Gruby's New York Deli - Sandy Springs Georgia

You can find Gruby's New York Deli at 860 Johnson Ferry Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30342 in Sandy Springs near Northside Hospital. There's also a Subway and Moe's in the same shopping center, but I'm not sure why you would eat at either with Gruby's nearby. Parking in the lot is quite busy, I believe mostly due to the UPS Store but luckily there's additional parking in the back.

Gruby's is the closest deli I've found in Atlanta to those famous delis in New York - you can sidle up to the counter and order cuts of meats, sandwiches to go and what you would think of ordering form a typical deli. What makes Gruby's special though are the sandwiches served when seating to dine. These are massive double-layer sandwiches you'll have a hard time finding South of New England.

There's a common line to order and be seated, when busy you may have to stand for a while but there's a mural of NYC overhead to keep you distracted. There are several classic photos of NYC on the walls to keep things interesting. The interior is not posh, however it is very functional and there's plenty of space with some overflow to covered tables outdoors. Once seated the service is very quick and very good. The menu has many options (some are more inclusive to breakfast which finishes before lunch - they do have some breakfast options that are offered all day). I always focus on the House Specialties page.

While I've visited Gruby's many times over the years, I finally spent a few minutes taking these images. I tend to order either the Bronx Bomber (which my friend Mike who grew up in Jersey assures me is the same as a sandwich they call a "Sloppy Joe" up there) is a particular favorite. The other sandwich I like quite a bit is the pastrami Reuben - you can get it just about any way you like it, with pastrami or corned beef. Today I opted for the Matzo Ball Soup as a start and I really should have ordered the half sandwich as I ended up taking half back to work. As a side I went with the slaw - while not the creamy slaw Southerners are used to I felt it more like what I've experienced in NYC - a bit wetter but still quite good and fresh. My dining companion went with an Egg sandwich.
 

The Bronx Bomber is quite good - a combination of Turkey, roast beef (I ordered it rare - something else I like about Gruby's, whether rare roast beef or beef tongue, you can order variations and they don't blink an eye) and pastrami (my preference over corn beef) with a touch of Russian dressing (the real stuff, not that crappy Thousand Island) and slaw. Simply delicious and one of my favorite sandwiches. It comes with a nice Kosher dill spear - I sometimes get the fries but they aren't my favorite (seem to come from a bag?),

The Matzo Ball Soup was very good but may be a bit off-putting to some - the broth has a distinctive garlic taste that some may not like (I love it though). The ball was humongous, light, fluffy and quite good (if you've never tried, it's difficult to get this this size without them being doughy).

Service is quite good but this place is quite busy - at times it can take a while to be served, especially when they're slammed. Still, the sandwiches are worth it.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)

E. 48th Street Market and Deli - Dunwoody GA

E. 48th Street Market and Deli can be found at 2462 Jett Ferry Rd, Dunwoody GA 30338 near Dunwoody Village and Dunwoody Club. There's a J. Christopher's "To Go" place across the street.

I visited E. 48th Street Market without any expectations or recommendations. My dining companions were looking for some place new and something we hadn't tried before. A quick proximity search found this great Italian market with 80+ reviews and 4.5 stars on Yelp. That's always a good start - the other thing to look for is the number of Yelp Elites who have reviewed (Elites are those who have pretty much committed themselves to providing good and plentiful reviews wherever they go - in general their opinions account for about double those with few reviews in my opinion). This is a good method to scout out areas that aren't familiar to me and should work in similar fashion for you.

The exterior of the Market (and shopping center) is quaint with a bit more class than the tired facade you typically find in Dunwoody - if there was ever an area that needs a facelift, this is one. That being said, there were only a handful of places I've found worth visiting in this area - Singha Thai is passable, the dine-in J. Christopher's, a local Mellow Mushroom (mostly due to the spacious back room - great for large groups), Dunwoody Burgers, the now defunct Old Hickory House (those are all down the street off of Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd) and now E. 48th St Market. No offense but I pass on the local C'om (not related to the one behind Lee's Bakery on BufHwy) - it's rather marginal for Vietnamese.

Entering you're provided an expansive wall of Italian wines - there's quite a selection. There are also glass cases with the current viands artfully presented with white boards with the daily picks along with pricing for cold cuts - you can basically just point, pay and go or you can do what we did and have a conversation with the person behind the counter to find out first what's the normal process (which we did - she was very friendly and helpful to us noobs), see what the daily specials look like and if you decide to eat there (small tables in the enclosed patio out front) - they will heat up any dishes that need heating and deliver to your table.

