Frugal Floozie Friday - Gabriel's Cheesesteak Hoagies

When I first met Mary Catherine Smith, the fabulous host of "Brazilian Sol" on WEMU (Saturdays at 9 p.m.), she recommended Gabriel's Cheese Steak Hoagies as a great place to visit for my Frugal Floozie Friday column: good, honest food served for good, honest prices.

Well, it's taken awhile to get there, but Craig and I had lunch at Gabriel's recently and it definitely proved to be a tremendous value!

It's easy to stay within our mandatory $5 per person budget, with hearty sandwiches that are readily split. Costing just over $5 each, you can supplement your half with a bag of chips and a cookie to make a complete comfort food meal and still stay within our financial limits.

The menu is small, focusing on what the shop does well. You can order a cheesesteak hoagie, a steak hoagie, a Lunchmeat Special, or a ham and cheese sandwich. Prices range from $5.14-$5.54, with extras (cheese, mushrooms, peppers, or Provolone) costing anywhere from 20-69 cents to add on. A bag of chips will set you back a whopping 89 cents.

A small, quaint, tremendously friendly diner, Gabriel's is welcoming to everyone but vegetarians - there aren't any options for you beyond the Garden Salad for $3.49.

But carnivores can celebrate at Gabriel's for not much money!

Gabriel's Cheesesteak Hoagies
2585 East Michigan Avenue
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
734-483-5846
Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.



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Frugal Floozie Friday - Star's Cafe

Craig and I went out to lunch over the weekend at the lovely Star's Cafe, today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature. We ate very well within our mandatory $5 per person budget, with many fresh, flavorful options to choose from.

I picked from among the vegetarian sandwiches, and selected the one stuffed with grape leaves, hummus, tabbouli, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles (pictured above). Bright and lemony, it was unique and delicious; and it cost only $4.75 for a foot-long feast.

Craig chose the Shish Kafta sandwich - which also cost $4.75 - filled with ground lamb, onions, parsley, tomatoes, pickles, and hummus. He asked if he could also get a schmear of garlic sauce; any extra sauce costs just 50 cents. We also shared an order of exceptionally crisp, excellent fries for only $1.99.

Other options that fit within our budget would be hummus and baba ghannouj (small - $3.95, medium - $4.95), falafel for $3.95, and several salads from $2.95-$3.95 (garden, fattoush, Greek, tabbouli).

Most of the sandwiches cost $4.75, soups cost $2.75, and spinach or meat pies are a mere $2.25.

Star's Cafe also offers a variety of hot and cold drinks that all fit nicely within the Frugal Floozie Friday budget - smoothies, fresh juices, teas, and coffees. Traditional Middle Eastern pastries are available for $1 or less; and homemade baked goods are another temptation.

For friendly service, good food, and great value, Star's Cafe is a fabulous choice!


Star's Cafe
2575 Jackson Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-996-0299
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday: closed



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Frugal Floozie Friday - The Broken Egg

Craig and I enjoyed a spur-of-the-moment lunch at The Broken Egg the other day, when my office closed early and I had some free time in the afternoon. Comfort food was calling; and so we enjoyed a meal at a place which excels at it, and which serves breakfast all day.

The Classic Belgian Waffle was Craig's choice - huge and fragrant and wonderful. Unfortunately, it just exceeds our $5 per person budget at $5.50. It's large enough to share, but I know how folks get a bit testy when I divvy up dishes. We did split a side order of bacon for $3.25.

For $4.75, I ordered The Light Side: 2 eggs, an enormous quantity of hash browns, and a generous serving of toast. I chose to have my eggs cooked "over easy," and I picked the rye bread. Although I'm a good eater - Craig and others can attest to this! - the plate was more than I could finish. It was very good - perfectly cooked. But a lot of food for a tremendous value.

Other breakfast options that qualify for our project are the thick-cut toast, either studded with raisins or with cherries and walnuts. Oatmeal, bagels, and sides of sausage or bacon or ham are other suggestions.

If you're not interested in breakfast, chili and soup both qualify for our mandatory frugal budget, as does the House Salad. Sandwiches are generous, and are served with chips and pickles; they could easily be split, and all come in at under $9 total, for a per person share of $4.50 or less.

