During a 1997 episode of Seinfeld, the “show about nothing,” George Costanza and his girlfriend du jour discussed the possibility of incorporating food into their lovemaking–not as a post-coital meal, but in flagrante delicto. George listed as potential food candidates: strawberries, chocolate sauce, honey and…pastrami on rye with mustard. Yes, that’s pastrami on rye. His girlfriend, unfortunately, failed to appreciate the erotic qualities of pastrami and thus, their relationship terminated.
Ultimately George met up with a woman who echoed his sentiments when she declared pastrami to be “the most sensual of all the salted cured meats.” With that proclamation, their lustful appetites took over and they succumbed to the pastrami inspired throes of passion, albeit also incorporating television watching. It’s no wonder George Costanza’s face grew flush when he ate with friends at their favorite neighborhood diner; the association of food with pleasure became a sensual one.
I don’t know about pastrami being the most sensual of all salted cured meats (sounds like a bit of double entendre here), but do know there are few sandwiches quite as wonderful as a pastrami sandwich. Alas, not all pastrami is created equal. The perfect pastrami finds its genesis as brisket given a salt, sugar and spice rub, dry cured, smoked, and cooked. Having grown up in bucolic Northern New Mexico, I had no idea pastrami existed until the Air Force sent me to Massachusetts and I discovered pastrami at Steve’s House of Pizza in Bedford. It was love at first bite. For two years I visited delis throughout New England and New York City (including Katz’s Deli) in search of the best pastrami.
If you’ve ever wondered what the differences are between pastrami and corned beef aside from taste and texture. Pastrami comes from the naval area while corned beef emanates from the brisket area. Where pastrami is given a salt and spice rub, dry cured, smoked then cooked, corned beef is cured in brine. To me, the main difference is that pastrami is much better, but then, like George Costanza, I consider pastrami the most sensual of all salted, cured meats.
Since returning to New Mexico in 1995, I’ve lamented being short-changed insofar as Duke City restaurants or delis not offering a world-class pastrami product, not even close. Fortunately semi-frequent (every few years) trips to Chicago proved to be fulfilling pastrami pilgrimages. Most meat distributors serving New Mexico sell a processed pretender, pastrami “loaf.” I wanted the real thing–whole beef brisket with lots of marbling and heavy, briny seasoning.
Real pastrami is also what Joe Rodriguez wanted to bring to New Mexico. A California native now living in New Mexico, Rodriguez was raised on hot pastrami sandwiches and like dozens of us pastrami paramours, he couldn’t find good pastrami in New Mexico. Rodriguez offers the real stuff–well marbled, briny, highly seasoned and absolutely delicious. It’s comparable to pastrami I remember fondly in New York City and nearly as as good as my favorite pastrami in Chicago.
The rest of us are thrilled that he took it a step further and begin selling it at the New Mexico state fair during the fall of 2006. His success there convinced him there was a legitimate market of passionate pastrami fanatics like me. Rodriguez didn’t start off by selling his pastrami at some fancy storefront. He built a concession trailer and parked it on the corner of St. Francis Drive just as you turn into Alameda. The trailer was furnished with all he needed to prepare his product and was so portable, he took it to the state fair and balloon fiesta.
In November, 2009, Duke City pastrami aficionados no longer had to drive to Santa Fe to assuage their chile fix when Rodriguez launched California Pastrami on Alameda Boulevard. California Pastrami was in that location until January, 2011, its closure coinciding with the opening of a location at 6125 Montgomery, N.E. By year’s end, he had sold the concession trailer and closed the Santa Fe operation. Ever the entrepreneur, in 2017 he launched a second location on Coors Blvd on Albuquerque’s burgeoning west side. In part because of the Covid crisis, the Montgomery location closed in September, 2020, leaving only the Coors location.
9 December 2012: Having lived on the East Coast and traveled extensively in the Golden State, the term “California pastrami” gave me nightmarish visions of pesto packed pastrami desecrated with sushi grade sashimi, artichoke and the designer vegetable de jour. Fortunately, as it turns out California (since renamed as the “Classic“) pastrami is served on a hoagie bun with yellow mustard and dill pickles (just as some grinder shops in Massachusetts sold it). Even better, this is an outstanding sandwich. It’s got the requisite marbling (for flavor) pastrami lovers crave and the addictive flavor profile that keeps us coming back for more.
