Miracle Mile Deli
If you are ever interested to find out what it is like to eat at an authentic style New York deli, but you are unable to make the trip then I have a place for you. In 1951, a transplanted family from Brooklyn took over Herman’s Corned Beef Junction on the corner of 16th Street and McDowell. Shortly after that section of Phoenix was dubbed the Miracle Mile, and the owners thought it would be a great time for a name change. Thus the Miracle Mile Deli name was born.
Over the years the company grew and is now owned by the family of a one time bus boy that was with the company so long he became the owner and President. The deli grew to several locations, but in the end various issues with landlords and developers made them decide it was time to own the entire package. They opened the new location on 16th street in between Camelback Road and Indian School Road. While locations and owners may have changed the one thing that remains the same is the commitment to serving good quality ingredients and making diners happy.
If you have never been to a true authentic New York style deli, you may not be used to the cafeteria-style order line that is very common back East. As you walk through the line and place your order you get to witness your sandwich actually being made. You have a chance to interact with the cooks and see the care they put into each part of your meal. At the end you will pay and then go find a seat to enjoy whatever delicious creation you decided to order. There is also a large display case of various pies, so be sure to save room for a slice.
We started with an order of Potato Pancakes ($7.00 for an order of 3). They are served with sour cream and applesauce, which is tradition. The applesauce was more on the authentic chunky style and had some great apple flavor shining through. While the order comes with three, they are very large serving size as well. So be prepared and you may want to order one side potato pancake ($3) if you are planning to have a large sandwich as well.
The first sandwich was the Papa’s Club ($11.50). You will have to first decide on one of seven different bread choices for them to start crafting your sandwich. We chose Sourdough bread and then watch them pile high sliced roasted Turkey, Honey cured Ham, crisp bacon, Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. How the bread could stay atop all that while they cut it, is a true mystery. The smokiness of the bacon added that extra pop of flavor that only a good strip of bacon can. You also get your choice of a side item, which is another whole troublesome decision process. As there is potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, and even Jell-O. In the end we decided on French Fries. The sandwich was delicious and the Fries were great. So we felt confident with our snap choices on the ordering line.
The next sandwich we ordered was the New Yorker ($12). This is an amazing sandwich. We decided to have Marble Rye bread for the base of this one, but I would recommend something more substantial such as the Kaiser or Onion roll. You will need the extra bread to hold together an amazing Pastrami sandwich. The Pastrami is so expertly cooked and sliced very thin to make biting through it with tremendous ease. It is also topped with homemade creamy coleslaw, and Miracle Mile dressing, which is similar to a Thousand Island dressing without all the pickle bits. This is a difficult sandwich to hold with two hands, so be cautious when hefting it up to your mouth. For the side item we had decided on coleslaw before knowing how much coleslaw was included on the sandwich. Next time I think potato salad would be a great accompaniment or perhaps even potato chips.
We then were fortunate enough to still enjoy our slices of pie, but it was very close on pushing the limit of our culinary endeavor. The first piece of pie was the Lemon Meringue ($3). Piled high with fluffy Meringue sits some of the best lemon flavor you may ever get to encounter. The sweet and yet tart filling is on a flaky crust, with perfectly peaked Meringue with just the right browning to the peaks. The next piece was a traditional Apple Pie ($3). The flaky and buttery crust held together a perfect apple filling with just the hint of cinnamon. The pies are all served cold, but you may consider asking them to heat up your slice if you like your desserts warmer.
It is hard to travel to different parts of the world to experience first hand some of the wonders that different regions of food give us. It is nice to live in a city that has so many food options available. So the next time I am feeling sad and missing that Brooklyn deli feel, you will find me in line at being thankful for this Miracle.
Location and Website – 4433 N 16th St, Phoenix, AZ 85016 http://miraclemiledeli.com