We arrived at the restaurant around 2:15 p.m., and were warmly welcomed despite having gotten there just a short time before closing at 3 p.m. We weren't rushed or pressured, and the staff was wonderfully friendly, making us feel like old friends.

The Broken Egg is just the sort of place you'd want to be a regular, with its wide variety of fabulous menu items, many of which are readily affordable on a frugal budget.


The Broken Egg
221 N. Main St
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-665-5340
Monday - Saturday: 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.




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Frugal Floozie Friday - Red Rock Downtown Barbecue

Red Rock Downtown Barbecue came with a tremendous reputation; I had heard nothing but stellar reports about its offerings. Sometimes, when you have such expectations (for a book, a movie, whatever), you can only be disappointed by reality. But I am here to say that Red Rock more than met my hopes, and is deserving of every rave review it's received.

Not only is this Ypsilanti restaurant serving great food, but it offers exceptional Frugal Floozie Friday deals, too. The Boulder sandwich Jeremy ordered - filled with beef brisket, pork, and bacon - is definitely large enough to split, so that it will come in at an even $5 per person. But you might want to save that for another time, because there are other items that cost even less ... I'm serious!

The side dishes cost $3 each, and are generously portioned. The Country Potato Salad pictured above was very good - creamy, zesty, crunchy.

But the star of the show - the star of the entire meal - was the Macaroni and Cheese. What you see above is the small version ordered off the side dish menu; it was enough that I could very well order it for a full meal! And I'd be lucky to finish it ... though it was so exceptionally rich and smoky and luscious that leaving any behind would be unforgivable. Jeremy and I literally scraped the bottom of the dish to make sure we didn't miss any of the goodness!

I also ordered two of the sliders - beef and pork - for $2.50 each. But guess what? During Happy Hour, all appetizers are half-price! So that means each slider is $1.25. One slider + one side order of mac 'n' cheese = $4.25, which is obviously well under our mandatory frugal $5 per person budget. And such amazing food, too, for such a meager amount of money!

Our server was very friendly and helpful, telling us a bit about the history of the restaurant and how recipes were developed, as well as letting us know about each of the four fabulous sauces. The meats are prepared with a dry rub and smoked; then you can mix 'n' match with more flavor to your heart's content. From sweet to spicy, and not neglecting the all important North Carolina vinegar sauce, there is a condiment to suit any taste.

Despite being a shrine to all things carnivorous, Red Rock also offers a number of vegetarian options, from the spectacular macaroni and cheese to a variety of salads and side dishes. A meal could easily be made from all the choices, and would offer an ideal "do it yourself" buffet either for those who don't eat meat or those, like me, who can't decide which fabulous option to choose.

I had heard rumblings that Red Rock could even rival what has become a Detroit institution: Slow's. I was dubious, and yet .... Jeremy and I both agreed that while we adore Slow's, Red Rock - particularly the mac 'n' cheese - wins the showdown.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go eat!

Red Rock Downtown Barbecue
207 W Michigan Ave
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
734-340-2381
Kitchen Hours:
Sunday: 12 - 11 p.m.
Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 11 a.m. - midnight
Happy Hour: 3 - 6 p.m., 9 p.m. - close



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Frugal Floozie Friday - Bona Sera Cafe

There are some bad women cookin' in downtown Ypsilanti [ip-sih-LAN-tee], and they're making some really good food.

Bona Sera Cafe - formerly an underground secret supper club, now an above-ground restaurant - has just opened on Michigan Avenue, and you simply must go visit and find out what all the buzz has been about.

Wonder Woman and Bad Fairy, our mischievous but marvelous chefs and hostesses, offer sophisticated and delicious sandwiches, salads, and desserts for lunch and dinner; each is layered with flavors and textures, all working in perfect harmony. They also serve their very own coffee - Bad Ass Woman Brew - blended just for them by Ann Arbor's own Roos Roast. And much of this menu qualifies for our mandatory $5 or less per person budget, so it's a perfect Frugal Floozie Friday feature!

If you look over the menu, you'll see only a small selection of the offerings; chalkboards give daily specials, as well. But in perusing the menu, you will notice that some excellent ingredients - cheeses from Chelsea's Greystone Creamery, porchetta, pistachios, and my beloved fennel - are all featured prominently.

