$13 Worth of Woody Allen
What: A modified “Woody Allen” “sandwich, with corned beef and pastrami
Where: I Love NY Deli, between Pike Place News and Daily Dozen Donuts
What Does $13 Get You? Half a pound each of corned beef and pastrami ($9.95); soda ($1.50), mustard and fork (complimentary), plus tax.
Recommended? Definitely. Perfect for budget-conscious travelers who only want to buy one meal in a day.
Official Tasting Notes:
Last summer, making my New York City debut, I did all the typical tourist adventures. I compared notes aboard the free, 24-7 Staten Island Ferry; I checked out the offices of The Village Voice; I said “hello” to Rupert and bought a pack of gum; and I dined on the largest sandwich I'd ever seen at the Carnegie Deli. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
I'd heard the Mitch Hedberg joke — something about New York sandwiches being like a cow stuffed between two crackers. (What would you like, sir? A pastrami sandwich. Anything else? Yeah, a loaf of bread, and some other people!!!) But, sitting at Carnegie, surrounded by signed pictures of the Tom Sellecks of the world, I finally understood what it was all about. And I loved it.
I loved that there was no way in hell anyone could finish one of those babies in one sitting. I loved that they charged $3 to share. I loved that I got to nosh on it the rest of the day. I'd find myself with a couple spare minutes, and I'd pass the time with a few bites of my sandwich. You're not supposed to bring food into the Ed Sullivan Theater. But, when we went in for a taping of David Letterman shaking down Dr. Phil for relationship advice, I smuggled in my Woody Allen.
The Woody Allen. That was my sandwich's name, given to it by the well-dressed folks at the Carnegie Deli. Here I am walking around Manhattan with a sandwich named Woody Allen. It felt like I'd jumped out of a Simpsons episode.
The anatomy of The Woody Allen is as follows: “Lotsa corned beef, plus lotsa pastrami,” between a couple pieces of rye. The all-day meal runs you $16.95.
I haven't been back to NYC since. I know longer eat bread. And I still think about all the good times spent with that sandwich. To tide myself over until my next trip east, I've taken to ordering a modified “Woody Allen” at the I Love NY Deli in Pike Place Market. It's a small, simple operation, specializing in overstuffed sandwiches and knishes. My order looks something like this: lotsa corned beef, lotsa pastrami. Fork and mustard on the side. It's heavenly.
They just dropped the price per pound to $9.95, which means for $13 you can eat for most of the day. Or, at least a longer-than-average lunch.
Mitch Hedberg, RIP
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