Hand Crafted Sandwiches

As I mentioned before and as David Sax, in his book wrote, the old fashioned Jewish Deli has been disappearing. For decades old school art of meat and vegetable curing has been dying. As Sax points out, the deli was a place that poor, working, immigrant Jewish families could turn to for tasty and affordable meals. Sadly, like with so many other things, costs have skyrocketed. Brisket, the workhorse of the deli, once an almost give away meat has become very expensive. To make a place profitable prices became rather out of line for what was being delivered.
Out of this demise, much like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, we have new delis opening up. People had to lose what they’d loved to realize what they were missing. Suddenly deli has gone from a neighbourhood staple to an artisan craft worthy of loftier prices. A sort of circle of life if you will.

Ben Venasio and Izzy Bernath were working as plumbers for Ben’s father. True food lovers they’d schedule their day around lunch. Finding the best places to eat near their given jobs. Much to Izzy’s chagrin, finding a fully kosher deli proved impossible.
Ben came from a restauranting family and had also been working with his grandfather curing meats. Much to Ben’s chagrin, the amount of red tape between him and his dream of home made sausages and salamis proved discouraging.
The boys would craft a plan to satisfy both dreams. Izzy would get his kosher deli and Ben could get back to hand crafting cured meats. Together they opened Ben & Izzy’s Deli in the heart of Toronto’s large Jewish community.

Ben & Izzy’s occupies a small space in a strip mall in about as Jewish an area as you’ll find outside Jerusalem. The place seats upwards of 30 and has a nice rustic feel. The somewhat old building has exposed brick accented by faux brick, wood and glass. The black and white checkerboard floor really makes the whole place look sharp.
There’s the smoker and steamer right behind the counter where sandwiches are cut and finished as well as a large kitchen in the back. That’s where the bulk of the cooking will take place. All the curing will occur below grade. Speaking of which, the goal is to make everything in house save for the breads and mustards. The cured meats, pickles, hot dogs even aging steaks. All will be COR kosher.

So let’s get a look at what’s the boys have going on.

All breads are supplied by Isaac’s Bakery just down the street. The rye bread is fantastic. Soft yet sturdy with a nice rye flavour.

As well, they don’t own a meat slicer. All meats will be carved by hand.

The Pastrami is fabulous. A little on the lean side but that seems to be the way the area residents want it. At its fattiest, the sandwich would best be described as “Medium fatty.” It was still plenty juicy and had a strong hit of pepper with nice back notes of all spice and smoke. Ben claims it’s just a basic recipe. The meat is piled high enough (not like those goofy, foot high piles of meat you sometimes see on TV) but not so high that you have to unhinge your jaw to eat it. All in all, this is one terrific sandwich.

The Smoked Meat sandwich is just that much better. The wider variety of spices, Ben’s own mixture he’s been working on for 5 years, lends to a rounder flavour. While still peppery, it’s more subtle and covers a broader spectrum of flavours. Again, served on rye it’s arguably the best smoked meat sandwiches in the city. They didn’t have any spicy mustard on hand but will in the future. The stronger mustard will stand up to the richness and balance out the sandwich nicely.
So there you have it folks, real deal kosher deli, made by hand in a nice little rustic setting.

Being completely Kosher they naturally have no pork products. That of course means no bacon right?? Well no, not at all. Ben is curing beef navel and smoking it to produce his own beef bacon. It’s awfully good too. Again, much like Caplansky’s it’s like bacon light.


You can find Ben & Izzy’s at 3513 Bathurst St. in Toronto, On.

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You can also find them on Twitter.


Well that’s all for now folks, see ya next time in the food court.

Pittsburghese

Perhaps the biggest thing that makes up the character of the United States is the many different regional accents or topolects. (regional dialects). One could never confuse a person from rural Louisiana with someone from Brooklyn for instance. As much a part of the fabric of the US it’s also part of the Pop Culture. Go to your local Books-A-Zillion and you can find many, many dictionaries on the subject.
In the American Rust Belt there are a few variances on a certain dialect and one can be found in and around Pittsburgh. The fine folks of Steeltown have a speak that while similar, is different from those of Buffalo or Chicago. Affectionately known as “Pittsburghese.” Of course not all residents speak it and in fact, it’s considered more how people think Pittsburghers speak than how they actually do. But if you find yourself faced to face with some speaking this local tongue, just use this handly little translator.