I ordered a small serving of the Crunch Time salad, pictured above, for $4.95 - a tremendous deal for an excellent dish as large as a half-cantaloupe. It features "Shaved fresh fennel, apple and mixed greens, lemon vinaigrette," and was crisp, fresh, and perfectly portioned so that the licorice-y fennel and sweet-tart apple didn't overwhelm the tender greens. The dressing was so ideally coating the vegetables that they shone with its bright flavor but did not drip or get soggy. (Of course, the salad was so fabulous that I hardly gave them much opportunity to soak, either.) And Wonder Woman very graciously offered me a taste of the creamy, salty Sesame Peanut Noodle Salad that Bad Fairy had been making as I chatted at the counter while ordering.

My dinner companions ordered sandwiches: the Porchetta Banh Mi, with Italian pork roast and a fennel-apple slaw, and a Chicken Banh Mi showcasing not just the poultry but also a zesty but not too hot sriracha mayonnaise.  (The latter is pictured here, though they look remarkably alike in my photos; thus, no need to show both.)  The traditional buns were so tender and flavorful, even with all those other ingredients attempting to show them up.

The banh mi were both served with a delicate, finely shredded cole slaw in a very light - not creamy, not vinegary - dressing.  And they were quickly devoured - I wasn't even given a taste of the former!  The latter was great, with tender strips of chicken and a wonderful mix of greens, carrots and cilantro, rather than merely some shreds of iceberg lettuce and a slice of tomato.

The Banh Mi cost $6.95, putting them over our budget for one person; but they're large enough to split, and then you'll have a spare $1.50 in your budget for tea or lemonade.

But, truth be told, you'll actually want to allow room both in your stomach and in your budget for dessert.

Because your half-sandwich will cost $3.50-ish, that will leave $1.50 for a scoop of gelato - we tried both the raspberry, which was lovely, and the salted caramel. As I posted on Facebook after my dinner at Bona Sera, if the salted caramel gelato was my last dessert on this Earth, I could die "blissfully happy in a giddy reverie." It was buttery, salty, and like liquid gold as it melted on my tongue. I've been craving it since I left, and promised Wonder Woman I'd be back for more. Even a 2-scoop serving is within our frugal limits!

Bona Sera is not just dedicated to serving good food, but also to doing good work. In April the Ann Arbor Awesome Foundation, a local micro-philanthropic group, gave Wonder Woman and Bad Fairy a grant of $1000 to help get the new cafe established. In presenting the prize, trustees noted that the secret supper club has "raised over $20,000 for area nonprofits" - including one of my personal favorites, SOS Community Services which serves the homeless - "by hosting clandestine dinner parties in secret locations across Southeast Michigan."

The new restaurant "will not only create jobs in Ypsilanti, and draw more people downtown, but allow the organization to continue its charitable work as well." And Bad Fairy says that their new kitchen "will also be available to other local food industry start-ups for affordable rates as a way of encouraging and supporting other entrepreneurs.”

Rather than being a standard restaurant with just a sea of tables or a stereotypical coffee shop with overstuffed chairs, Bona Sera ofers a mix of seating with a uniquely quirky decor that is spacious and welcoming. My friend Ruth Kraut noted "how beautiful the space is.  So peaceful!"  And I will admit to coveting the sofas, too, in addition to another serving of the salted caramel gelato.

So head on down to Bona Sera, and see what Bad Fairy and Wonder Woman are making. There's even a mannequin in the window who carries a sign advertising new dishes. Go for the food, go for the whimsy ... whatever your reason, just go!

Bona Sera Cafe
200 W. Michigan Ave.
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
734-751-4458
Tuesdays - Saturdays: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.



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Frugal Floozie Friday: Revive

This toasty, creamy, gooey treat is the Nutella Bagel - Nutella and sliced bananas on a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel - that you can find at Revive, today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature.  A luscious snack, I've been craving it since the day I tried it.  At only $3.95, it falls well within our mandatory budget of only $5 per person, too ... that's pretty hard to resist!

