DELIcious Deli

After reading mouthwatering reviews from Erie Blogs, Beard vs. Food, and Erie Times-News, I knew I had to eat at Gerry Urbaniak's 8th Street Deli. (Blogger's note: Woah, lots o' links in that sentence.)

The problem, it's located on the westside of Erie and only open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hmm, that does present a logistical issue for this Eastsider.

Finally, I had an opportunity on Friday with former roomie/current friend Amy when we both had the day off (well, I had a whole day, she had a half day).

And let me just say, in the Erie delicatessen on that cloudy afternoon, I didn't rave about how tasty my sandwich was because I was too busy stuffing it in my mouth. I didn't even offer a bit to Amers. Oopsie.

So what was this DELIghtful (Oh yea. Pun number two.) sandwich, you ask? The Chicago Special: pastrami and turkey, with Swiss cheese and secret dressing, served hot on rye bread.

Sounds good. But not earth shattering (aka blog-worthy).
But wait until you learn this.

Gerry gets his corned beef, pastrami, and turkey from Sy Ginsberg, the same raw meat supplier to Katz Deli in New York City (which is featured in When Harry Met Sally. Yea. That scene. And by the way, I did order the secret sauce "on the side.")

The corned beef and turkey breast are specially seasoned and roasted right there at the deli. And the seasoning recipe for the pastrami comes from Myron Cohen, whose father was involved with NYC's Second Avenue Deli. After the beef brisket is wet cured, it is roasted and smoked, with flavoring that includes pepper, salt, garlic, sugar, ground mustard, coriander and chopped pepper.

While I don't consider myself a foodie, I could taste the freshness, I could taste the roastness (inventing words here), I could taste the quality.

Erie, Pennsylvania is lucky to have this deli which can be easily compared to New York City's -- but at Erie, Pa. prices.

It is open on Saturdays, and while it is hard to pass on a Sara's meal and orange/vanilla twist. Try.

Plus, Gerry Urbaniak's 8th Street Deli has take-out and a deli counter. So you don't necessarily have to do lunch at the Colony Plaza to enjoy these DELIctable (technically, it's spelled delectable) cuts of meat.

Yum!