Lunch Review: Smallman Street Deli
It seems the Smallman Street Deli took a wrong turn somewhere on Liberty Avenue, and ended up on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill. Not a place for a deli to be -- despite a profusion of kosher Chinese restaurants, there really isn't much competition for Kazanzky's in the old-school Jewish deli department.
It's interesting that the owners of the Smallman Street Deli thought they had such a strong brand name, that they could plunk it down on Murray Avenue with no explanation. Just don't use it to navigate -- chalk it up with the yellow belt, tunnel hysteria and "hopping streets" as just another thing designed to make visitors to Pittsburgh crazy.
The Deli in the Strip is pretty small, but everything about this one is enormous -- like Times Square, New York City enormous. The specials are listed on vast, wall-length chalkboards, and with all the meats, cheeses and breads, you could probably create a different sandwich for every Steeler past, present and future.
But only one Stiller gets one -- the Ben Roethlis-brisket ($6.99). Clearly, the Smallman Street Deli subscribes to the "eat it before it eats you" theory of sandwich-making. Still, it's excellent -- a pile of top-grade, thinly-sliced beef brisket the size of a fullback's bicep, topped with muenster, lettuce, tomato and two slices of sourdough. Cool name, but don't let Big Ben anywhere near one of these before game time, or the only pass he makes will be out.
All the classics are represented, set apart only by the superior quality of their ingredients. Roast Turkey Breast ($7.99) is a hot, open-faced classic -- juicy, succulent roast turkey atop a surprisingly resilient slice of sourdough, covered in an amazingly savory dark-brown gravy. It's a lunch that tastes like Thanksgiving dinner -- though it's not so big that you'll need the special stretchy-waisted pants afterwards. The Reuben ($7.99) stands out mostly because of an excellent rye bread with lots of caraway seeds, and a judicious -- not overwhelming -- application of Thousand Island dressing.
Going out on a limb, the Mediterranean Veggie ($5.99) really impressed our vegetarian contingent, mostly because of a tangy spread made of roasted red peppers, tomato and maybe some olives. You can choose your bread and cheese -- havarti and pumpernickel seemed to work out great.
Additional Information:
Details
Smallman Street Deli
Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays through Saturdays; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays
Address: 1912 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill
Phone: 412-421-3354
I didn't get to try...
Meshugana Omelette contains a 'crazy' assortment of peppers, onions, potatoes, cheeses, kosher salami, corned beef and pastrami -- can you feel your sanity slipping away⢠The U-Can't Eat It features a one-pound mound of meat (your choice), and surely rivals New York City's Carnegie Deli for sheer ridiculousness. But this is Pittsburgh, so it's $8 less.