Years ago, television and radio commercials for Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups introduced America to a catchy jingle which touted “two great tastes that taste great together” in describing the marriage of chocolate and peanut butter. Until my friend Larry McGoldrick, the professor with the perspicacious palate, suggested it, I had not tried a pastrami sandwich with green chile–a marriage of California and New Mexico. Indeed these are two great tastes that taste great together. Green chile can improve almost everything, including desserts. California Pastrami doesn’t shy away from piquant chile; it’s got a tongue-tingling bite and a nice roasted flavor that complements the pastrami surprisingly well.
20 March 2020: You can also get your pastrami sandwich Eastern style–on light New York-style rye sandwich bread with grainy mustard. Having tried both the “Classic” and “Eastern” style pastrami, I’m not ready to declare a preference. Both are terrific! Make that outstanding! The advantage the hoagie roll has over the rye bread is that it holds up better against the onslaught of juiciness from the fresh, delicious and utterly unctuous pastrami. The advantage of the Eastern-style pastrami sandwich at California Pastrami is that the rye is made on the premises. While you won’t find the profession “baker” listed on Joe’s resume, he’s got serious rye-baking skills. Pick up a loaf or six and you’ll never got back the store-bought stuff.
My friend and frequent dining companion Bill Resnik thought he had partaken of good pastrami during his years of travel and was skeptical when I first brought him to California Pastrami in January, 2010. He had no idea what a difference truly great pastrami can make, his previous experiences with pastrami being less than memorable. By mid-February, he had visited the restaurant at least once a week and as often as three times in one week. He’s hooked and has been every since. So are many other Duke City diners, many of whom participate in California Pastrami’s innovative rewards program.
20 May 2014: As for the “More” portion of the restaurant’s name, “more” includes burgers, sandwiches and burritos, some of which I may never try courtesy of pastrami George Costanza would have loved in both the temporal and the Biblical sense. It also includes corned beef and a number of burgers, including a pastrami burger. The pastrami burger is humongous, a generous amount of pastrami, a one-third pound ground beef patty with a slice of cheese, lettuce, pickle and mayonnaise on a sesame seed bun which struggles to contain all that flavor, all those ingredients. It’s a great burger!
9 December 2010: Pastrami and corned beef are often paired together in menus and in the hearts of sandwich aficionados. California Pastrami offers a very good corned beef sandwich stacked high on light rye bread with Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. As previously stated, it’s a very good corned beef sandwich, but for pastrami fanatics it’s not quite as special a sandwich as both pastrami sandwiches are. Still, I would stack it up against any corned beef sandwich in town. It’s far superior to the one served about a block away from the Montgomery location at Jason’s Deli, a chain with a large menu. The difference is that California Pastrami’s largeness is in the flavor of its product, not its price.
Astute members of the defunct Duke City Fix’s Chow Down in Burque Town” forum found it intriguing (to say the least) that mayonnaise and pastrami would share space in the same sentence, much less the same sandwich (the aforementioned pastrami burger). Though a purist myself, I’ve long ceased being surprised by flavor combinations that work surprisingly well. My first experience with pastrami and mayonnaise was at the aforementioned Deli Mart’s elder sibling on Albuquerque’s east side where the much-missed New York transplanted to Albuquerque Cerami family served their pastrami sandwiches in that fashion. My first inclination was to declare that blasphemy, but the mayonnaise-pastrami combination is actually quite good, albeit not as good as pastrami with real deli mustard.
20 March 2020: Call it blasphemy if you will, but I’ve long had a preference for pastrami Reubens instead of the more conventional corned beef Reuben sandwich. A pastrami Reuben at California Pastrami is a thing of beauty. Unlike other Reubens I’ve had in the Duke City, the Russian dressing doesn’t taste like a cloying Thousand Island clone and the sauerkraut won’t purse your lips with its tartness. It’s served on a lightly toasted light rye bread and includes a heaping mound of pastrami, the starring attraction of any sandwich.
3 February 2010: Joe Rodriguez, like me, recognizes the potential in pastrami to improve everything it touches. He didn’t blink an eye during a visit in which I asked for a patty melt sandwich with pastrami. By itself, the patty melt has all the essential elements of a very good patty melt sandwich–a light rye bread grilled until toasty brown, finely chopped onions fried nearly to the point of caramelization, a hand-formed all-beef patty and rich melted cheese. The pastrami elevated it from very good to excellent. Some time I may just ask Joe to add pastrami to one of the burritos served at his restaurant.
