Critic's Review
Time to get back in the saddle; now that mask-free dining is back upon us. This place changes ownership regularly and I've been here numerous times since it was Frankie and Johnny's.
This place is trying to sell themselves as a Deli that morphs into a fancy "Bistro" at night; personally I'm a believer in trying to do 1 thing well rather than trying to be multiple things. It's hard for me to fathom that the same guy slicing the pastrami is making the brandy demi-glace.
There's no hostess here, so I stood in the doorway for a minute looking for some guidance. The bartender pointed at a table near the bar; no doubt trying to drum up some business for himself. The dining room here as always been bad ever since they expanded, and it's no better now; bad bench seating and tables in the middle of the room. At least they got rid of the sliding room dividers.
The bar is about the same as it was in the original Frankie and Johnny's; where eating at the bar was the only real option if you were dining alone.
The bartender brought over a menu and took my iced tea order; I ordered the Soup and 1/2 Deli Sandwich, opting for the Soup of the Day, Clam Chowder, and a 1/2 pastrami sandwich.
The table is very un-Deli like; where you'd find Mustard, Ketchup, Pickles and Cole Slaw.
A cup of soup came out quickly; It was very hot so I had to let it cool off a bit. Frankly I was expecting a bowl. My personal feeling is that soup should be served at an edible temperature, but I can't complain too rigorously about hot soup.
The soup was outstanding; perfect New England Clam Chowder is rare. Loaded with tender clams and just the right consistency; not too gloopy or too thin; I did add a shake of salt but overall I was quite happy with the soup.
Bad house music fills the air. I'm really not sure what they're thinking, considering delis generally attract entirely middle aged clientele.
The sandwich came out a couple of minutes later; it was served without mustard or offer of any condiments at all. Obviously the pickle service gets very low marks.
It took me several minutes to get someone's attention to get some deli mustard; he disappeared into the kitchen for quite a while and I wondered what was taking so long. Finally he came out with a thimble of the stuff.
No Gulden's or squeeze bottles here.
The pastrami was garbage; fatty and "grilled", which is a good way to ruin pastrami. This is something I'd expect to get at a place like The Salad Bowl; not at a competent Deli. (Salad Bowl was Better than this). Compare this to the pastrami at a real Deli like Ben's in Boca, which wasn't even that good. Also notice the size of the soup I got at Ben's with their Soup and Sandwich offering.
A couple of bites were pretty good but mostly I was chewing something that didn't qualify as quality pastrami.
The cole slaw was pretty good; with a mild dressing that had just enough vinegar and just needed a bit of salt and pepper.
The owner doted over a table of 5 next to me but didn't even acknowledge my existence.
When I don't eat the pickle that tells you something; these half-baked pickles just aren't any good.
Conclusion
Imagine a Jewish deli with no mustard on the table, no Dill Pickles and serving pastrami without even offering mustard. If you're looking for a NY Deli experience; this certainly isn't it. The food is OK, but I don't see a justification for the real deli sandwich prices. It just doesn't measure up to the kind of Deli a northerner is going to find acceptable.
