Sandwich Works - Lincolnwood Deli

Once Fannie's closed up a while back I stopped looking at that side of s treet when I drove by. Fannies was next to New York Bagel and Bialy.

So I look again last week and much to my surprise a new place was there. I stopped into The Sandwich Works. Essentially they cleared Fannies stuff out, tiles the floor in marble painted the whole place white, built new counters and made the place a vanilla box. then they put the old B/W photos back on the wall. Oh yeah there's a new blue colored star david on the oodr as you enter.

There's a huge lunch board on the wall. One side traditional Jewish deli sandwiches the other traditional Italian sandwiches. All food is made to order and they slice right in front of you using a 60 year old meat slicer. I had a hankering for corned beef and decided I wasn't going to have a stock sandwich.

I had them make me a cold corned beef, shmeer of chopped liver, and some slivers of herring with whole onion and a little tomato on an onion roll. I chose the red potato salad on the side. I also took a Cel Ray soda from the cooler, and a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips. The plate comes with a pickle too.

Darn good sandwich, nice portions, home made potato salad. Total was about 9 bucks with tax. Actually I didn't need to eat the whole sandwich but did anyhoo.

Seating for about 12 people in the store at the window.

I'll be going back.

Sandwich Works
4718 W. Touhy
Lincolnwood IL
phone: 847-676-4000

Here's the menu:

http://pages.ripco.net/~kenji/menu004.jpg


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kenji wrote:I had them make me a cold corned beef, shmeer of chopped liver, and some slivers of herring with whole onion and a little tomato on an onion roll.

I know that we are talking about an establishment with, as you describe, a "blue colored star david on the oodr," but for crissakes, man.



E.M.

what I do?

Erik M. wrote:

kenji wrote:I had them make me a cold corned beef, shmeer of chopped liver, and some slivers of herring with whole onion and a little tomato on an onion roll.

I know that we are talking about an establishment with, as you describe, a "blue colored star david on the oodr," but for crissakes, man.

Yeah, that is one unique sandwich. I love herring. I love corned beef. I love chopped liver. But I'm not sure I'd love the combo.

Thanks for the report. I shop at NYB&B quite often, but I haven't stopped in. I'll make a point to. I'm glad that even though Fannie's is gone, there's still a sandwich shop there and not a nail salon or cell phone store.

Best,
Michael

Erik M. wrote:I know that we are talking about an establishment with, as you describe, a "blue colored star david on the oodr," but for crissakes, man.



E.M.

Erik,

In an odd, almost scary, kind of way I find Kenji's Combo quite appealing, though I might add a little El Yucatecco.

Kenji, thanks for the info on the new spot, looking forward to giving the Kenji Combo a spin.

Enjoy,
Gary

kenji wrote:what I do?

It was simply meant to amuse myself, that is all.

A play on words.

You did nothing wrong.

But, I was teasing you about your creation.

What a beast that must have been.

EDIT: Michael seems to have caught my drift. In part, at least.

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:EDIT: Michael seems to have caught my drift. In part, at least.

Oh, I caught it all. The only thing that could make that sandwich more "jewish deli" is to add a potato pancake.

I see...you guys are busting my chops.

Here's my drift....I love jewish deli food. I see a new place and I figure why not? Put all that on a sandwich and I get a taste of a little of everything that if they are a good place should all be great.

Think about it. You're at some friends place kibbitzing and noshing. there's platters around you. You might essentially try all the things I put on that sandwich each individually consecutively in a 5minute time period. So why not just be efficient about the whole process and put them all together?

It was a great sandwich.

But how were the portions?

meaning what I put on the sandwich or all the components of my lunch?

eatchicago wrote:

Erik M. wrote:EDIT: Michael seems to have caught my drift. In part, at least.

Oh, I caught it all. The only thing that could make that sandwich more "jewish deli" is to add a potato pancake.

Now, you have lost me.

And, that hardly seems fair, because it was my joke.

It was meant to be funny in more ways than one.

Compound humour, as it were.

At any rate, one of the ways it might appear to be most funny can written in the form of an equation, as follows:

(Christian swear word) + (Jewish deli) = (Oh, you didn't catch that part...)



E.M.

Erik M. wrote:Compound humour, as it were.

Erik,

Compound sandwich, compound humor.....makes sense to me.

Kenji, that is a hell of a good sounding sandwich, rivals my all in one Jewish deli preference of roast beef, turkey, chopped liver, slaw and Russian dressing.

Speaking of odd combo sandwiches, and right next to Sandwich Works, when I visit my grandmother in Milwaukee I always stop at New York Bagel and Baily for 4-dozen mixed bagels. Of course I need a little something to tide me over for the drive so I get lox, red onion, pickled jalapenos and cream cheese on a toasted onion bialy. Pickled jalapenos work surprisingly well with a traditional lox sandwich.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Kenji, that is a hell of a good sounding sandwich, rivals my all in one Jewish deli preference of roast beef, turkey, chopped liver, slaw and Russian dressing.

Sounds good. But I might leave out the turkey. I find turkey when added to another meat is just kind of a filler being that the taste is way more delicate. How about slivers of a hard kosher salami into the mix. Maybe not slices but really slivers...?

Hey when yer up in Milwaukee do you then get Speedqueen?

FWIW, the blue star of David sticker on the door as well as the neon "Hot Corned Beef & Pastrami" sign on the front window are also left from the Fannie's days.

I stopped in last week, ordered hot corned beef with yellow mustard on seeded rye. I had to redistribute the meat, which was all piled in the middle. The sandwich was incredibly lean and thus extremely dry. In the Fannie's days they always asked if you wanted the lean or the regular. Maybe I should have specified?

