Yes, it’s been a while but after the excessive garlic mayo at Mudgies, we took some time to get back in the groove. This time, we were to tackle Steve’s Deli in Bloomfield Hills. In the name of FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a Steve’s Deli fan. I typically order the Deli Salad (Mixed greens, NO tomatoes, extra lean corned beef, fresh roast turkey, swiss & american cheese) but given that we were going to try a sandwich I never ordered, I can be unbiased.
Being a minute or two late, I could see the Fussy Eater seated in a 2 person booth along the kitchen wall. Personally, I pass on these booths as they are a bit cramped but the alternative is a table right next to another table along the window. In either event, if you want to know not only what your neighbor is ordering for lunch but what they had to say about the host and/or party they attended last night, Steve’s Deli is a great place to go solo and just listen to other people’s conversation. In fact, I challenge you to go there and not know someone – it just won’t happen! The only place worse would be eating at an establishment on Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield (I did just give a clue as to where I reside, didn’t I?).
In any event, Steve’s Deli is a wonderful deli located in the suburbs of Detroit. Prominently situated at Maple and Telegraph Roads, it’s always busy but the wait staff won’t let you longer too long so as to make others wait. Business is brisk and when they give you the menu, you need to decide. The table setup, the staff, the quality food reminds me of Carnegie Deli in New York.
We were there to try a California Club sandwich as it was honored as one of the city’s best. Given our culinary obsession, we also split a more classic dish, the Reuben. The Fussy Eater had never eaten sauerkraut and I jumped at the chance to see his face pucker as he bit into that delectable delight.
I started with the California Club, listed as a Lite Sandwich. The smoked turkey, turkey bacon, avocado, lettuce, NO tomato, red pepper mayo on challah arrived still warm as the bread had obviously been toasted. Adorned with new and old dill pickles, the sandwich was wonderful! The avocado was perfectly ripe, there was sufficient turkey to make it satisfying, the red pepper mayo was delicious and the fresh challah melted as you ate it. Not having eaten this sandwich at Steve’s Deli before, this will absolutely be added to my list of things to enjoy. 9.5 out of 10 as my only complaint is that the turkey was not stacked but rather folded over so as to be lite in quantity but look more full.
Grabbing the uneaten other half of the Reuben, I quickly sunk my teeth in. Hot corned beef, melted swiss cheese, sauerkraut & russian dressing on grilled rye – what could possibly be wrong with that combo? (Folks, I didn’t order it lean, I wanted the complete experience, fat included!) Incredibly awesome. Corned beef was still warm, sauerkraut had some bite but was on the mild side and the Russian dressing and swiss cheese dripping from the sides over my fingers rounded out the sensory experience. I sensed the need to call in the napkin reserves as I kept licking the flavors off my fingers after each bite. If I have any criticism, it’s that being a grilled sandwich Steve’s obviously used butter to brown the bread and it was a bit on the heavy side. Other than that, I enjoyed watching the Fussy Eater work his way through the sauerkraut, although he did claim that he’s still not a fan. A Reuben is not on the light side but every once in a while, you have to say, “What the heck!” Overall, a 9.25 out of 10.
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