But if you'd like to eat more nobly when you visit this bright and welcoming spot that offers light meals and snacks, then enjoy a creamy yogurt parfait - a sweet concoction of vanilla yogurt combined with lovely cut fruits and organic granola - that you can find for only $3.50.  It was rich and brightly flavored, a perfect size without either being too generous or causing me to wish it were larger.

Fresh fruit, bagels with cream cheese, a wide variety of pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and many beverages (coffees, tea, sodas, and smoothies) are also available for less than $5 each.  Many of these are provided by local businesses, too, from Mighty Good Coffee, Barry Bagels, Zingerman's Bakehouse, and the Pastry Peddler.

There's even a "create your own salad" option, starting with a base of $2.95 for greens and dressing; then you can choose from a wide variety of fresh options (priced individually) - vegetables, cheeses, proteins, nuts, fruits - to make your own unique dish.  Revive is very vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, and also serves beer and wine, which are 50% off from 3-6 p.m.

So stop by this bright, friendly, welcoming spot conveniently located on Central Campus to revive and refresh yourself with a treat or a beverage or a light meal.  You'll be so glad that you did!


Revive
619 E. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-332-3366
Monday - Friday:  8 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.



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Frugal Floozie Friday - Afternoon Delight Cafe

I don't often go out to lunch on a weekday.  So it was a great luxury to meet my friend Nancy recently at Afternoon Delight, when I took a few hours off for an abbreviated "girls' day out" to eat and then meander through a second-hand store hoping that something might call to us (but unfortunately hearing not even a whisper).  Good food and friendship all in one afternoon!

Today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature is one I've meant to go back to for some time, and it was Nancy's first visit to the cafe ... so many places to eat, so little time.  Afternoon Delight is an Ann Arbor institution serving great breakfasts and lunches, with an emphasis on fresh, healthy dishes and generous portions.

For a mere $3.25 - well within our mandatory budget of $5 per person or less - I ordered a cup of excellent beef chili.  (A bowl of the daily house-made soup offerings would have cost $4.25, still a good deal.)  I was offered a slice of bread or crackers to go with this, and the latter simply struck my fancy at that time for crumbling over the top.  The chili was thick and slightly spicy, a perfect antidote to the blustery weather outside that day.

I also ordered The Berry Patch, pictured above, which is frozen yogurt topped with an abundance of perfect, fresh fruits.  It costs only $4.50, and is a very large serving.  I was given a choice of vanilla or raspberry yogurts or - best of all - a swirl of both which, needless to say, I picked.  This was so rich and creamy, with gorgeous, sweet berries!  It was a great dessert, but would also make a wonderful breakfast or snack.

Nancy chose the small salad bar - one trip - which just barely exceeded our Frugal Floozie Friday budget at $5.49.  This gives you a choice of an abundance of beautiful greens, vegetables, dressings and prepared salads.

As we went through the cafeteria-style line to order and pay for our food, we noted the enormous brownies ($2.75) and muffins ($2.50).  There are other desserts, too - such as pies, cookies, and sundaes - ranging in price from $1.95-$4.25.  An assortment of coffee drinks is available for less than $3 each, and many breakfast options are offered from $1.50-4.95.  Afternoon Delight also serves a wide variety of sandwiches, which can be split to stay within the $5 budget per person.

Whether you're looking for a hearty breakfast, a light lunch or a quick snack, Afternoon Delight has something to tempt you ... and for not very much money!

Afternoon Delight Cafe
251 East Liberty 
Ann Arbor, MI 48104 
(734) 665-7513 
Monday - Saturday: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sunday: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.



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Slows To Go

Slows Bar-B-Q is so many, many things to Detroit.  It's a place to eat.  It's a destination for tourists and suburbanites who might not otherwise go into the city.  It's a place that Detroiters take enormous pride in.  It's a part of the city's renaissance.

As an article in The New York Times explains it:

"In this city, a much-heralded emblem of industrial-age decline, and home to a cripplingly bad economy, a troubled school system, racial segregation and sometimes unheeded crime, there is one place where most everyone — black, white, poor, rich, urban, not — will invariably recommend you eat: Slows Bar B Q.

