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Ann Arbor MI: Zingerman's Delicatessen

I've been to Ann Arbor several times over the years but never managed to make to Zingerman's for anything more than a flyby. I was convined to eat there on this trip. Breakfast was my opportunity.

And what makes a better breakfast than a reuben? This is the Brooklyn reuben with pastrami substituted for corned beef. I have had the original Reuben at Reuben's in New York. Zingerman's execution is simply at a higher level. "Melts in your mouth" is a cliche but I can think of no better description of my experience eating this sandwich. The cheese and dressing give the foundation of that creaminess, but everything in the sandwich simply melts together into an experience that is really very differen than the sum of its parts. The meat, bread, cheese, dressing are all there but the tastes and textures all combine in a way that is simply more than a sandwich. I was holding it in my hands, but my mouth experienced something closer to a casserole or a roast stuffed with cheese.

And to think that I had been missing this all these years...

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