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It all started on Facebook. We saw pictures of sandwiches at this place called Charlie's Deli in Old Town, all seemingly 6 inches thick, plus fresh slabs of brisket and pork belly and prime rib right out of smokers or ovens. Jesus Lord, they looked good.
But we balked at the opening prices. Sure, the pastrami and corned beef is freshly made, the brisket and turkey smoked by owner Charlie Mattouk. And it's good. The corned beef tipped over from marbled to fatty on some slices, but the pastrami was transcendently flavorful, the brisket downright juicy. Every meat except the cured salami is prepped onsite, turkey and beef smoked in slabs. But until mid-March, the basic sandwiches were $12 and the monsters were $17 or $22—prices New York delis would catch hell for in the Post.
Well, glad that's over. Charlie's found a better meat deal as business improved, so now their terrific pastrami on rye is $9.75, with upgrades of $4 or $6 for double or almost triple the meat, respectively. The brisket ($9.75) could do with less lettuce but it's damn juicy and meaty. The smoked turkey, however, was a little dry, and the smashed Cubano didn't measure up to Bunk or El Cubo de Cuba.
The sides, which are free with a sandwich, could also use some work. The pasta salad and coleslaw are fairly standard, but the German potato salad was a grotesque mess of white wine vinegar that caused two staffers to actually spit, and one lover of the ideal German potato to declare he would not try it because he could see the vinegar from a distance. A 50-cent snickerdoodle was so underdone that its bottom stuck to my finger and left dough behind.
But a
few flaws are forgiven. Charlie's is a true city deli in the heart of
Old Town, with house meats available by the pound and a ridiculously
friendly pair of owners. Walk in a few times, there's a fair chance
they'll remember your name.
- Order this: Pastrami on rye ($9.75), pasta side.
- Iâll pass: German potato salad ($2). Oh. God, no.
EAT: Charlie's Deli, 22 NW 4th Ave., 902-9428, charliesdeli.com. 10 am-8 pm Monday-Friday, noon-5 pm Saturday.
WWeek 2015