Slows opened in 2005 at the edge of downtown Detroit, in Corktown, across from the long-abandoned central train station, itself a symbol of widespread blight. Hidden behind a stylish wooden door with no discernible handle, it has become a beacon, drawing longtime Detroiters, newly arrived young people and scores of suburbanites, who wait for hours to sample the pulled pork and dry-smoked ribs and coo over the upcycled design. The restaurant and its sleek décor were dreamed up by one of Slows’ owners, Phillip Cooley, who has emerged as a de facto spokesman for the now-hip revitalization of this city."

It's proven to be so popular that Slows To Go was opened as a means to deal with the crowds at the original site, such that hungry folks could simply run in, pick their options, and then take their food elsewhere in order to let the next set of hungry folks satisfy their appetites.  If you've got a couple of hours to spend waiting for a table at the original, eating, luxuriating and loitering ... by all means, you absolutely want to visit the mainstay.

But if you're in a hurry or if you're just too hungry to wait, Slows To Go is your option.  So that's where Jeremy, Stuart and I ended up one recent Saturday, because neither of my companions particularly excels in the patience department.  And there are a few stools available at counters that line the walls; so rather than taking our food with us, we merely perched and ate with giddy, gluttonous abandon.

You can order enormous plates of ribs or pulled pork or brisket or chicken (even "veggie chicken") or wings; these come with your choice of sides and sauces.  There are combo plates.  There are some gluten-free options.  There are soups and even salads ... pfft!  Like you go to a barbecue joint for lettuce!

And then there are sandwiches, served on Zingerman's rolls, which are the most economical way to get your carnivorous fix.  Jeremy and Stuart each ordered the Triple Threat Pork Sandwich pictured above: "Applewood bacon, pulled pork and ham stacked high and mighty.  Heeyah!  Git some!"  Oh, man, this was an unbelievable feast of smoky, tender, pork heaven!  The boys devoured these.

I chose The Reason: "Naturally-Raised Pork butt, smoked slow and pulled, bathed in our NC Sauce and topped with our signature coleslaw and dill pickle strips."  That I love North Carolina vinegary barbecue, that Slows serves Michigan's own McClure's pickles, and that if I ate some cole slaw I could delude myself into thinking there were some health benefits to my lunch ... well, all of these led to my astoundingly flavorful and fabulous meal.  Because we ordered three sandwiches, we were able to choose three different sauces to go with them: Sweet, Mustard Creole (the unanimous favorite), and Apple (even sweeter than Sweet).

Slows is also justifiably noted for its macaroni and cheese, which is utter decadence.  It has absolutely no redeeming nutritional value, but oh, was it good for our souls!  Each of us was sorely tempted to just inhale this greedily, but knew we needed to share.  We did so reluctantly, in that we wanted to selfishly keep it all to ourselves; but we did so generously, as well, because it was just so, so good that we wanted our loved ones to share in the joy.

So come to Detroit!  Eat at Slows!  And if you're in the area, let me know - I'll happily join you ... :)


For today's recipe - Gingered Mango Soup - go to the Food and Grocery page of AnnArbor.com ....


Slows Bar-B-Q
2138 Michigan Avenue
Detroit, MI 48216


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Slows To Go
4107 Cass Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201


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Frugal Floozie Friday -- Ron's Roadside BBQ

You've probably passed Romanoff's, on Pontiac Trail near North Territorial, dozens of times and presumed that the storefront wasn't open or that it only served catering customers. It's very unassuming.

But you'd be wrong, as I was until just recently. Because there is a small restaurant on that corner which does, indeed, handle catering; but it also offers take-out service, as well as a large table for family-style seating if you want to eat in.

And trust me - whether you take your meal home or eat it there, you definitely want to indulge in some fabulous food at today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature, Ron's Roadside BBQ.

Ron Philipp is the proud chef behind the barbecue joint, and he's also the force behind Romanoff's, which is his family's long-time business. My friends Ruth and Helaine invited me to join them at Ron's for lunch recently, and we had a wonderful meal and lots of fun!

I ordered the Trio on Brio for $9, so that I could try each of the meat varieties offered: brisket, pulled chicken and pulled pork sandwiches on freshly prepared brioche rolls. Truly, I wouldn't be able to pick a favorite; the meats are all unbelievably tender, with a sweet/spicy sauce that is really, really good. These are much larger than the standard slider, and the order could easily be split so that each of three people gets a sandwich. Add one $2 side dish per person - those, too, are very generous - and you've got a complete hearty meal for an even $5 per person.

