Zingerman's Deli is so, so much more than just a deli.



"Zingerman’s Delicatessen opened in March 1982 in a historic building near the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. The Deli was founded by Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig, two friends who dreamt of creating a traditional Jewish deli that would bring very special foods to Ann Arbor in a way that was unique to them. Over the years, Zingerman’s has expanded to become a family of independently-owned food and service-focused businesses, known as the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, And, many decades later, the Deli remains a source of great food and great experiences for thousands of guests every year," reads the website.



"Zingerman’s Deli is known as the place to enjoy made-to-order sandwiches piled so high with premium ingredients you need two hands to hold them. We’re also so much more. Visiting us is a one-of-a-kind experience! We’re a place to find traditionally-made, full-flavored foods that taste great and are fun to eat. We create Jewish classics like knish and noodle kugel, seasonally-focused salads and sides, and even full catered meals. We’re also a place to find traditional foods from our fellow Zingerman’s businesses, like hearth-baked breads, small-batch gelato, and single-estate coffees. We’re a place to discover exceptional authentic products with heritage and history, from estate-bottled olive oil to well-aged wheels of farmhouse cheese and varietal bottles of vinegar to artisanal salami; and we’re an exciting place to learn about them in guided tastings and classes. It’s a place for community, where anyone and everyone can share an appreciation and love of good food in a comfortable and welcoming environment. It’s a place rooted in great service, where folks can expect a rewarding, memorable experience."



It's this wonderful little world where I could spend hours upon hours. There is the Next Door Cafe, which is next door to the deli.



There's the Zingerman's Bakehouse, which opened in 1992. It brings traditionally baked breads and pastries to Ann Arbor. They even have a teaching kitchen, BAKE!



Zingerman's Creamery makes cream cheese, cow's milk cheese, goat's milk cheese, sorbet, gelato and more.



Zingerman's Roadhouse opened in 2003 with a focus on American cuisine with high-quality ingredients. They offer dishes like Buttermilk Fried Chicken, award-winning Mac ‘n Cheese made with Martelli artisan pasta, NOLA Gumbo, Nashville Hot Chicken, Cornmeal Fried Catfish, Oyster Po’Boys, full-flavored burgers, Grits n’ Bits Waffles, and Donut Sundaes.



Zingerman's Coffee opened in 2003 to source and roast coffees of the world. The coffee is available at the Next Door Cafe, Roadhouse and Bakehouse.



Zingerman's Candy Manufactory creates sweets by hand. "Founder Charlie Frank spent 10 years dreaming up recipes for incredible tasting candy bars, nut brittles, sweet spiced nuts, marshmallows, seasonal specialties, and more! Fresh, scratch-made nougat, fudge, fondant, caramel, marshmallow, and more make our candy uniquely flavorful," reads the website.



And, there's even so much more than that. From event venues to third-party restaurants and everything in between.



I went to the deli and grocery to do some shopping and find a quick bite to eat.



I ordered the #26 Frank & Kathy's Half-Italian Sub - All-beef salami, Fra' Mani mortadella, Fra' Mani smoked ham, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, spicy fire-roasted New Mexico green chiles, olive oil & red wine vinegar grilled on a Paesano roll.



My main motivation for ordering this sub is that those are my parents' names. I thought - what a coincidence! It's not the correct spelling of my mother's name, but close enough.



An Italian sandwich on fresh baked bread just hits different. This was very tasty and not too spicy, which is what I was concerned about. It was just enough to really boost the flavor. Plus a giant pickle.



I also tried a celery soda: Cel-Ray. "Dr. Brown's sodas are kosher, are often sold in Jewish delicatessens and restaurants, and can also be found in specialty grocers and grocery stores that specialize in American food in Israel. The flavor, derived from celery seed extract, is reminiscent of ginger ale but with a pronounced celery flavor that is more pungent or peppery than ginger ale," according to Wikipedia.



I also tried their kugel. I had homemade kugel from a friend and fell in love with it, but haven't quite found one as good since. This version falls into that category.



"The only difference between our noodle kugel and the version made by Zingerman's co-founder Ari Weinzweig’s grandmother is we make ours with much better ingredients. Nostalgia aside, even Ari admits ours tastes far better than what his bubbe made for him when he was a kid. Noodle kugel is a Jewish classic: it's like a bread pudding made with pasta instead of bread. Our kugel is made with egg noodles from Al Dente in Whitmore Lake, handmade farm cheese from Zingerman’s Creamery, plenty of plump Red Flame raisins, and a generous dose of vanilla. Everything is blended together in a dense, noodle-y custard and baked to a golden brown. Great for breakfast, lunch, dessert or really any time you just want something good to eat."



It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to the hype in my head.



Finally, I also purchased a number of candy bars:

Zzang! Original
Our candy-making crew start with honey nougat made with natural peanut butter. They roll it up in silky caramel made from organic muscovado brown sugar. Big Virginia peanuts come next, and the whole endeavor is finished off with a dip into a rich bath of 64 percent dark Colombian chocolate.

Peanut Butter Crush
Smooth peanut butter and crisped rice mixed with bits of peanut brittle and covered in dark chocolate. A crunchy twist on a classic combination.

Milk Chocolate Karamel Krunch
Muscovado brown sugar caramel mixed with crisped rice, enrobed in milk chocolate. Sweet and light.

Ca$hew Cow
Cashew butter, roasted cashews, our own cashew brittle and a bit of puffed rice, milk chocolate and just a smidge of sea salt. Dipped in dark chocolate. An appropriate bar for anyone with a career in finance.

Raspberry Wowza
Raspberry ganache covered with raspberry nougat. Raspberry jelly candies come next, then a bath in dark chocolate. It's fresh and fruity.



Overall, a theme park adventure for foodies.



