Al's Corner Deli

(& Catering Service)
7940 Torresdale Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19136
(215) 332-6617
Website

Al's is one of those neighborhood places that everyone knows about, as long as they live or work in that neighborhood.

They offer a full service deli with approximately three thousand sandwich varieties, as well as a virtual smorgasbord of pre-made packaged goods. Scroll down to experience the plethora of offerings.

Here's one of my favorites, the singularly packaged "deli item."

I decided to try one Italian (Sicilian Italiano) hoagie, and one of their famous corned beef specials. The first thing I noticed is the price. A definite bonus of heading to the outskirts, or the suburbs, is the significant drop in the price of hoagies. The Italian was $6 (and it was the upgraded gourmet version), and the corned beef was $4.50. Not too bad at all. I also couldn't decide between creamy potato salad or old fashioned German potato salad. So I tried both, for around $2 a piece.

The hoagie had all of the usual suspects, capicolla, sopressata, prosciutto, coteghino, genoa salami, plus roasted peppers and one of my favorites, shredded sharp provolone. I asked for it with the works, and that included onions, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, and pickles. I also got oil and mayo, just to complete the circle.

The meat-to-veggie ratio was a bit disappointing, but the shredded sharp prov lent a nice, biting earthy flavor. Also, the onions were really piled on, which was overkill.

In all, it's not a bad Italian, but with so many options in the Great Northeast, I would not go out of my way for it.

The corned beef special fared better, served on un-toasted Jewish rye, with slaw, Russian dressing, and Jewish pickle chunks. A clean-eating sandwich it was not. But the sloppiness was delicious, and the meat was mighty tasty.

I was also surprisingly pleased with the chunks of pickle mixed throughout. A nice touch, with some vinegary crunch underneath all that creamy slaw.

The creamy potato salad was excellent. Exactly what it should be, tangy, creamy, and riddled with crispy celery, bits of crunchy bacon and plenty of pepper.

However, the old fashioned German style potato salad was my favorite eating of the day. With a mustardy, bacony, vinegar-kissed flavor combination, I was hooked. It had been some time since I have had this style of salad, and it was sorely missed.

Al's is a great little neighborhood gem that you would be lucky to stumble into if you were floating around the neighborhood. I am pretty sure ANYONE could find something they liked there, and not pay too much while doing so.

Mazaltov!

Kibitz Room

Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
1521 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

215-735-7305

A Philadelphia deli is no New York deli. We are so different, deli wise, that I often forget that delis DO serve corned beef and pastrami in other parts of the country/world. Most of the popular delis in Philly are hoagie joints. And unless I had a specific recommendation, I am traditionally not inclined to order corned beef cold-cuts. I have always been a fan of Hershel’s in Reading Terminal Market for my Reubens and admittedly, in Philadelphia at least, I have not been super impressed, nor sought out the best Reuben. When I lived in LA, Canter’s was always the go-to spot, plus they were open 24/7 and didn’t care what kind of shape you were in when you showed up.

Today, in an effort to do something different (and perhaps reminisce), I decided to try out Kibitz Room, which is a new addition to Locust Street, and one I noticed on the aforementioned bike ride to Locust Rendezvous. With little research, I discovered that this Kibitz is apparently not related to Kibitz in the City on 7^th and Chestnut, but rather is affiliated with another Kibitz Room in Jersey. That aside, I decided to give one of these massive meatwiches a go-around.

Upon entering, the employees were more than happy to take our order, and repeatedly asked for it, although we hadn’t yet had a chance to look at the menu. I then located a menu, and he kept asking what I wanted, though I clearly told him I would let him know when I was ready, numerous times. We decided to split a full Reuben, although I am aware most delis give you more when you order one half each than a full together. But considering it was $11 a half and $15 a whole, I was not going to find out this trip. The workers were great with the splitting, and with the order you get one side. We opted for the potato pancake served with a side of sour cream and a side of applesauce.

While walking to a table I stumbled upon the pickle bar. What’s that you say? The pickle bar? YES! The pickle bar. Literally ten FREE pickled side dishes, including (ironically) numerous kinds of pickles (Irony = pickle bar including pickles). Well, THAT certainly takes a piece of my heart. Soon enough, I had already consumed a week’s worth of pickles, and our order was called. So we stand up to grab it. But a lady comes by and tells us she will bring it over. Okay. She also asks if we are splitting, and grabs an extra plate and napkins. We certainly needed both.

The sandwich is served just like you would expect from a good Jewish deli, heaping piles of freshly sliced corned beef, on rye bread with a healthy dose of kraut, and a hearty schmear (yes I said it) of Thousand Island. It came together like a well planned Bar Mitzva. All of the ingredients played off each other seamlessly and it was a perfect (if not sloppy) melding of those involved. The real star for me was the corned beef, tender, yet held together in nice slices, and not overly salty, but maintained the salty tang one would expect from a cured meat. I was all too happy to take any and all scraps that were thrown my way by my lunch-mate. There was an abundance of meat; all of the ingredients were of great quality and served in the right quantity. I was highly pleased, and after a couple of pickles for dessert, I was ready to go back to work/take a nap.