3 February 2010: Lest you think California Pastrami is a one-trick pony whose expertise is limited to pastrami, the menu includes several burritos as well as fish tacos (on hard shells, no less) I’ve heard draw utterances of “wow” from other patrons. The restaurant also prepares a very good Philly cheesesteak. It’s served on a hoagie roll and is engorged to overfull with chopped beef steak, finely chopped green peppers and onions and melted white cheese. It’s steaming hot when you bite into it and is as juicy and delicious as just about any Philly cheesesteak you’ll find in Albuquerque. You won’t find a speck of excess fat or sinew on the beef which is very tender.
10 APRIL 2013: Several years ago, television commercials for a pseudo Mexican fast food chain encouraged diners to “make a run for the border.” Duke City diners should run, not walk, to California Pastrami to partake of a new menu item called The Border Dog. The Border Dog is perhaps as close to a Sonoran Hot Dog as you’ll find in Albuquerque. The hot dog is wrapped in bacon and deep-fried. Nestled in the bun are caramelized onions and chopped jalapeños. The hot dog bun is made on the premises and is quite good.
Another addition, perhaps in response to complaints of bread which withered neath the moistness of the steamed pastrami, is a much improved bread baked on the premises. The bread is chewy and formidable enough for the moistness of the steamed pastrami. It doesn’t wither and doesn’t get soggy. Best of all, it’s a delicious bread which disproves the notion that good bread can’t be baked in the alkaline-rich Albuquerque area. Joe not only bakes his own hoagie and rye breads, but the buns for his burgers and hot dogs. The rye bread is especially delicious, a wonderful canvas for sandwiches or toast. It’s amazing how much better bread can be without artificial preservatives.
Joe Rodriguez knows that the best way to grow his business is to invest in his business. To that end, he continues to expand his restaurant’s offerings. A pastry case displays several dessert options, but on balmy summer days only Breyer’s ice cream will do. Currently available only on a cone or bowl, Joe is planning on making milkshakes and malts available in the near future. Smoothies are also available as are some of the best housemade potato chips in Albuquerque.
1 October 2014: Joe is especially proud of the pineapple upside-down cake which is baked by his lovely bride who works beside him at the restaurant. He’s got good reason to be proud of this dessert. It’s rich, moist and utterly delicious. It’s also not overly sweet as some pineapple upside-down cake tends to be.
California Pastrami is one of the best sandwich purveyors in New Mexico, introducing new diners to “real” pastrami while continuing to appease those of us who consider pastrami the most sensual of all cured meats.
California Pastrami
10131 Coors Blvd, N.W.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
LATEST VISIT: 21 May 2021
# OF VISITS: 5
RATING: N/R
BEST BET: Pastrami Reuben, The Easterner, Philly Cheesesteak, Pastrami Reuben, Clam Chowder
Seeing this is a total bummer! Went to CP on Tuesday night (5/25) and saw signage of new hours (closes at 6 and it was 6:45 when we went), but was worried, as inside looked like it was closed for good, so came to Gil’s blog to see if there was info.
I wish I had known Friday was the last day and would definitely have made a trip either Friday or sometime during the week before.
Best of luck Joe and Nichele and if you make another go at it, I will certainly be in line!
Forgive me, Captain Tuttle. I should have invited you to join us.
The saddest people on the last day at California Pastrami were loyal guests who will no longer be able to enjoy the delicious food and familial hospitality of Joe And Nichele Rodriguez. Before launching his restaurant, Joe had a very successful construction business. It was his dream, however, to share high-quality pastrami with his home state. Sadly, operating California Pastrami became an exhausting and expensive endeavor. During our last visit, we expected to help cheer Joe and Nicele up. Instead they wound up bolstering our spirits and feeding our souls one last time. California Pastrami will be greatly missed as will its two very personable and beloved owners.
Over the years, I’ve always found Joe and Nichel most cordial as local owners/entrepreneurs albeit I don’t believe N was with Joe’s ABQ start up on 528. Location Location Location, but how many remember the Asian restaurant, salon, and inwardly facing CP, that succumbed to a much needed mattress seller. Anyway, what then really made Montgomery a place to go, despite its facing inward, was the customer-friendly atmosphere the couple developed of staff. Even on closing-day on 7-Bar Loop just now, I had to admire the staff still ‘serving’.
