most green and black olives.

Unlike most green and black olives, Kalamata olives are dark reddish purple in color. When they are soaked in vinegar or brined, they appear almost dark brown or black. On the tree, these purple fruits are hard to miss because of their beautiful color. They also tend to pack more meat than the black variety.

There's some interesting info for those who like different varieties of olives.

Overall, I enjoyed this pizza. The combination of ingredients was unique and very well thought out. I would order it again, minus the Kalamata olives of course.

Day #12, Appetizer- Shrimp de Jonghe

Today I had the second appetizer off of our Supple Suppers menu- Shrimp de Jonghe. I was a little intimidated by this because I have not eaten shrimp in years.

Our Shrimp de Jonghe is black tiger shrimp baked in Parmesan, parsley, and garlic butter sauce, topped with bread crumbs. It is served with a baguette crostini; which is sliced baguette, topped with garlic, butter, and Parmesan.

This appetizer always smells awesome, but I hadn't tried it until now because of the shrimp. Anything that has shrimp I normally replace with chicken...however, thetas hard to do in this case.

I really liked the crostini, (who wouldn't?) it was fully of flavor and the Parmesan was awesome. I ate the shrimp on top of the crostini, which was even better. The shrimp had a terrific buttery garlic flavor, and the bread crumbs on top added a better texture to the shrimp.

While this was hard to eat as a dinner entree (all the butter!) it really is great for people sharing an appetizer. With all of the flavor and different textures it really would be something I would order and share with friends. I guess I should not have been intimidated by the shrimp after all!

Day #11, Breakfast-Luana Louise

I had an early morning at the Laundry today, so I was able to enjoy my 3rd breakfast entree. I had the Luana Louise; which is scrambled eggs, applewood smoked bacon, Grafton Vermont cheddar, and a Zingerman's bagel of your choice.

The entree is named after Mark Hamel's grandmother, Luana Louise (Liphart) Hamel, who will turn 93 years old this year. Luana used to plant and maintain the flowers around the Laundry until she was no longer able to keep it up. For years she lived down the road at the Milpond Manor and would visit us frequently.

You can get a breakfast sandwich like this almost anywhere, however there are a few things unique to ours.

We get all of or bagels fresh everyday from Zingermans in garlic, poppy seed, cranberry blackberry, enuf, Detroit street, parmesan pepper, cinnamon raisin, plain, honey wheat, 9 grain, onion, sea salt, and sesame seed. Zingerman's bagels aren't your average bagels; these bagels have bigger holes, and are crusty a chewy, apparently how bagels were made back in the day. This style of bagel is often very hard to find, which is why ours are so popular.

With my Luana Louise I chose a parmesan pepper bagel, since it was something I had not tried before (normally I choose 9 grain or honey wheat). The bagel had incredible flavor, and the pepper was not overwhelming as I had assumed it to be. This was my favorite breakfast entree so far, and i will definitly order it again!

Day #10, #8- Mars Paesani

Today I ordered the #8- Mar's Paesani. This sandwich was named after Mark Hamel's Aunt Marlene, who is 100% Italian, coming from Calabria, located in the heel of the Italian Boot. The word "Paesani" is Italian for friends or countrymen. Therefore, the name of the sandwich is in reference to Marlene's compadres.

The Mar's Paesani is made on Zingerman's Rustic Italian Bread. It used to be made on a small paesano roll; however the crust was often too tough to really be enjoyable. Italian Rustic is my favorite bread that we carry. It is made with unbromated unbleached wheat flour, water, sea salt, and yeast. I really like this bread because the crust is very soft and easy to enjoy. Fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, lettuce, salami, and Italian Pesto complete this sandwich.

The pesto that we use is called Crespi Pesto, and it is made in Genoa, in the Liguria region of Italy. I have always enjoyed pesto on pasta and sandwiches, but when reading the ingredients of our pesto I realized that I had no idea what it consisted of. Pesto is made mostly with basil leaves (ours is 49%), extra virgin olive oil (45%). The other 6% is parmigano reggiano, pecorino cheese, pine seeds, garlic, and salt. Most pesto found in supermarkets replace the pine nuts with walnuts or cashews because it cuts down on the cost.

Overall, I really enjoyed this sandwich. I loved the pesto and the mozzarella cheese. The salami wasn't my favorite part of the sandwich, but the other flavors helped me to be able to enjoy it. The flavor added by the roasted red peppers and the artichoke hearts made this sandwich even more unique. This was a good one, and I'm really glad I tried it!

Day #9, #7 He Ain't Heavy

Today I was excited to order this sandwich. The #7 is smoked turkey (my favorite), muenster cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, mayo, and honey mustard on a Zingerman's onion roll.

The name "He Ain't Heavy", comes from the Neil Diamond song. You know how it goes...."He ain't heavy, he's my brother...." The sandwich was a favorite for Mark Hamel's brother, Jonathan, and it was created over 12 years ago. It has been on our menu ever since, and continues to be very popular.

I can see why this sandwich is so popular!! It's one of my new favorites for sure. I love our smoked turkey, and I truly believe it is probably the best turkey deli meat that I have ever had. I've had one of our onion rolls before, and I also really like them. They don't have an overly strong onion flavor, and they are very soft and moist.

The combination of mayo and money mustard on this sandwich is interesting, but it adds a lot of great flavor. Our honey mustard is NOT the common yellow honey mustard that is often found in restaurants. It's golden in color, and sweet, but also has a spicy kick to it. I'm not a fan of really spicy food, but I love the honey mustard on this sandwich.

I really like the combination of all the ingredients on this sandwich, everything comes together perfectly, including the bacon...which I am beginning to enjoy the more I have it. I would suggest this sandwich to anyone, it is officially one of my favorites now!

Day #8, #6 Julie Rye

The #6, Julie Rye is named after Marybeth Brennan's (Mark's sister and Chad's wife) friend named Julie Ray. Marybeth and Julie worked together in the printing business for a number of years, and when the restaurant opened in 1997 Julie came up with this creation. It has been on the menu since day one and continues to be a popular and healthy turkey sandwich.

This sandwich is made with Roasted Turkey Breast, Scallion Sour Cream, Muenster Cheese, Cucumbers and Spinach on Zingerman's Jewish Rye.

The Scallion Sour Cream on the sandwich is a great substitute for mayonnaise. It not only adds a different flavor than most people are used to, but it is healthier than mayo as well.

While eating this sandwich, I was reminded of summer. The sandwich is always served cold, and the cucumbers and spinach add a cool crispness. Although I could only eat half the sandwich (as always), it did not feel heavy on my stomach. The rye bread also complimented the other ingredients well, and it is served as fresh rye, rather than grilled, which made the sandwich even more healthy.

Although this was my first time trying this sandwich, it is something that I will order again in the future.