In the last couple of months, I’ve developed a new love affair. Don’t worry. It’s nothing that will threaten my marriage. I have discovered that I love a good deli sandwich.

It all started when a coworker, Bob the Cisco Ninja, invited me to lunch at one of his favorite places (he has many “favorite” places). It’s called “Weinberger’s Deli”. I was only able to find one good reference on the web, and it’s a review in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram. Weinberger’s is a Chicago style deli, with a real “mom and pop” feel. It’s really small, smells kinda funky, and the same people are always behind the counter, night and day. Oh, and by the way, their food rocks.

I have a to-go menu next to my phone and I’ve been systematically going through it, trying everything and, so far, everything is good. Here is a transcription of some menu items and my hand written notes next to them.

The Brat (Wisconsin Veal Brat, Brown Mustard and Grilled Onions or Kraut or both) “Good”
Da Beef (Italian Beef on Gonnella Bread, dipped in Au jus and served with either Green Peppers and Onions or the traditional way with Giardinerra) “Really Good, but hard to eat and Giardinerra peppers burn my tummy”
Totally Wicked Sandwich (Served on a toasted Kummelwick Bun, Hot Roast Beef or Hot Smoked Turkey Breast, covered in real Horseradish, Mayo, Sweet Onion and sliced Kosher Pickles.) “Awesome”
Texyorker (Hot Pastrami, melted Cheddar Cheese, BBQ Sauce, Sweet Onion on a Poppy Seed Roll) “HECK YA!”

A couple things to note about Weinberger’s: If you sit in the tiny dining area to eat, 1) you’ll have a constant line of patrons squeezing by your chair to place their order and 2) for the rest of the day your clothes and hair will smell like the smoke from a well seasoned grill.

Having discovered that deli’s are good, one night Tammy met me at the office and we went looking for somewhere new to eat. I saw McAlister’s Deli and thought we should try it out. It was great!

McAlister’s is the polar opposite of Weinberger’s. McAlister’s is a national chain and feels like one. Big dining areas, clean and bright, staffed by the latest crop of the high school work force. Still, their menu is diverse and, try as I might, I can’t find anything bad on it. They’re signature item is Southern style sweet tea. *moan* It is so good I can’t even express it.

Every time I go into McAlister’s I see several people staring agape at the huge menu (drawn on chalk boards to look more deli-ish) displaying to all the fact that they’re first timers. Several times I’ve offered these first timers advice, since I’m about half way through the menu now and can speak with some authority. That’s partially why I decided to do this post. To share the knowledge.

Taco Salad (Fresh greens, chili, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, jalapeños and black olives on a bed of warm tortilla chips) “Yum!”
The Reuben (Piles of thin-sliced corned beef topped with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on rye) “Pretty Good”
The Patriot (Smoked Turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, Swiss cheese on Wheatberry bread with Orange Cranberry Sauce) “Sounds weird, tastes great!”
Muffuletta (New Orleans style muffuletta bread, ham, Genoa salami, olive salad and provolone cheese) “Not bad”
Delta Delight (Roast beef, ham, provolone cheese and sliced jalapeños and BBQ sauce on a 6″ hoagie) “HECK YA!”
The Big Nasty (Roast beef served open-faced on a toasted 12″ hoagie covered in McAlister’s “Come-Back” Gravy, topped with cheddar and Swiss cheese and green onions) “Whoa! VERY Yum, but big enough for three meals”

They also have a wide selection of baked potatoes (that I’ve seen on other people’s plates and they’re roughly the size of regulation footballs) but I’ve been avoiding those for the sake of my girlish figure. In the near future, I’d like to analyze my favorite deli delights in terms of nutritional concerns. I’m sure that these slices of heaven are laced with nutrition from hell.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, my tummy is rumbling and my mouth is watering. I got to get out of here before I start chewing on my keyboard.