Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli
- Heidi’s Reuben
It’s Tuesday around lunch time, which means I’m looking for a sandwich shop.
A short stroll from my house is Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli. At the time of my visit I didn’t realize Heidi’s was a chain restaurant. As it turns out there are about 40 Heidi’s scattered around the country. In my experience any place that claims to have food similar to that which you would find elsewhere is usually pretty bad.
For example, the worst pizza I have ever had was down in St. Augustine FL. I was lured in by a sign promising NY style pizza. I was there early in the morning, and yet the pizza looked like it had been sitting out for hours. The pizza had a blend of cheese on it, which is typically a bad sign. Traditional pizza should have mozzarella on it.
This place in Florida had some melted cheese on, like a typical pizza, but it was also decorated with a white cheez whiz substance. Under no circumstances should cheese ever be applied from a squirt bottle.
Back to Heidi’s
Walking in I am struck by a very familiar smell. Heidi’s has the aroma of a subway. Luckily I am referring to the sandwich chain, not the mass transportation system of my native city. Although upon second thought the fresh baked bread smell of a subway chain is nothing to brag about. Awakening to the aroma of real fresh baked bread is heavenly, especially when it is wafts up into a bedroom window of an apartment above an Arthur Avenue bakery. This was not that smell. Heidi’s had more of a yeasty, processed bread smell, which seemed to mask the aroma of a chemical cleanser.
The line is long and slow moving. I don’t mind waiting for my sandwich to be made, but once made I don’t want to wait to pay for it, especially if I order a hot sandwich. But at Heidi’s I spent almost five minutes waiting in line to pay. Why couldn’t I pay while the sandwich was being made? I should have gavoned my sandwich before making to the cash register. If I was back in NY I would have, but I’m trying to be well mannered in my new home.
I’ve worked in enough kitchens and I’ve been in enough deli’s in my lifetime. Five or ten minutes of observation and I can tell how efficiently a place operates. At Heidi’s I truly had to resist the temptation to bark orders and show them how a deli should run.
The menu was fairly extensive. I opted for a corn beef Reuben. Reuben’s are one of my favorite sandwiches. Lean, fall apart as you eat it corn beef, toasted rye, melted swiss, the tanginess from the sauerkraut add a little sweetness from the Russian dressing and spicy brown mustard. Perfection.
I had high hopes, after all Heidi’s brags about being a Brooklyn Deli and having homemade bread. The thick slice of rye bread was fresh but it lacked a try rye flavor. Perhaps it need more caraway seeds. I’d like to say that the corn beef was stacked like a double Decker bus, but it was layered more like a sports car. Much higher off the ground than a snowboard, but this sandwich wasn’t overflowing. The corn beef definitely wasn’t Boars Head. It’s taste and appearance was more similar to ham. It wasn’t bad, but serve it to an Irishman in March and you’re going to have some problems.
It might not be fair to rate Heidi’s after having only one item. However, as I ate I glanced over at the table next to me I noticed a man consuming a turkey sandwich The turkey, which looked slightly better than the turkey you would get in a cafeteria, is smothered between two oversized pieces of marbled rye. This bread looks better than their regular rye. However this doesn’t change the fact that the sandwich could use a little more meat. Especially since they are claiming to be a NY style deli,
One positive is that Tuesday is free cookie day…. awesome. Plus you get a choice of either chips or coleslaw with your sandwich. If you want to buy an extra bag of chips they are only $0.69.
I should save my final judgment until I go back and try some more items. However, with so many other options in the neighborhood I don’t foresee going back soon. Overall Heidi’s fails.
The quest for a decent sandwich continues.
