Saw an online article from the Food Network's self-appointed
Sandwich King listing the “best” 8 sandwiches in the country. Still
irritates me when they put it like that, you seriously tried every
sandwich in the country and picked these eight? Anywho, there was
one on the list we had tried, it was awesome, he claimed the best
corned beef sandwich was very close to us in Cleveland, how could we
not go? Danny’s Deli is a tiny and cramped corner shop downtown with
nary an empty seat. |
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It is a frenetic mess with people whirling and rushing down the narrow aisles. It seems everyone does a little bit of everything (wait, cook, register, bus); they may not know where they are or exactly what they are doing at the moment but they are quick and friendly. There was an older gentleman who stopped by our table a few times in the midst of doing everything else, just like everybody else. We decided he must be Danny, whether he actually is or not is now inconsequential. He was hysterical and really embodied the whole feel of the place at large. I really dig the place.
The three of us split three sandwiches and three tater options. The
sweet tater fries had an awesome little crust and the fat regular
taters were pretty good too. The let down was the potato salad which
was starved for salt and needed some other component or three to
bring it to life. It likely had a few more ingredients than the
super simple mass at Slyman’s but less
flavor and certainly worked less well. |
Both Fries Are Pretty Good |
But Tater Salad Is Lacking |
Of course we tried some corned beef (in a Reuben) but we wanted to try a couple of their other offerings. We ordered a “Mary’s Favorite” with roast beef, Swiss and onions on rye but they were out of roast beef so we ended up with a Philly Cheese and a Philadelphian Club. The cheese steak with mushrooms, onions and provolone replaced the roast beef and we probably should have tried something else. Dry, lack luster, meh…the thing is a pass in my book.
The Reuben came with the standards and the
Philadelphian club was pastrami, double Swiss and coleslaw on rye.
The cured meats here are done exceptionally well. The corned beef is
dark and dusky, the pastrami is running with greasy awesomeness,
both are really nice. I wouldn’t say they are the best in the
country or even in Cleveland, but both are really well done. We
didn’t order the “jawbreaker” version but the regular sized Reuben
is still loaded fat with slices of corned beef, which is nice (very
nice), but sort of defeats the purpose of the sauerkraut and cheese,
which have no chance to contribute. I would probably go with just
the corned beef alone next time, it’s good enough to stand on its
own. |
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Pastrami Is Really Well Done |
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The Reuben Is More A Corned Beef With A Little Other Stuff That Fell On It In The Kitchen |
But The Corned Beef Is Excellent, So Who Cares |
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I wasn’t sure about the slaw on the pastrami…have had it on turkey
Reubens and a couple of other things but never this. Turns out
theirs really added pepper and tang, which cut through some of that
glorious fattiness. Best in the country is far too bold a statement,
but Danny’s is a great place with fantastic cured meats. It’s not
enough to make me drive past Primo’s or
Slyman’s but if you are in the area, go. |
Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B+ | A- | B+ | A | D | B+ | ||
Cured Meat | Philly |