Playing on this topolect in Pittsburgh is Eggs N’At. The little breakfast and lunch place “with plenty of home made recipes and a jaggin' around (fun) kind of atmosphere.”
Sometimes I think the single best word you can use to describe a breakfast place is “Solid.” Since they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it gives you a solid foundation for your day. Without that, it’s just a house of cards. Couple that with a very friendly staff. You’ll have a happy tummy and mind as you set out for the day. (or continue your day if it’s lunch you’re after) Walking in the door you’ll immediately be confronted with your first Pittsburghese question, “Jeet jet?” If you haven’t, you’re in the right place.


Eggs N’at’s dining room is comfy and cozy. Which is to say not very big. Two dozen or so seats if you don’t  count the ones on the back deck. The place is clean, bright and decorated with framed Classic Rock album covers. For someone of my age, it was a trip down memory lane. There’s also a couple flat screen TV’s for your entertainment pleasure.

So let’s have a look at these solid breakfast items. Or as the say in Steeltown, “a looky at dese solid breffis items.”

Mrs. Sippi's sausage and eggs were straight on good. There's not really much to say about the eggs. Over easy, cooked to perfection they were just as they should be. The link sausage was quite nice. Not overly seasoned but with a hint of country breakfast sausage but tasting mostly of pork. The whole wheat toast was really nice. Fresh made every morning from a local bakery. The best part was the home fries. Chopped up potato griddled on the flat top with some onion and a bit of bacon. Ya, I said that, BACON!!! How could they possibly be bad??

 My Corned Beef Hash was very good. Again, prepared on the flat top for a nice crust it was pretty much a 50/50 mix of potato and meat. I'd like to have seen some onion but I won't complain. The eggs were just as Mrs. Sippi's. My toast however was excellent. Caraway Seed Marble Rye. It was fantastic. Nicely toasted with a nice taste of rye and caraway seed. Just terrific.

You can find Eggs N’at at 8556 University Blvd. in Moon Township, Pa.

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You can also find them on the web, facebook and Twitter.



Woll ats alls fer now folks, see ya next time in da food court

Davwud

 

Old Town Standard

A lesson to all you guys out there. Listen to your wife. Had I not, I’d have never ended up in one of Old Town Alexandria’s favourite breakfast spot. Extra Perks.
All joking aside, it was a Sunday morning and we had a long drive ahead of us. Mrs. Sippi was in church and I was getting us ready for the road. When she emerged she explained, in no uncertain terms mind you, that we were going for breakfast. She pointed at the church bulletin and said “here.”
Perks was opened in 2000 by (seemingly mismatched) husband and wife, Phil (Brit) and Kem (Thai) McCombie just off the main drag. The little coffee shop became an instant success and business thrived. It would become the perfect spot to swing by and pick up a cup of coffee and/or a quick bite. Soon, in order to save time, people would fax in and eventually email orders for pick up.
More good fortune would befall Perks when in 2009 the unit next door became available. They blew out the wall, expanded to 64 tables, a full kitchen and reopened as Extra Perks.
The outside is really just a storefront. Occupying a good portion of the ground level in a low rise office building. Inside it’s Starbucks meets Denny’s. I mean that in a good way. Simple, functional and clean on the one hand but cozy and warm with a sofa and fire place on the other.  There’s also a section full of goodies imported from “Over ‘ome.”

In the kitchen they’re making as much in house as they can. They get fresh bread daily and even have English “Bangers” made by a local butcher. 

While they do breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunches, we were there for one reason. A good solid breakfast with which to hit the road. On that, EP delivered.

So let’s have a look shall we??

I just had to have the corned beef hash. I don’t much get a chance to have it and it’s something I really like. Mrs. Sippi went straight up. The American breakfast with apple wood smoked bacon.
The hash browns were pretty good but the bacon was outstanding. The eggs, once over were as they should be. The accompanying bread was fresh and very tasty.

Two, once over eggs resting atop a fantastic corned beef hash. The eggs were unfortunately slightly over cooked for my taste. I like a nice runny yolk. Egg yolk with black pepper is a great sauce for a breakfast. These yolks could’ve been runnier but at least they weren’t fully cooked. The hash underneath was crispy as it could be and full of ground corned beef. The salt from the meat was enough to season the whole dish. Done on a flat top (aaah, the flat top) it had a fantastic crust on it that gave way to a melt in your mouth middle. The toast, again was great.