Grade: A

I recently had a layover in Iceland while traveling overseas. While I would have liked to have spent much more time in Iceland, I only had a quick visit to the airport. But I was determined to make the most of my time.



There wasn't much open at the hour I visited, but I did head to the Nordic Deli. The deli had a few sandwiches, meat & cheese snacks and drinks.



I had some honey, mustard and onion, pretzels, as well as a small snack of cheese and fruit. Honestly, it is super simple. But I appreciate the grab & go concept and the freshness. That gave me more time to check out the rest of the art and shops.



Have you been to Iceland? What are the foods you must try?



Grade: A

"When Guy was growing up, his family would stop at Granzella’s Deli on road trips for the best muffuletta ever. Stop in and try one of their 30 different sandwiches," reads the restaurant description on foodnetwork.com.



In January 1976, Jim and Beverly Granzella opened Granzella's Deli. Through hard work seven days a week, years of increasing popularity, and the help of the Granzella children, Granzella's expanded into a full-service delicatessen and ultimately a restaurant, according to the website.



Today, Granzella's Deli offers a wide selection of prime lunch meats, domestic and imported cheeses, a wide selection of olives and specialty items, a massive selection of 150 brands of imported and micro- brewed beers, assorted coffee drinks, fresh-baked pies, and Italian gelato made with real Italian gelato base.



And for the restaurant portion: Granzella's breakfast specialties include items off the griddle, omelets, country fried steaks, and much more! Granzella's also has an extensive lunch and dinner menu, with items that will satisfy the hungriest at an affordable, family-friendly price. Items include a long list of appetizers, specialty soups and salads, sandwiches, pastas, charbroiled specialties, prime rub, pizza and more.



I started my meal with a bowl of minestrone, which was a huge portion, and I love the generosity with the pasta noodles. That's always my favorite part.



I had to try the New Orleans Muffuletta sandwich with genoa salami, mortadella, provolone cheese, and their famous muffuletta olive salad served on a sourdough roll.



This was really quite good, without the overwhelming size that the original muffaletta brings. It's the best part of an Italian sandwich with the punchiness of that additional olive salad.



I also finished with some gelato, which was sweet and satisfying. Creamy and indulgent.



Plus, there is a huge shop that includes some of the ingredients from the menu and much more.



Have you been?



Grade: A

DeNuzzo's is a deli in Bridgeport that will unfortunately be closing its doors. But I had a chance to visit it recently, and I wanted to share all the goodies available there.



Let me start by touching on the products on the shelves available for sale. Whether it is pasta sauce or the pasta itself, there was plenty to choose from.



There were also refrigerated products, like stuffed peppers, and other charcuterie essentials. I snagged some marinated garlic.



And then there is the deli counter, which has all sorts of deli meats and cheeses, available to purchase by the pound.



this is also where you can select one of a dozen or so sandwiches to be made with those fresh Boar's Head deli meats and cheeses.



I went with Blazing Bianca - Golden Roasted Chicken, Pepper Jack Cheese, Creamy Buffalo Sauce, Lettuce, & Tomato. It was a little heavy on the buffalo sauce, which over took the flavor just a tad. But it was still delicious and I could still tell the ingredients were fresh and high-quality.



Grade: B

Katzinger's Deli is a long-running New York-style deli in Columbus that serves up 80 different kinds of sandwiches.



"Our kitchen prepares almost everything on our menu from scratch (though not our fresh, crusty European style breads which are delivered daily from Mediterra Bakehouse in Pittsburgh). Our sandwich line makes and serves every sandwich to order – and more than one in four of them have our home cooked and sliced to order corned beef! Our salads, side dishes, soup and desserts (and even our hot dog buns!) are scratch-made from original recipes created by our food loving staff – and the food is beyond delicious!"



I ordered delivery from here: the 32 - Andy's Got Another Job: Smoked turkey, honey ham, scallion cream cheese, tomato, Honeycup mustard on rye.  And a side of potato salad. Plus a pickle.



The sandwich was large - even the half! Stacked with a few inches of meat and slathered with some honey mustard. I could do with half the amount of meat, so there is a better balance of ingredients, but it was indulgent, filling and very tasty. The potato salad was a nice side - always a bit indulgent. And the pickle just adds a nice punchy flavor to cut through the fat. 

Grade: A

West Virginia is lacking when it comes to good delis. But with the new Stelli Delicatessen, Huntington is looking to change that. 



The turquoise blue storefront has pops of dark blue and gold, which give it this almost Gatsby-esque vibe. 



The interior is simple, but clean and comfortable. There are a handful of tables for dine in, but lots of folks seem to get carry out, as well.



The menu changes regularly and is displayed on a large chalkboard behind the counter. Some standards have been the turkey panini with gouda and turmeric chicken salad. I went for the Club, which was a special at the time but is now on the main menu: turkey, ham, bacon, sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, mayo on wheat. 



You may not be able to tell from the photo, but this is a large sandwich filled to the brim with ingredients - all fresh. I love a good club sandwich, and this fell into that category. Straightforward, but executed perfectly in the simplicity of the ingredients. 



I had about half, then dove into my warm potato salad with dijon bacon dressing. If you're not a big mayo potato salad person, this is a perfect option because it's tangier, has more texture and is delicious.



I also ordered a side of orzo salad, which had kalamata olives, feta, red onion and greens. I saved this one for later, but it's the perfect filling-but-light side. So good.



And, I cannot go without mentioning the house onion dip. I tell you what - I didn't know how MUCH better house onion dip is than regular ol' onion dip from the grocery store. But, it's much, much better. I was obsessed and actually ate all my house chips, too. 

The menu has expanded to include a corn salad, small plates, hot dogs and more. I can't wait to go back.

Grade: A