They use Kelly Eisenberg corned beef. They use D'Amato's bread for their imaginatively named subs such as the "fuggedaboutit!" (Italian sub) or the "Howz a Bout a Meatball." Bonus, each sandwich "always comes with a Pickle." No choice of old or new, though.

I'll give them another try, but I'm not very hopeful.

Besides the legendary NYB&B in this stip is a little spot called the Sweet Table that occassionaly has some really good Filipino (?) empenadas. There's another Asian place that says they have the best teriyaki in town -- I found it inedible.

-ramon

Ramon wrote:They use Kelly Eisenberg corned beef.

This is very disappointing to me (especially if they're using Eisenberg pastrami too). I've always disliked the taste and texture of Eisenberg meats.

Best,
Michael

What/whose product should they be using?

kenji wrote:What/whose product should they be using?

Personally, Vienna would be fine with me for a simple storefront deli.

But what I really want are more places that are willing to cure their own meat.

Best,
Michael

what sandwich shops around here serve a sandwich that has their own cured meat? I'd like to taste the difference.

kenji wrote:what sandwich shops around here serve a sandwich that has their own cured meat? I'd like to taste the difference.

Well there aren't many (if any). Calliope Cafe on Lincoln near Diversey was doing it for a while, but I don't think they're doing it anymore.

The key point is that house-cured doesn't necessarily mean better, it just means different. It means that one place's sandwich isn't going to taste the same as the other's.

While I like the taste of Vienna meats I don't want every place to be the same. Eisenberg seems more prevalent in Chicago lately and I suspect it's because they're beating Vienna on price. And I really don't want Chicago to be a town where every deli serves the cheapest meat they could find.

Best,
Michael

what product does Manny's use?

kenji wrote:what product does Manny's use?

Manny's may well be making their own, but I don't know that for sure. Either way, they handle it well and the meats are very good.

Best,
Michael

kenji wrote:what product does Manny's use?

I'm 99% sure it's Vienna, and they're masters at preppeing it.

I used to work at Link's Deli at Addison & Laramie and we made our own corned beef. I've never had better. And it wasn't just me. We sold it for 9$ a pound in 1995 and we couldn't keep that or our roast beef in stock!

Speaking of the great NW side, Harrington's still has their good product but FWIK it's only on their catering menu.

Ray Harrington Catering Co.
4300 N Central Ave (Cross Street: Cullom Avenue)
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 283-8388

I just remembered Li'l Guys makes their own corned beef and it's quite good. I haven't been in a while and it might be time for a return trip.

My Pie Pizza / Li'l Guys Deli
2010 N. Damen Ave.
773-394-6900

I just remembered Li'l Guys makes their own corned beef and it's quite good.

And so they do! And it's very good for excessively lean corned beef. I like corned beef like Manny's, fatty and succulent, but recognizing what corned beef will have to be like to sell at the corner of Armitage and Damen, this had good beef flavor and was feathery-thin, almost melt in your mouth, which seems to me the way to overcome the lack of delicious, life-giving fat.

I sat right under the sign talking about all the things they do better than average and to judge by this one, this is an admirable, tries-harder little place, and I never would have stopped there otherwise. Thanks!

Mike G wrote:And so they do! And it's very good for excessively lean corned beef. I like corned beef like Manny's, fatty and succulent, but recognizing what corned beef will have to be like to sell at the corner of Armitage and Damen, this had good beef flavor and was feathery-thin, almost melt in your mouth, which seems to me the way to overcome the lack of delicious, life-giving fat.

Yeah, this isn't the heavy Jewish-deli corned beef that I like hot and fatty. It's different, but it sure has flavor.

Li'l guys is one of those places that on first glance I'd pre-judge and be sure that I'd hate. They've surprised the heck out of me more than once and I really like what they do.

Best,
Michael

Do they serve other meats besides corned beef? I'm not sure I could hack ultra-thin sliced non-fatty corned beef despite my high regard for eatchicago's opinion.

stevez wrote:Do they serve other meats besides corned beef? I'm not sure I could hack ultra-thin sliced non-fatty corned beef despite my high regard for eatchicago's opinion.

Well, thanks. And yes they do serve other stuff including a good roast beef and a flavorful turkey (!) that is also house-roasted.

The nice thing is that you can get a "Li'l Guy" (a slider-sized sandwich) and just have a taste. The My Pi pizza ain't so bad either.

I'm not saying make a special trip or anything, but the next time you find yourself in Bucktown and you're looking for something besides Honey 1 for lunch....

i've been craving corned beef for awhile & this thread helped me remember my LOVE for lil' guys. i'm no longer w/in the delivery range living on kedzie/logan, but a quick drive away works out fine.

i went over last night & had a corned beef on rye with american cheese (odd, as i never get american cheese, but for some reason it worked on this sandwich, esp. with the thinly sliced meat/cheese).

99.9% of the time, i get the chicken salad on house bread (hawaiian bread), and my old roomie used to kill for their roasted turkey breast. the pasta salad with balsamic, feta, red onion & kalamatas is also a normal fave, but last night i wanted to keep the costs down....

i had a great sandwich with some of my own homemade potato salad. the place isn't cheap, but the quality makes it worth it IMO. i think the sandwich alone was $8.14 w/tax, so certainly more of a special occassion for me. this place serves great fresh food, and my best friend from charlotte loves it for a somewhat healthy lunch option when she visits.

also, they ALWAYS have some sort of sports on the TV, which in my book is an absolute A+

miss ellen