EP,  as you can imagine makes a great cup of coffee. For those that are concerned about such things, “Extra Perks proudly uses Chesapeake Bay Coffee, located in nearby Maryland.  Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company is committed to making this world a better place by lowering their carbon footprint nearly 80% compared to today's traditional roasters.  They also pledge 2% of their sales to their H20 Initiative Program.  Click here to read more.”

So there you have it. Simple yet solid food in a friendly, warm environment.

You can find Extra Perks at 822 N. Fairfax Street in Alexandria Virginia.

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You can also find them on the web and facebook.


 
Well that’s all for now folks. The food court is now closed.

Davwud

Go Blue

In 1817 the governor and judges of the Michigan Territory established the Catholepistemiad or University of Michigania in Detroit. The university would move to Ann Arbor in 1837 after the town lost it’s bid to be the newly minted state’s capitol. The land earmarked for the capitol would be turned into the Universtiy of Michigan’s Central Campus. The first graduating class in Ann Arbor consisted of 11 students. It has grown to include one of the largest alumni groups in the nation at aproximately half a million.

It was on these campus grounds that President John F. Kennedy first proposed publicly the notion that a group of "young college graduates would find a full life in bringing technical advice and assistance to the underprivileged and backward Middle East.” In 1961 the President would unveil, the Peace Crops.

Much like any college town Ann Arbor has a thriving food scene. As you know I’ve visited Zingermann’s Deli and Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger (among others) in the past. Mrs. Sippi also has a friend that works at the University. So with that and our love of food we have occasion to visit periodically. This particular trip saw a stop at Maize and Blue Delicatessen. A venue I recently saw featured on Man vs. Food.

A favourite of UM students and fans Maize and Blue has been around for almost 25 years. Opened by the Jordanian/American Sukkar family they’re serving up tall sandwiches and other deli favourites to Wolverine nation and anyone else who just likes great food. Started as a take out only sandwich shop they now seat 20 or so patrons in what was once the waiting area. Much like most deli’s these days they do not cure their own meats but do source them locally from respected vendors. They do however cook what they can in the tiny kitchen. 

 From the outside it’s little more than a store front on University Ave. On the inside is rather sparsely decorated. One thing that stands out though, the signature board. A large tribute to UM on one wall has filled up with signatures of guests and alumni alike. Among them are a multiple gold medal winner, a hall of fame coach and a 3 time Superbowl champion.

Both sandwiches came with a half pickle that’s as good as I’ve had. Sour and crunchy and excellent.

 

Mrs. Sippi tried to recreate her favourite sandwich from her days at Ole Miss and the Rebel Deli in Oxford, Ms. While she failed terribly in her attempt the result was one great sandwich. Smoked turkey and gouda on sourdough rye. It was fantastic. The cheese was a perfect match for the meat and deli mustard rounded it out nicely. 

My Triple Play Rueben was simply awesome. I’m more of a pastrami than corned beef guy but having both together between some great bread is the best of both worlds. Top that off with both Jarlsberg and Swiss cheeses and top that off with kraut and house made Russian dressing. How can you go wrong??

The chocolate chip cookie was a winner too. A Toll House style cookie with plenty of chocolate chips to keep those owing to the Dark Master happy.

The brownie was phenomenal. Chocolate with caramel icing, milk chocolate drizzle, dark chocolate shavings and pecans. Decadent.

Well there you have it folks. A little taste of the college experience from Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.

You can find Maize and Blue at 1329 S. University Ave. in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 
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You can also find them on the web or facebook.
 

See ya next time in the food court.

DAVWUD

Fill ‘er Up

In 1917 the Ford Motor Company began construction on the ambitious Ford River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan. Upon completion in 1928 the mammoth 1 mile by 1.5 mile, 93 building complex would be the largest integrated factory in the world. Raw materials would be spun into glass, steel and anything else needed to manufacture automobiles in the mills and forges. At it’s height (in the ‘30’s), the plant employed more than 100,000 people. Still Ford’s largest industrial complex it’s currently being restored to it’s former glory and will be home to 9 different vehicle models.

In 1926 the Shell Oil Company opened a service station at the corners of Tenny and Monroe. Not too far down the street from the massive Ford Complex. The quasi Art Deco building still stands although it has long since been turned into a different type of filling station. The kind that fills humans up. 60 years after it’s birth it would begin life as one of the smallest deli’s anywhere. Mati’s Deli is a throw back to it’s roaring twenties roots. The old swivel stools and colours, long since retired harken back to the days of flappers.

