Deli City Restaurant, Langdon, Washington, DC

Here’s a preview —

Back when I was soliciting views through various media on the best pastrami sandwich in the Washington area, a couple of people, including Steve of Hungry Onion, mentioned Deli City. I’d never heard of Deli City, likely because it’s off by itself in an industrial area of Langdon, at 2200 Bladensburg Road — not my favorite route. Deli City’s not far from the good Costco, the one near Mechos that sells creatively priced wine and liquor. Given the exuberant indeed boisterous way many people drive on Bladensburg Road, it’s easy to miss Deli City, despite what for that stretch is a colorful exterior, even when you drive right by, white knuckled and praying.

I finally made it to Deli City recently. I’d finished my Principal Deputy Nanny — actually Acting Nanny — duties early one day. (My self-defined duties involved a neighborhood chocolate croissant taste comparison by Ella and Lily, about which more soon.) My work complete, I hopped in the car and meandered to Deli City through side streets for an interesting and pleasant drive. Once I arrived, there was plenty of off-street parking, and on-street parking, for that matter. I strolled into a busy restaurant with customers eating and chatting away.

Here’s the procedure. You go to the counter and order.

You then select a table and sit down. When your order is ready, a server brings the food directly to you. You eat, linger, and then go to the checkout to pay. It’s all completely informal. By informal I mean that despite the number of customers, no one ever asks and records your name. No one wanders around with your food calling your name, number, or order. No one gives you a bill. When you’re ready to leave, you approach the proprietor. He asks what you had and then rings it up. You pay and leave a tip on the table. Granted, I may have stood out. I was the only one there wearing an Alabama cap. As far as I could see, though, everyone was treated in exactly the same way. But really, it’s like a small town place in the South, not Washington. How refreshing!

I got in line and when my turn to came after a very few minutes, I ordered a pastrami on rye with mustard, and a bottle of water from the cooler. I was focused. The menu, as I saw after I sat down, is a mix of kosher-style sandwiches, burgers, subs, and the like, plus some attractive Southern specialties. But I was there for a pastrami sandwich and nothing else. (There’d been a recent weight gain.) I sedulously avoided studying the full menu and the specials, lest I succumb. I did slip and saw the word “Tots,” and came within an hair’s breadth of ordering some. I pulled myself back from the brink by adding a bag pf potato chips. The perfect is the enemy of the good.

Next, exchanging greetings with other customers, I moved to a table. I sat down and looked around. Deli City is a lively place, with a lot of cross-table chatter. There were several group conversations in which, uncharacteristically, I did not join. They dealt with the activities and vivid personalities of persons unknown. I was about to jump into a discussion of a celebrity sentencing (3 months for hit and fun that injured four people, one of whom was pregnant), but at that moment, my sandwich arrived.

That’s not much of a view. Take a look at the pastrami inside.

What a fine pastrami sandwich, the best I’ve had within the District of Columbia, and certainly one of the top three or four in the entire region. There was a generous but not Stachowski-like excessive portion of pastrami. Still, there was too much steaming meat for the bread to hold, and Deli City wisely serves the sandwich with a fork. It tasted delicious. The meat was tender, succulent, and well-seasoned, a success all around.

After I finished and went to pay (the total, including our oppressive 10% sales tax, was $14.25). I told the proprietor that I had Ioved the sandwich and asked, “Where do you get the pastrami?” He paused and said, “It’s a secret.” I thought of Faust.

Definitely try Deli City. Definitely. Granted, it’s not in the most salubrious neighborhood in DC, but you’re just there for lunch, after all. The pastrami is … ambrosian, the prices are gentle on the wallet, and it’s a lively, fun place. I’ll make a point to go back during football season when the conversation should be more general. Go to Deli City and let me know what you think. I’d especially like a report on the corned beef.

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