We drove right by not realizing we passed it. There is no sign. The building number is rusted metal and obscure against the red brick exterior. The only tell is looking through the large glass windows we saw tables and chairs, a few customers and a deli counter. Mudgies Deli in Corktown (Detroit). Walking in, enveloped in the orange walls, I had a sudden flash back to summers as a child eating a push-up ice cream. With very few customers present at 11:45 AM, the walls bright and cheery color provided a warm feeling of welcome. Fussy Eater (FE) and I sat down, promptly waited on by a gentleman with a bandaged wrist (we later learned hot soup is just that - HOT!).

Knowing that our first sandwich was the Madill, we decided to augment it with whatever our waiter suggested and split the sandwiches. He suggested the Gutty as one of his favorites. Add to that the day's soup and we were set for our first gastronomical experience as critics of the critic, so to speak.

Southwest Detroit Clam Chowder. It was Friday so it seemed fitting. Great size cup with a slice of rye bread. I was certain the Fussy Eater would pick on the bread - it wasn't a hard crust nor your typical rye. But did you really need it only to be dunked in the soup? In any event, the soup was an awesome combination of what seemed like a tomato basil base mixed with tasty clams, whole cloves of garlic, potatoes, red bell peppers, celery, onions and more. Somehow I knew when it said Southwest Detroit, this soup would have some kick. Although I thought the presence of oversized whole cloves of garlic might be much for those of returning to work, I appreciated the extremely fresh taste of the vegetables and the spicy soup base. It was only later I learned that much of Mudgies produce is bought at the Eastern Market. Watching as other diners ordered meals, it is no wonder they ordered the bowl with a half sandwich. 8.5 out of 10 on my scale.

The waiter was right - the Gutty was awesome. Salami, pastrami, roast beef, corned beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce and garlic mayo on a bagel. Although I typically have issues mixing mayo with any deli meat, this combination worked wonders! The Everything bagel was not the typical store bought variety nor was it the hard crust variety, I can't sink my teeth into it so all the stuff will squirt out the other side kind either. What really surprised me was how well the various meats mixed together. The layers of meat were not too thin nor too thick and looked equal in amount. I was certain the Fussy Eater will take points off for the garlic mayo, a bit heavy, as well as the fact the meats were a bit oily but it's a deli sandwich - it's supposed to be messy! Round it out with great cheddar cheese and this is one sandwich I'd like to see in the suburbs. 9.5 out of 10.

Given that we were moving onto the next sandwich, I tried the new dill pickle. A small pickle cut in half, it had just the right crunch and enough garlic to give it a great flavor.

Moving onto the Madill, I was surprised when it arrived open face on my plate. Sitting on a sub style onion roll, heaping amounts of avocado, jack cheese, turkey and applewood smoked bacon with tomato and garlic mayo. I'm not a raw tomato person (yes, I eat tomato soup, go figure) so I pulled the slice out. While it reminded me of other California clubs, this was different. I think it was that garlic mayo (I'm certain the Fussy Eater will have some issues with the mayo as he scraped it off his bun). Kudos to Greg Mudge for a strong but not overpowering mixture. My only complaint was my inability to eat it like a sandwich (I tried folding it) but perhaps that was the intent! 9 out of 10.

Having enjoyed both sandwiches, I was happy to see a thin slice of fresh cantaloupe on my plate. With all those awesome flavors dancing around in my mouth, the sweet flavor seemed to finish things off just right!

I know I'll be dragging my family to Mudgies on the weekend. You should too!

~The Common Eater