The hat of the old gas attendant still hangs in the dining room along side a picture of the old station. A really nice touch.

In the kitchen, fresh soups and salads are prepared as well as home made deserts. All deli meats are cooked in house and are complemented on the menu with ethnic specialties. Fuel that’ll get you where you wanna go, it’s regarded by some as the best deli in the Greater Detroit Area.
 
Our visit was for lunch and we arrived just after it opened. A small crowd had started to gather with several “To go” orders keeping the place humming.


Time to roll out the food.


First up was a nice, thick,  slightly spicy, very meaty chili. A solid, well rounded chili all in all.

Mrs. Sippi of course had the Rueben sandwich. Again, a good solid offering. I prefer caraway seed rye which this wasn’t but the grilling of it worked really well.

I went with the pastrami with Swiss on rye. A great pastrami with a good kick from the cheese. The mustard was enough to provide a good flavour and not be dominate or be lost. The pickle was a little on the raw side. It tasted mostly of cucumber and not particularly for me.

For desert they offer an award winning chocolate cheesecake brownie that is absolutely terrific. Oddly enough my first couple bites were a little less that exciting but the more I ate the more it really started to grow on me. By the time I finished I wanted another.

All and all a fantastic visit. Food ranging from solid to very, very good is always welcome. I think it’s a good sign that you look back and remember it fondly. As I put the finishing touches on this review I have a sudden hankering for one of their pastrami on rye sandwiches.


You can find Mati’s Deli at 1842 Monroe St. in Dearborn, Michigan. 



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You can also find them on the web or become a facebook friend here.
 


Well that’s all for now folks. We’ll see ya next time in the food court.

Davwud

Lots of Good, Cheap Food…

…and Dozens of Beer.

Hailing itself as “Ann Arbor’s neighbourhood bar”, Casey’s Tavern took over the historic Washtenaw Lumber warehouse and opened for business in 1986.

In 1872 the Wood and Perrin company built a warehouse across the street from the train station. They sold pork, cider, apples and wool out of the building until the 1880’s when the former Underground Railroad slave runner , Sellick Wood, turned the building into a lumber warehouse. Wood ran the buisiness along with his son Frank until 1916 when it became the Washtenaw Lumber Company. Washtenaw operated out of the building until Casey’s took over and converted it into the homey bar and grill that it is today.

Featuring home made bar fare the smallish tavern does as much in house as possible. The beef is ground for burgers and corned for corned beef in house. Such commitment shows in the personnel and food. Some of the charter employees are still there. It’s also made Casey’s a perennial winner of the “Best burger” crown in Ann Arbor. High praise. Especially when pitted against one of my all time favourites at Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger.

Mrs. Sippi’s friend, The Wolverine, suggested a lunch meeting as we passed through the area on our way south. Casey’s did not disappoint. 

A collection of no less than 20 condiments are waiting for you on your table. They had some of the usual suspects such as Tabasco and Worchestershire but the honey mustard and a roasted garlic flavoured hot sauce were among our favourites.

We started with (battered) deep fried artichoke hearts. They were nicely done in an almost tempura batter. The “Dijonnaise sauce” was really nice. Kind of a cross between remoulade and thousand islands dressing. A good way to get the ball rolling.

The Wolverine took the simple tuna salad sandwich and added cheese. He had it grilled and elevated it to a terrific tuna melt.

The burgers are pretty much construct your own. We opted for the jalapeno chutney, cheddar cheese and chili. I’m not sure if the chutney even made it onto the burger but if so, it was lost. The bean laden chili was really nice although not spicy. The burger it’s self came with a nice tinge of pink to it and was moist and tasty. They may win best burger in Ann Arbor but my vote still goes to Krazy Jim. The accompanying fries were out of a bag and were okay.

The Reuben was flat out great. I loved the corned beef. Strong with allspice flavour, it was fantastic. The Swiss stood up nicely to it and the kraut added a nice secondary dimension. I started to add some mustard and then decided the sandwich didn’t need it.

You can find Casey’s across from the old train station on historic Depot Street (#304) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The old storage sheds, original to the building are still in the back parking lot.

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You can also find them on the web.
 

Well that’s all for now. See ya next time.

Davwud