After taking a peek and a calculated discussion we tried the following:

Sicilian Eggplant Lasagna - this is a large cut of reheated lasagna with a bold, meaty tomato sauce. This was good but I found the eggplant rubbery - I won't order it again. It came with a side-salad and a bread-stick so very filling and satisfying. I loved the sauce - worth it's weight in gold to me.

Chicken Cutlet Hero - your basic chicken and cheese sandwich with red sauce - my friend Sangam liked it quite a bit and offered up a taste. I could definitely do that one.

Mozzarella, Red Peppers and Pesto Sandwich - our resident veggie Sidd enjoyed this quite a bit. I can imagine that they would do a fantastic job with the pesto here.

While seated I noticed that one of my Yelp friends had written an expansive review - make sure to read Lindy F. for the real skinny on this place. She loves sandwiches and gives it 5 stars on Yelp. I'm not a big sandwich fan so it's tough for me to do the same with a single visit - 4 stars this time with the potential for improvement on the next visit. I'll keep you posted.


Overall the service was good considering it was a counter order - the food took about 10 minutes to hit the table and it wasn't packed (suspect my Lasagna was the culprit). Paying took some time as the line started to pick up steam (it was lunch time). I'll certainly come back. Next time I'm going for the Muffalette or Italian beef - the former is tough to find in any passable form in this town (for Italian Beef I still go to Mike's Hot Dogs in Sandy Springs)

 (shorter version posted to Yelp)

Aladdin's Mediterranean Grill and Deli - Between Sandy Springs and Roswell

Aladdin's Mediterranean Grill and Deli is located at 8725 Roswell Rd, Atlanta GA 30350 near 400 and the Northridge Dr exit (take the right fork driving West onto Dunwoody Pl and enter the shopping center on your left before you hit Roswell Rd). There's a Starbucks in the same lot as well as an Arby's you can see from Roswell Rd. This is the same shopping center as Circle Sushi (to the left side of the building, closest to Dunwoody Pl). I'm not sure what to call this location - it's South of Roswell and north of Sandy Springs - Northridge?

The word for Aladdin is Terrific - actually if I could have two words, I'd say Terrific and Delicious. Three words your say? Terrific, Delicious and Generous! Usually when I'm feeling like Mediterranean I hit Mediterranean Bakery near my home - or if I'm at work (I work at Northpark near 400 and Abernathy), I head over to Cafe Sababa. If it's a special occasion, I seek Rumi's Kitchen on Roswell Rd (still consistently the best Persian I've found in Atlanta). I feel a bit like a turncoat saying this and no, Aladdin is no Rumi's, but I think the food is better than my usual standbys. Sorry Sababa, but Aladdin just has better food, hands-down.

The restaurant is rather unassuming, with a small room facing the sidewalk to the right of the door for hookah enthusiasts. You walk in and a blackboard to the left lists menu items. Specials can be found to the right of the register where you order, usually on a stand-up board. You can walk down and watch them assembling your food but you may as well get seated and wait for your number to be called. Make sure you grab utensils and your drink (try some of the flavorings to add to your tea - the mint and rosewater create something refreshing and unique).

Speaking of the soup - make sure you try the lentil soup for a great cold-weather treat. It's a great, low-fat way to get your meal started.

I'm also rather fond of the felafel at Aladdin's...

For the pita pocket sandwiches, I've tried the chicken and beef shawarma and the falafel. These come with a side, so every time you come you can try something different!

If you're feeling really hungry, the meals are huge - they come with your meat, a cup of really delicious rice, hummus, Jerusalem salad (tomatoes and cukes in a delicious yogurt with dill) and pita. Prices range from $9.95 for the falafel to $14.95 for the Kabob Sampler. They usually have some rather remarkable lamb chops that I've yet to order, but I've seen the dish and it smells divine! The prices at Aladdin are slightly higher than Mediterranean Bakery and Sababa, but they more than make up for the price with the quantity of food - the portions here are ginormous! When you pick up your food make sure you get a side of their really great hot sauce...

More plates:

The Chicken Shawarma Plate - delicious and what shawarma is all about.

The Aladdin's Kabob Sampler - if you're like me, you want to try everything!

The Shish Tawook Plate - this is my favorite, marinated chicken tenders grilled to perfection!

I've now had lunch at Aladdin a half dozen times and I'm happy to report that they are consistently good and very generous. The staff are very good and happy to accommodate your needs. You get so much that it's fairly easy to split one of the meals between two people - or the pitas are so stuffed that getting a pocket sandwich is an easy choice, especially when paired with the delicious green-lentil soup.

-- John

(shorter review also posted to Yelp)