But hey, enough about our government being run into the ground financially. Let's talk about important stuff. Let's talk about delicatessens. And we'll start with this e-mail from my pal Tom Galloway…
This reminded me of when I was at UMichigan, and Harlan Ellison was speaking there. I was responsible for him while there, and come lunchtime the following dialogue occurred (from memory):
Tom: Harlan, we're taking you to lunch at a world class deli. (thinking "here it comes…")
Harlan: What?! We're in the midwest! I grew up in the midwest! There is no decent deli here, let alone a world class one. I've lived in New York City. I live in L.A. That's where you find great deli. Besides, you're a WASP from North Carolina, and I should trust you on great deli?
Tom: Trust me…
We take him to Zingerman's. While waiting in line to order, Harlan sniffed around. He approved of the Dr. Brown's, the seeds in the rye bread, etc. His sandwich was so big he could barely finish it, and I ended up getting to eat most of the noodle kugel he'd ordered. At the end of the meal, he sat back and said, "OK, you're right. I don't know what it's doing here, but it's definitely a world class deli."
Highly recommended if you're ever in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area.
Tom's a smart guy, and Harlan knows his delis. But what really impressed me was that a few hours later, I got an unsolicited second opinion. This is an e-mail from Mark Bernstein…
I just read your post on delis, and felt moved to comment. You may not realize it, but my home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan is home to one of the finest delis and gourmet shops in the U.S. It's called Zingerman's, and it's not just a local legend. Last year, it was named by Food and Wine magazine as one of the 25 best food markets in the world. Now, they don't pile the meat as high as the Carnegie (I'm reminded of Mitch Hedberg's line: "He gave me my sandwich and asked if I wanted anything else. I said. 'Yeah, a loaf of bread and more people.'"), but the quality is consistently outstanding. If you ever come back to the Motor City Comicon, I hereby offer, schedule permitting, to chauffeur you out to Ann Arbor for lunch or dinner.
Okay, so there are two good recommendations for Zingerman's and if I ever get invited to another convention in Detroit, I'm there. Meanwhile, closer to home for me, we have another one-two punch. This is from Paul Dini…
Respectfully submitted: Brent's Deli, 19565 Parthenia St. in Northridge. Best in the west, no contest. (Although the tuna salad at Nate 'n Al's is mighty good.)
This was followed by a message from Marv Wolfman…
The best deli in Los Angeles is, and has been (according to Zagat's for the last 10+ years) Brent's Deli in Northridge. It's as close to a New York deli as one can get (except less attitude). It is never less than crowded and the food is all wonderful. Brent's! Period! End of discussion!
I've been to Brent's a grand total of once and wasn't as impressed as my friends. Then again, I've had the occasional bad experience even at restaurants I like, so it's not fair to judge from one try, especially since this was some years ago. Next time I'm in Northridge — which I hope won't be soon, not because it's not a nice place but because I'm getting to hate driving that far — I will give Brent's another chance to thrill me. Mssrs. Wolfman and Dini are invited to join me, to suggest items from the menu and also, of course, to pay. The quality of any deli is enhanced by at least 25% if someone else picks up the check.