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Loeb's New York Deli (Formerly Loeb's Perfect New York Deli), Reopen at Farragut West - Owners David, Steve and Marline Loeb on 17th and I Streets


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I'm surprised there isn't a thread for this place already. I'm no deli expert, but I enjoyed my order of the Park Avenue - corned beef and pastrami on twin rolls with Russian dressing. A great sandwich for the indecisive. The corned beef was good and plentiful, but didn't really wow me. Meanwhile, the pastrami was solidly smoky and flavorful. I also really liked the small very eggy rolls that they arrived on. I'd definitely go back for more of the pastrami.

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I have to second the Loeb's recommendation.

If you're in the mood for a great deli sandwich (corned beef / turkey / roast beef / whatever) dripping with coleslaw or spicy brown mustard, check it out.

If you're really feeling gluttonous, one of their sandwiches comes with a fried egg on top. I wouldn't recommend it if your afternoon plans don't include a nap, but it is definitely an over-the-top treat.

I think their matzoh ball soup is just okay -- the balls are a little dense and the broth not quite hearty enough for my taste... but if you are looking for matzoh ball soup, you'll find it there.

Alex

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From looking at the menu at MenuPix that appears to be the Time Square, with Pastrami, cheese, and special recipe "Russian Dressing".

That's it. The Times Square. That thing made me want to curl up under my desk, but I still couldn't say no.

Glancing at the menu, the other items I particularly enjoyed -- Park Avenue, Madison Avenue -- were each served on two small rolls, making a single order a plate of two separate, identical sandwiches. The rolls were soft, but dense enough to stand up (mostly) to the creamy coleslaw... and at the end, I'd find myself sopping up whatever coleslaw had dripped onto the plate with the little bit of leftover roll from the end of the sandwich. No wonder I had to get my suits altered after nine months of working off McPherson Square.

Enjoy.

Alex

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Can't report on the chopped liver, but I am a HUGE Loeb's fan--I've enjoyed all of my lunches there, whether they included pastrami, roast beef, BLTs, potato pancakes, onion rings, matzo ball soup, or a combination thereof. As a native New Yorker, it may not be the best deli I've ever been to, but it reminds me of the delis of my youth and it's the best I've found in DC. If the downtown lunch club wants to congregate there, I'm game anytime!

The post-Loeb's nap is hard to fight off, it's true...

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I finally made it to Loeb's for lunch today and have to say that I was quite impressed by the flavor of the pastrami and the Russian dressing. The pastrami had a pleasant amount of smoke and just the right amount of fat, unfortunately the texture was too crumbly and at times a bit too dry. This could very well me a one off problem of over-heating, but it really distracted from the great taste of the sandwich.

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Can anyone report on the chopped liver? That one thing I would go out of my way to find if it's good. The Greenwich Village sandwich, on the other hand.......

With a massive jones for chopped liver, I made my first visit to Loeb's today. I have good news. Great-Aunt Pearl is not rolling over in her grave. The chopped liver is good. I doubt it was hand-chopped in a wooden bowl like I used to help Aunt Pearl with, but it was good nonetheless. Much better than Chutzpah's, which is not good at all. The rye bread was pretty flabby, but it held up ok.

The place was hopping. I ran into one of my landsman colleagues, who loves the place. He got a Walter's Special, but he recommended all of the combo sandwiches. So I'd say give it a shot. I will be back, once my cholesterol level settles back down.

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The chopped liver is good. I doubt it was hand-chopped in a wooden bowl like I used to help Aunt Pearl with, but it was good nonetheless.

You are correct; I saw them using an ice cream scoop to get it out of a plastic tub for my Greenwich Village. But they certainly go thru more of that chopped liver than, say, Heidi's Deli.

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Could you elaborate?

If it's as awful as I remember, it tasted like it was made with too few instant chicken-flavored boullion cubes. The broth was watery with a bad chemical aftertaste, and the matzo ball was undercooked. ugh. Not a good experience.

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It has certainly reopened and the entrance is a bit confusing to find, given that it's next to the also-popular Dickey's deli.

It is now a long hallway type of space, with adequate seating space still. It is very efficient, with one half of the grill crew handling dine-in orders (1 line) and the other taking carry out orders (separate line with a tiny pickup window).

My sandwich was fine, but the fries were pretty oily and limp today. I was not happy about shelling $2.39 for these. Not sure if Sweet Potato fries were on the menu before, but they are now offered. Plus, they offer beer and wine too.

The only other thing offered that I am not sure why a NY(-style?) deli would is a lobster roll (do correct me, if I am wrong) --I feel like a lobster roll can now officially be declared trite, since I saw it advertised here AND at Panera today.

And Cel-Ray is the only thing that should be drunk with deli.

There was definitely plenty of Cel-Rays available for consumption with your Broadway, Wall Street, etc. today.

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It has certainly reopened and the entrance is a bit confusing to find, given that it's next to the also-popular Dickey's deli.

It is now a long hallway type of space, with adequate seating space still. It is very efficient, with one half of the grill crew handling dine-in orders (1 line) and the other taking carry out orders (separate line with a tiny pickup window).

My sandwich was fine, but the fries were pretty oily and limp today. I was not happy about shelling $2.39 for these. Not sure if Sweet Potato fries were on the menu before, but they are now offered. Plus, they offer beer and wine too.

The only other thing offered that I am not sure why a NY(-style?) deli would is a lobster roll (do correct me, if I am wrong) --I feel like a lobster roll can now officially be declared trite, since I saw it advertised here AND at Panera today.

There was definitely plenty of Cel-Rays available for consumption with your Broadway, Wall Street, etc. today.

I finally visited the new location with a Loeb's-loving colleague last week. He got his usual, the Walter's Favorite. With a craving for chopped liver, I got a Greenwich Village. Both excellent.

Interesting that they found a location even narrower than the old one, but at least for now it's nice and clean.

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I got a lunch special there yesterday - knockwurst and a potato latke - that I wouldn't order again. The bun for my knockwurst was on the stale side and the sausage itself was non-descript. The potato latke was heavy and dense, much more so than I would expect.

I will return here, because I have to try some of the sandwiches, but I am wary at this point.

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