Pulled pork or chicken sandwiches are $6, and are the size of a Big Mac - readily halved for sharing. Pick a couple of side dishes - everything from cucumber salad (which Ron recommended when I asked which was his favorite) to pasta to macaroni and cheese - and you've got yet another qualifying Frugal Floozie Friday meal, this one perfect for two.

I highly recommend that you eat in when you stop by for your barbecue fix, because then you'll get to hear stories of Ron's travels in France (he earned a certificate at the famous La Varenne cooking school) and working with Ina Garten at The Barefoot Contessa gourmet food emporium. Be sure to ask him about Barbra Streisand and Martha Stewart, too - Ron's got lots of stories to tell, and was a fabulous lunch companion when he joined the three of us at the table.

The barbecue joint smelled just divine when we walked in; not only had Ron been cooking the meats, but he was also preparing a batch of exceptional and authentic jambalaya which he offered generous samples of. The roux is dark and rich, there's a zestiness from cayenne pepper, and it's loaded with goodies like sausage and okra.

So whether you eat in or take your food home, whether you order a full family meal or a $5 Frugal Floozie Friday feature, whether you choose the brisket or the chicken or the pork, just be sure to visit Ron at his barbecue joint. The food is exceptional, and your host is a really great guy!



Ron's Roadside BBQ
5850 Pontiac Trail
Ann Arbor, MI
734-665-4967
Winter hours: Thursday - Sunday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.


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Italian Beef Sandwiches for the Northwestern Game

When people think of Chicago foods, they immediately think of deep-dish pizza and hot dogs "dragged through the garden."

But Chicago is equally famous for Italian beef sandwiches, and so that's what I'm serving in honor of the Northwestern-Michigan game on Saturday. Northwestern is in Evanston, after all, which is just outside Chicago. You know those kids hop on the train and commute in to the city all the time!

According to Wikipedia:

"Origins of the sandwich are disputed, but one early vendor, Al's No. 1 Italian Beef, opened its first stand in 1938.

One story has it that the Italian Beef sandwich was started by Italian immigrants who worked for the old Union Stock Yards. They often would bring home some of the tougher, less desirable cuts of beef sold by the company. To make the meat more palatable, it was slow-roasted to make it more tender, then slow-simmered in a spicy broth for flavor. Both the roasting and the broth used Italian-style spices and herbs. The meat was then thinly sliced across the grain and stuffed into fresh Italian bread.

According to Scala's Original Beef and Sausage Company (formed in 1925), this meal was originally introduced at weddings and banquets where the meat was sliced thinly so there would be enough to feed all the guests. It rapidly grew in popularity and eventually became Chicago's most famous ethnic food: the original Italian beef sandwich."

Now, I didn't have time to roast an entire hunk of beef; so I cheated and bought some pre-roasted and pre-sliced meat at the grocery store's deli counter.

But I did marinate the beef in the requisite seasoned broth, added both hot and sweet peppers, and made sure to soak the bun in all those tasty juices, too, before piling up ingredients in the sandwich. Shortcuts, not dishonor!

This is a hearty, substantial sandwich - it's perfect for the game!

University of Michigan at Northwestern University
Saturday, October 8 at 5 p.m. EDT
GO BLUE!!!

Italian Beef Sandwich

2 cups red wine (Flip Flop Wines Merlot - a fabulous marketing gift!)
2 cups beef stock
2 .6-ounce packets zesty Italian salad dressing seasoning
1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
1 large red pepper, sliced
4 sub buns
1 cup hot banana peppers, drained

Bring wine, stock and salad dressing seasoning to a boil in a medium saucepan; add beef, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, then refrigerate overnight.

Reheat the beef in the saucepan with the marinade.

Saute the pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes, until softened.

Slice each of the sub buns not quite all the way through, lengthwise. Spoon some of the marinade onto the sub buns. Add roast beef, making sure it drips onto the bread when you remove it from the saucepan. Top with another drizzle of marinade, and finish the sandwich with both types of peppers.

Serves 4.