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Mort's Deli
The Twin Cities’ newest Jewish deli packs them in, New York style
Remember the two Lincoln Dels, the suburbs’ most glorious Jewish delis? They closed in 2000, not for lack of customers but to cash in on some achingly valuable land. Why do I bring up the Dels? Because I have now waited in line with seemingly every single one of their old customers at the new Mort’s Deli in Golden Valley. Seriously, if you want to eat at Mort’s, bring a book, preferably something about New York and comically fatalistic, like Woody Allen’s Without Feathers. Because: Oy.
The corned beef and pastrami? Impeccable. Sourced directly from one of New York City’s few remaining classic delis, the Carnegie, each sandwich arrives filled with perfectly steamed, perfectly fat meat (not lean, there’s no point to lean corned beef: that would be like getting a lean cream puff; either get it or skip it). It’s perfectly stacked a mile high on perfectly moist and chewy rye bread. Mort’s also offers the most ideal possible starter: A complimentary plate of the same pickles the Carnegie Deli serves in New York. Add one of the Carnegie’s tender, pastry-wrapped, subtly oniony knishes and you’ve attained Jewish deli heaven, which is why Mort’s is currently going through 1,100 pounds of corned beef a day. No, that’s not a typo. “Semis are coming in twice a day,” says manager Corey Bloom. “We’re scrambling to keep up. If we open another location, we’ll need a bigger kitchen.”
Another location, already? Yes, it’s that good. Well, not all of it is. The potato pancakes tasted like mere hash browns and crumbled on the fork. The kasha varnishkes were overcooked, and the kreplach forgettable. If you don’t know what those dishes are, don’t worry about it. I do know—and I didn’t care. At all. I didn’t even mind that the service was distracted and forgetful. It was kind of nice, actually. It reminded me of New York. Want to be reminded of New York and the dear departed Lincoln Dels, too? Bring a book, and order the pastrami.
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Reader Comments:
We will not go back. I (pastrami) went with my wife (stroganoff) and daughter (mac and cheese). The pastrami sandwich was good, but it should have been at the price point.
Stroganoff – A large impressive looking serving quickly led way to realizing the noodles were a solid reheated mass. The sauce was way too thick, but the beef was good.
Mac & Cheese – A sure pleaser for our 2 year old, except this dish was grainy and sour. Our daughter wouldn’t eat it. The manager asked how our meal was and I told him the mac & cheese tasted off and our daughter wouldn’t eat it. He did not offer to bring something different and left the spoiled meal on the table. He went in to the kitchen and we could see him and 2 others tasting it, but he never came back. No one offered to replace it nor was it taken off our bill. On the way out, the manager stopped us and said we were right, it did taste off. Apparently not off enough though to take it away or not charge us for it.
Love this place and so does everyone i know. Service food and price are all unbeatable. The family that runs it takes so much pride and are always grateful for the continued business.
Truly a fantastic place for a great hot sandwich, amazing soups and the best deserts!
Not even close to a good NY deli. The pastrami was tough and fatty - cut too thick, the pickles were not full sours and were terrible. There was no coleslaw served with the sandwich, which was not exactly piled high. The meatloaf and mashed potatoes were gummy and flavorless. Even the broccoli was bad.
We won't go back.
Bring back Pastramii Jack's!
Dara, you must be young, as there were 3 Lincoln Del's in the Twin Cities (Hwy 7 on the way down to Lake Calhoun, Hwy 494 & France off frontage road and the Southwest corner of Hwy 394 (formerly Hwy 12) and Hwy 100. Oh, how I miss the Triple Tootsies, Matza Bowl Soup, Beets, Chocolate Cream Pie, Chopped Chicken Liver and so much more. Danny Berenberg, where did all those recipes of your Mother go???
Roysaway@aol.com
Ate at Morts for the first time and ordered a grilled pastrami w/ pepper jack with a fried egg on top. Sandwich came un-grilled and the egg was over cooked and cold- premade last week I think. so i sent it back and asked them to make what I ordered- it came back with the top piece of bread toasted with no butter! wow! I love old shool deli's but these folks have some work to do- maybe they should eat at Cecil's in St. Paul to get a clue.
I used to be a regular customer and big fan of Mort's deli, but it is failing fast. Standards, food quality and service are in a steep, rapid decline. Seated at un-cleaned tables, wait 45 minutes for a simple sandwich without any explanation. Most of the staff is clueless and behave like they couldn't care less. Must be new ownership/ management ... Can't think of any other reason for such a dramatic decline. Went from first to worst...RIP Mort's.