So Nichel/Joe: Thanks for several years of GR8 Reubens and recent years of Corn Beef-n-Cabbage on St. Paddy’s Day.
Hasta… https://tinyurl.com/hbpem5s3
Bob
Bob, it was great seeing you and Gil there on the last day.
Yo…BackAtcha!
Be Safe!
The Duke City has lost a treasure – California Pastrami. It was ultimately a victim of the COVID pandemic – primarily because the “generous” unemployment from the latest government stimulus package made it hard to hire help. Many people would rather stay home and get paid $300/week, NOT to work. Lots of our restaurants suffered these last few months.
I was able to eat my last Classic Pastrami sandwich this past Friday, 5/21/2021 – the day they closed their doors forever. I wish Joe And Nichele Rodriguez all the best in their new adventures.
Aye…T’was my 3rd St. Paddy’s Day (SLAINTE!!!) feasting with Joe and Nechel. Nice full plate of Corned Beef n Cabbage with slices of carrots, quartered potato, toasty bun while I opted for handmade lemonade, and especially chowing down inside. Alas, they continue with a drive up window where you can get, e.g. Reubens and other sandwiches to your liking.
Belated Slainte!!!
The LA Weekly’s Pulitzer Prize-winning food columnist Jonathan Gold was asked by a reader what food he would like catered at his funeral. His answer? Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant hot pastrami, processed by RC Provision Meats, in Southern California (rcprovision.com).
In July 2016, in the ABQ Journal, California Pastrami owner Joe Rodriquez, said the California Pastrami menu is a nod to his Southern California roots. He gets the pastrami from a California supplier, saying it is processed “the old way” in natural slabs. Wonder if he is referring to RC Provision as that supplier?
Separately, Gil, in your past peregrinations in Southern California did you ever go to Langer’s? If so, how was it? I have never been to Langer’s even though I made it a self-imposed decree to go to as many Jewish delis I could when living, and later, doing business in LA: Canter’s, Art’s, Nate ‘n Al’s, Greenblatt’s, Factor’s. This goy had much joy in the promise land of Southern California Jewish delis.
Elsewhere, in New York, though never doing as much business there as LA, I still made my way many times to Stage Deli, Carnegie Deli, and Katz’s. I look forward to trying California Pastrami upon my return to the Land of Enchantment after my forty days and forty nights wandering the California desert in search of an available pack of toilet paper.
Sadly we have yet to make the pilgrimage to Langer’s which has been oft a topic of discussion on this blog (https://www.nmgastronome.com/?p=84&cpage=1#comment-754354). We’ve made it to Sherman’s Deli in Palm Springs and Norton’s Pastrami & Deli in Santa Barbara, both of which were outstanding, but Langer’s remains that elusive dream to which all pastrami paramours aspire. Nearby MacArthur Park is experiencing a bit of gentrification after years of being a crime-ridden bastion of drugs and prostitution. Since Richard Harris made the park famous, I’ve wanted to visit and especially to enjoy a pastrami sandwich from Langer’s.
Because I consider Y’all a discerning group of Folks, I’m passing this along in case ya don’t get or have time to read Joe’s emails. I’ve always felt…for a casual dining place…California Pastrami(CP) always has a congenial counter and grill staff. Currently Joe and Nechel are looking for some more Folk. As such I’m asking Y’all to pass the word to relevant e.g. nieces/nephews/retirees to give them a call to arrange an interview.
Lest ya may have forgotten, CP, despite the out-of-state reference, is a locally created and owned venue albeit it has two sites.
Thanks!
Recently, Joe, the owner, passed this along during one of his promotional emails:
Please Allow Us To Take A Moment To Share The Story About Tonya Rivera & How We Can Make A Difference, Together.
This is Tonya. This amazing young lady has a dream to make every playground accessible for those with disability.
She founded Every Ability Plays Project (EAPP) https://everyabilityplaysproject.yolasite.com/ and we wanted to do whatever we can to make her and many others’ dreams come true!
Mention Tonya’s name next time you come in so we can link your account to her project.
Each time you visit, we will donate 10% of your purchase towards her project!
[Thanks,
BOTVOLR]
Heads up! Corned Beef n Cabbage Special will return on Saturday the 16th as St. Paddy’s Day falls on their Closed Day of Sunday.
As noted previously, was really Great!
Slainte!
Did the Corned Beef n Cabbage with Daughter/S-i-L, G-Daughters of whom one brought her BM-FF.
