Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Big Apple Style Deli Rocks It In Carrollwood

There is nothing like a good deli sandwich. Piled high with whatever cold cut you want, slathered with condiments, dripping with plump tomatoes and chopped lettuce on good ole fashioned baked bread.

I crave this from time to time.

Tampa isn’t necessarily known for its delis. If you are looking for a Sandwich Shop, there are 1000 Cuban varieties to choose from. But what about those New York style delis. Ya know, where Rye bread sits right next to the sliced corn beef and aged Swiss cheese.

Wait, what’s that? Moxie’s, Moxie’s 2, Too Jay’s, and Carrollwood Café & Deli are just a hop, skip, and jump over Ray Jay. I’m there.

I’ll not lie. I’ve been going to Moxie’s on Kennedy Ave for a while and as long as you don’t mind waiting forever and possibly being scolded for too many (um, one) menu variations, you’ll have a good experience.

The sandwiches have always been good. Most are served on Cuban bread, which is not my idea of a NY style sandwich. (Yes, I get it, we are in Tampa, land of Cuban bread, but come on already.) Moxie’s will sub that Cuban bread for anything they have in house, but again, be weary of the scolding eyes and tones you will receive.

They offer creative sandwiches infusing Cuban, NY style, and New Orleans homage.

Then there is Moxie’s Two. I used to go to this location off Benjamin frequently. I’d always thought the same people as the Kennedy location owned it.

I think it’s been sold. It was nothing but new faces this time around.

My experience last week was bad. Bad, bad, bad. Yet, the people were very nice and happy to make any substitution I hoped for.

Perhaps, the Moxie’s of Tampa can get together and help each other in their personal deficiencies.

Too Jay’s at International Plaza was also a place I’d hop in from time to time. At first, I thought it was a chain and avoided it like the plague. I then found out it was a chain, but started in Palm Beach and can only be found in Florida. I can forgive a little if they are staying true to their roots. The food was always okay. Traditional New York style deli with 100 different chicken salads and every pastrami you can think of. But, that chain quality does shine through a bit. You can taste the manufactured-ness in the potato salad. If there were nothing else, Too Jay’s would do the trick.

That’s when I discovered Carrollwood Cafe & Deli.

JACKPOT!

Located in a little plaza on Dale Mabry at 11606, right next door to Outback Steakhouse, sits a genuine New York Style deli. Complete with homemade bread and every soda you could imagine.

The menu has everything from pastrami to tuna salad, all with catchy names like Wall Street Reuben and The Power House. I was in heaven.

I ordered the Deli Trio ($6.50), “the classic combination of kosher corned beef, New York pastrami, Swiss cheese piled high on freshly baked Jewish Rye bread.” My Hubby got the Wall Street Reuben ($6.50), “CC&D’s own cooked corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and 1000 island dressing on freshly baked Jewish Rye bread.” We finished the order with a All Natural Sarsaparilla Soda and an All Natural Black Cherry soda.

Can you say Yum!

My Deli Trio was a good 4 inches high and a good 5 inches in length. The corned beef was sliced perfectly (not too thin, not to thick) and super juicy. The pastrami was paper thin and delicious. There was a perfect ratio of corned beef and pastrami. The Swiss was a good aged Big Eye and sliced just think enough to make the back of your taste buds catch the age. Fresh tomatoes and lettuce garnished an already perfect sandwich. The Jewish Rye was the best Rye I have ever had in Florida. It was soft and flavorful. Perfect.

My Hubby’s Wall Street Reuben was equally as huge, if not bigger. He quickly slathered his with Beaver’s True Grain Mustard. There were a few mustards to choose from on every table. From Honey to Grain and all were really good brands not found in Florida. His corned beef was the same as mine, delicious and the sauerkraut had to have been homemade. The thousand island was a good mix of the old staple. This sandwich was worth way more than $6.50.
Made complete with a side of creamy homemade Cole slaw and a dill pickle spear, CC&D’s has been serving up these New York deli favorites for 10 years, right here in Tampa.

All of the people making this little deli run were very friendly. You could tell who the regulars were because their orders were already on the table before they took off their coats.

Go now! Just get up and go to Carrollwood Café & Deli. Forget about work or the kids or whatever menial task you are doing and go. Then, go back tonight and bring the whole family.

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