With boxes of matzoh overlooking loaves of Acme Bread, Saul's Restaurant & Deli in Berkeley is the countercultural deli counter. The Kosher joint recently stopped serving salami until it could find a sustainable supplier, yet its corned beef is worthy of Katz's. I was already planning a trip to Saul's before it surfaced in a recent New York Times story about the sustainable deli movement, but the attention is well-deserved. Check it out below.
San Francisco doesn't have corner delis like New York does. I'm not talking great Jewish delis (thought we don't have those either) but those little bodegas that sell candy bars alongside cold-cut sandwiches, bagels to go, and, if you're lucky, coffee where they mix the cream and sugar for you.
Recently I discovered the closet thing I have to this in my neck of the woods: Pete's Deli and Cafe on Divisadero. They've got racks of chips and candy, sandwich specials posted on colored paper, and vinyl chairs. We sampled two very different sandwiches, and both were delicious: a classic grilled Reuben and a chicken-pesto sandwich on ciabatta. Feast your eyes.
Another day, another post praising Ike's. What can I say? I love this place. Recently, I introduced my dad and stepmom to the deliciousness, when Dee said she had a Reuben craving. Ike's twist on the classic corned beef and swiss sandwich swaps out the usual sauerkraut for poppyseed coleslaw and, of course, serves the sandwich on a French roll rather than grilled rye.
It's certainly prettier than a regular Reuben and deliciously different. Another Ike's variation worth trying is the Cowboy Curtis, which continues the Pee-Wee Herman theme but adds barbecue sauce and replaces the swiss with smoked gouda.
It's not easy to eat an entire Reuben at Katz's, the legendary New York deli founded in 1888 — especially considering I haven't eaten corned beef or really any red meat in about eight years. But on my recent NYC sandwichstravaganza, I pretty much devoured this baby, except for a hearty overflow of meat that spilled out onto the plate. It was just too good to abandon in the interest of fullness.
Katz's is most famous for its pastrami, and with good reason (more on that in Part II). But the relatively new Reuben, added after the deli stopped keeping Kosher about 20 years ago, is not to be missed. Served on untoasted rye bread, three inches of soft, crumbly corned beef are covered with sauerkraut, a blanket of swiss, and homemade Russian dressing. Click through the gallery and you'll reconsider always ordering pastrami.
Please pardon my absence over the past week. I have been on vacation in New York City with my boyfriend Andrew, visiting family and friends, exploring the city, and eating lots and lots of sandwiches.
Researching the Reuben and the hero and random sandwiches in between, I sampled my fare share of sandwiches from many fine purveyors. Stay tuned for full posts, but for now, here's a sampling of the sandwiches we sampled:
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