Yummy! While a Guiness might have been nice, Joe’s house-made Lemonade is an “equal” pairing!
Slainte!
Just a “Consistency” note for the West Side one . (Weird seeing the Sears Auto Center closed and a Hobby Lobby sign instead of Macy’s.)
Just a reminder if ya have ‘mates’ not into Reuben’s, Joe features other offerings as noted on the “Menu” and again, you can get a 1/2 a Reuben that I’m thinking has just as much great taste as a whole one.
Lest I be woefully in error regarding a tasty casual meal/snack…which I can be….let me ask WestSiders (let alone All) please consider dropping in to CP on 7 Bar Loop just north of Coors, i.e. across from the Sears Auto Service Center across from the strip mall of an Albertson’s/Marshall’s etc.
I just used my umpteenth Rewards Certificate of 7 bucks for a Reuben. Even with the Cert., it is my go to place for a Reuben, albeit their are lots of other traditional menu options ….e.g. I haven’t heard Folks herein help me to explore their Best Reuben in ABQ!
Bottom line: while Folks often kvetch about lacking quality eateries on the West Side, let alone ABQ, this now Local/NonChain Guy, Joe will go out of his way to listen to your Comments (i.e. with a reward).
Besides me, let alone Gil, check these Folks out: http://tinyurl.com/yde6cred
Roberto
California Pastrami’s reuben is indeed a fantastic sandwich, one of the best in the metropolitan area, especially when it’s a pastrami reuben. There are numerous other candidates for best Reuben in the metropolitan area. Among my favorites are:
(1) The Duke City Ruben from Bocadillos (which has relocated since my last visit) which is slow-roasted for no less than twelve hours to achieve its tender texture and moistness throughout.
(2) When it’s on the menu, the Reuben at M’Tucci’s Market & Pizzeria is in rarefied air, one of the best sandwiches of any kind in New Mexico.
(3) The Smokehouse Reuben from TFK Smokehouse & Art Barn is made with smoked pastrami and is piled high with deliciousness throughout.
(4) The Oak Tree Cafe‘s version is a triple-decker beauty constructed of housemade lean corned beef (cooked in Guinness which imparts a dark, rich, complex flavor); tart and tangy sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and housemade Thousand Island dressing on a beautiful light rye.
I invite readers to share their favorites. With any luck we’ll come up with as many great Reubens as we did grilled cheese sandwiches.
Gil
Yo Gilberto…Indeed “Ask and thou shall receive!” Thanks for your initial compilation of “Where’s Reuben”!
Indeed, I forgot about Bocadillo’s which can now be found here downtown ala http://www.bocadillos505.com/ It certainly will be a welcome venue for Folks attending conventions in the Convention Center. If I remember correctly when it was in the somewhat original and quirky facility on Indian School as an extension of Menaul, I indeed had a delicious one and while the home-made “kraut” is unique and a delicious change of pace, I’m subject to “Los Anos! Ya can’t teach an old dog new tricks (tho I do hartily encourage readers to enjoy her version.) (Alas, as I’ve noted elsewhere previously http://tinyurl.com/y9ugy8qt )
– Will have to keep The M’Tucci in mind.
– Hmm, the TFK SmokeHouse….alas, for the present, stuck on the Hawaii 505…LOL
– Aha, and The OakTree!
—-30—-
Perdoname, Roberto. There’s another place you need to try when you’re craving a great (one of the very best in the city) Reuben. It’s the Rail Runner Reuben from The Farmacy on Mountain Road. It’s a favorite of Yelpers, too.
Indeed! Thanks for pointing me to what always looks like a nice n tidy…’Ts’ crossed/’Is’ dotted place I see on my way home on Mountain Rd. if I’ve subbed in Olde Town giving out tourist info, i.e. looks like a place to stop…into. I guessed it was just a neighborhood neo coffee shopppe.
Alas, I’m not much into Breakfast/Lunch places altho I do admire them for their excellent business acumen that can underlie this “times open” format. Nevertheless, I will put it on the list for using one of my Dining-with-Dad certificates my daughters gave me for Christmas given your YumYum description/recommendation.
Look forward to Comments of others about other items in the interim!
I’m surprised you haven’t tried 2G’s Bistro on Central: http://2gsbistroalbuquerque.com/42144. They have the best Ruben in town IMHO.
