We Get Our Deli on at Stevens & Stevens

[Robin Garr]

We Get Our Deli on at Stevens & Stevens
Voice-Tribune review by Robin Garr



Mary took a bite of her sandwich - no easy task considering its oversize girth. She chewed gently, looked thoughtful, then firmly opined: "This is almost too much meat."

Yes, this is one of those things that no one said, ever ... until someone said it.

And it betrayed a basic failure to comprehend the simple reality of delicatessen tradition: "Too much meat," meaning "generously, gloriously piled high," is just what delis do.

We can't blame her for this. For whatever reason, authentic deli in the New York style has never really taken hold in Louisville. Asked to point out the nearest example, wits on the LouisvilleHotBytes forum typically wink and point to Shapiro's in Indianapolis, roughly 110 miles north.

But I might argue that Louisville's top deli spot is hiding in plain sight, right here on Bardstown Road. Yep, I'm talking about Stevens & Stevens, offering the real deal in the Highlands space that it shares with Ditto's Grill.


Read my full review on LouisvilleHotBytes.com:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/we-ge ... ns-stevens
and in the Voice-Tribune:
http://www.voice-tribune.com/life-style ... s-stevens/

Stevens & Stevens Deli
1114 Bardstown Road
584-3354
http://www.stevensandstevensdeli.com
Robin Garr's rating: 86 points

Stevens & Stevens was the only thing I could stomach on my wedding day, so my mom went and got a ton of benedictine and bacon, tomatoes alfresco, and tortellini graciella for my girls and me while we got ready. S&S is so utterly consistent, reliable, and deliciously comforting that is the mother's arms of Louisville delis. I <3 it.

Just tried it for the first time with my reading group last Saturday. The Woody Allen pastrami sandwich was great! Wish the rye bread was a little heartier, though.

[Robin Garr]

Just tried it for the first time with my reading group last Saturday.

Were you the guys crowded in at the back table around noon?

[Robin Garr]

my reading group

PS: Mary said you guys were having a fascinating discussion about Michael Chabon, but she didn't want to eavesdrop closely enough to discern which book you were talking about.

Yep, that was us! How funny that y'all were there too. We were discussing Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

[Robin Garr]

I wish we had known that was you, Jeff! I would have said howdy.

One doesn't want to eavesdrop too much, but we were in the booth right next to your table, and it was kind of hard to avoid. Plus, it was a very good and intelligent conversation. You don't always get that in a restaurant.

Just tried it for the first time with my reading group last Saturday. The Woody Allen pastrami sandwich was great! Wish the rye bread was a little heartier, though.

I'm inclined to agree with Jeff's comment re. the rye bread on their sandwiches...and it seems at one time the bread was somewhat heartier (similar to what Shapiro's serves, in Indianapolis).

[Robin Garr]

Shapiro's

Ha! Looking back at the intro to my review, I wondered how long it would take someone to invoke Shapiro's.

Shapiro's

Ha! Looking back at the intro to my review, I wondered how long it would take someone to invoke Shapiro's.

Having read your review - did you invoke it before me?

I wish we had known that was you, Jeff! I would have said howdy.

One doesn't want to eavesdrop too much, but we were in the booth right next to your table, and it was kind of hard to avoid. Plus, it was a very good and intelligent conversation. You don't always get that in a restaurant.

Likewise! Wish I'd know you were sitting next to us.