Corned beef and pastrami sandwich from Boychik’s Deli (Photo by Justin Vaughan)
Delis, diners and lunch counters have extensive, evergreen menus. They’re stalwarts slinging regional specialties. Universal service at an affordable price lends color and broad appeal. In Richmond, these familiar favorites are how we like to deli.
Chicken salad is a deli case standby. What makes Montana Gold Bread Co.’s chicken salad a little extra is that it’s breast meat, plus a sprinkle of dill mingled with the holy chicken salad trinity — celery, garlic salt and pepper — decked with lettuce and tomato on housemade whole wheat bread. It’s the chicken salad you grew up with, but better.
And while there are folks who cry foul at adding fruit to chicken salad, I’m not one of them. Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods’ tarragon chicken salad tastes like a Sicilian grandmother fell in love with mayo, then married it to plump golden raisins with a dowry of dried herbs.
An iconic two-hander, the Reuben gets a continental twist at Europa Food Market with imported sauerkraut, Polish Krolewski cheese and European mayo piled on New York marble rye. The recipe for the corned beef creation hails from a 90-year-old family butchery.
Cold Southern salads where housemade mayonnaise does the talking are what speak to me at Sally Bell’s Kitchen. My perfect box lunch, an assembly of hand-held delicacies, contains chunky egg salad on a roll, macaroni or potato salad, a pecan wafer, and a deviled egg, rounded out sweetly by a frosted upside-down cupcake.
The old-school charm of getting a prescription filled while selecting candy by the pound is made even better with Westwood Fountain’s tuna melt. It tips the scales of deliciousness by offering grilled fresh tuna weighed down with tomato slices and melty cheddar on grilled rye bread.
Boychik’s Deli’s bustling, chatty floor staff, overloaded plates and democratic vibe have all the Jewish deli feels. Their grilled corned beef and pastrami, its edges soaked with butter and spread with chopped liver and Bermuda onion, makes diners shed happy-hungry little tears.
The Italian sub is the snowflake in the realm; no two are ever alike. The Soprano at Polpetti builds ham, soppressata and capicola, plus provolone with spicy arugula, tomato and olive salad with garlic mayo. We’re also fond of the Italian chicken cutlet, layered with prosciutto, roasted peppers, fresh mozz and fixin’s.
Club sandwiches save lives. But if you aren’t soaking up alcohol or running a marathon, eating three slices of toast constitutes excessive carb force. The Baby Club at Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen comes with just two slices of bread and a hefty load of ham, turkey, bacon and American cheese with crunchy shredded iceberg lettuce. Want all in? Hit up the Westhampton or Manchester outpost of The Continental. —Genevelyn Steele
Nice Spread
Must-have condiments made in Virginia
Spicy honey hits a high note on breakfast sandwiches, grilled cheeses, roasted veggie paninis and pretty much anything with poultry — not to mention that it makes a killer PB&H.
The Richmond-made classic adds a touch of tanginess wherever it appears, adding the decisive schmear to BLTs and even peanut butter.
Twisted Carrot pickles radishes, turnips and carrots that will level you up. Pick up their sage-laced herbed mustard and wild greens pesto, too; both are great on crusty bread with meat or cheese.
Snag Wild Earth’s beautiful eggplant caponata to add to a caprese, some jalapeno chow-chow for a turkey and Swiss, and a jar of bok choy kimchi to make a supreme banh mi. —Bird Cox