Thank you, Vanessa. We finally did try 2G’s and found a remarkable Reuben, one of the very best in the metropolitan area (which has become home to an amazing number of really good Reubens).
BOTVOLR, you’ve got to fire up that 1980-something Firebird of yours and try it soon.
Yo Vanessa…Thanks for your 2G’s Reuben heads-up as well!
Alas, I’m just getting shamefully so lazy getting over “that side” of town like I suspect some of us do herein, despite this being, comparatively, a relatively “easy” city to get around in!!! Geesh, despite my love for Filetto’s at Scalo’s, I’ve got Christmas gift-certs gathering dust per laziness!!! Otherwise, and while I wont say “Never”, I’m not much of a breakfst/lunch person.
OMG! using Google-mapping to scope it out: while I sadly knew Pop n Taco with its fabulous Taco-in-a-Bun had closed, I now see the building is also gone…http://tinyurl.com/y9kw6d9a
Right now, 3/17, Ya gotta boogie on down* for today’s St. Paddy’s Day Special…
OMG! I think this is the first time Joe/Nechel are serving Corned Beef and Cabbage, with carrots/potatoes/toast/mustard. The CB is deliciously flavorful and especially, nicely tender! The cabbage is not the overpowering kind. Can’t beat the price $9.95 especially for such a delectable meal! Next year, I will opt here vs O’Hare’s or if Fat Squirrel gets going again for this celebratory dining. Alas, while my Daughter gave a Thumbs Up, my S-i-L opted out for a Brat which he did give a Thumbs-up for as well. As usual, the counter Gals are cordial and efficient.
– As Joe pitched in serving and shmoozing/checking on diners satisfaction, I took advantage to tease out some History. Growing up was in Orange Co, CA. That gave me the Op whereby I had a chance to confirm there were enclosures for farm animals along the sidewalk from the parking lot into the the hacienda for Knott’s Berry Farms chicken dinners …back in the day, i.e. before the amusement park. Also, driving through the now mostly gone orange groves was an intoxicating experience per the aromas. Early on, Joe profitted from listening to motivational speakers like the Rev. Schuller of Crystal Cathedral fame and especially a conclave held for the speakers of the day e.g. Zig Zigler, W. Clement Stone, Nap Hill, etc. Lest you might not know, Joe was a General Contrator for many years when he first came here around ’91.
– Alas, Nechel…his Vieja, who sometimes is here at the Coors/7Bar Loop in the evening, was off covering the other 2 stores. If you’ve never met her while coming for the bestest of Reubens in town, she’s a delightful whirlywind of hospitality.
– Hope Y’all can make it to one today!
Slainte!
* 5211 Gibson Blvd SE
Albuquerque NM 87108
505-268-5763
10131 Coors Blvd NW (just west of, on 7Bar Loop NW (old Lumpy’s))
Albuquerque NM 87114
505-899-9797
6125 Montgomery Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
505-872-9253
BOTVOLR,
Thank you for my laugh of the week as I picture you hopping out of you Firebird muscle car, wearing you bell bottoms and love beads and boogie-ing on down to Ca Pastrami.
Gracias, my hipster friend, gracias.
One on Gibson, Montgomery, and 7 Bar Loop on the West Side…Joe is doing his darndest to make CP convenient for us. I started the year with the new opening on the other side of the river and seems fitting to end the year there with visits in between while garnering Thumbs Up by introducing G-Daughters to the delights of the Reuben.
IMHO, it is a sin not to have at least one, let alone a half, at least twice a year.
A Big “R” of 0.995, for you techies, regarding Consistency!
Last night I ‘had to have’ a great sandwich which lured me to CP. As I’ve paid homage to their fantabulous Reuben multiple times, dared to try out their Philly CheeseSteak, with all do respect to that of Philly’s N Fries.
Whoa and OMG, Joe’s is quite bountiful and oh so delightfully moist! Some might say a Co-Equal Yum-Yum! Eeek, forgot to ask if they can add Green Chile as well! (Alas, if truth be told: while the O Rings were fine, hope they explore for some uniquer battering options.)
-Elsewise, besides the winsome/dervish Eclectic-Pizza Gal and our dearly departed Linda Beaver, there is nothing like being greeted by Joe’s Nichelle!
Bottom line: If some of Y’all are wanting great eating options on the West Side….I’m waiting to read you trying CP, e.g. at least a 1/2 Reuben, to put me in my place/let me know where else I might go….for a better Reuben!?