Perly’s Restaurant, Richmond, Virginia

There’s a lot to love about Perly’s. It sits downtown at 111 East Great Street, but it’s very accessible, just a few minutes from I-95 via the I-64 west exit. Perly’s is open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Wednesday through Sunday, and they serve breakfast until closing.

Perly’s has been around for over 60 years, and it wears its age gracefully. Appropriately, the television by the counters was tuned to Turner Classic Movies.  There are four-and two-person booths, some stools at a counter, and some larger corner booths. The decor includes … distinctive wallpaper and lots of old photos. And note the pressed tin ceiling.

Perly’s is popular, and we had a 10-minute wait before we were called and given a two person booth. From the chairs outside, I gather that a wait is common. Our Senior Deli Correspondent, Les Wexler, reported enthusiastically from Perly’s here, and you can luxuriate in his memories of Perly’s Jewish Egg Roll, egg creams, and the Jewish Sailor, about which more anon. I was eager to try it, but also was holding back a bit on my ordering in anticipation of a couple of barbecue meals and several parties over the weekend. Do check out Les’s report on a more ambitious visit.

Nancy ordered the Hirschfeld, a combination of lentil hummus and a salad of tomato, red onion, cucumber, mixed lettuces, and a carrot tapenade, all on toasted pumpernickel.   

Here’s a side view.

Nancy chose the creamy coleslaw as her side, and also ordered a side of turkey. There was a brief mix-up as the server brought turkey bacon, but returned with smoked turkey when Nancy asked. She then added the turkey to her sandwich to create her own sandwich. She was very pleased with the result! Her slaw was indeed creamy, but not dominated by the dressing. We wondered if the dressing, which was tasty, included sour cream, but the server checked and explained that it was just mayonnaise “and some other stuff,” but no sour cream. We were happy to leave it at that.

I might have ordered corned beef hash, but I was pretty focused on pastrami, as you will see in a future post. I also toyed with the idea of getting a Jewish Sailor, Perly’s take on a Richmond specialty. The Sailor sandwich was a World War II era creation of knockwurst and pastrami or salami with Swiss cheese much loved by Navy officer trainees at the University of Richmond. Perly’s Jewish Sailor skips the cheese and adds a schmear of chopped chicken liver and pickled red cabbage, and smoked beef sausage instead of knockwurst, all on toasted rye bread. In the end though, I ordered a simple hot pastrami on rye. I like to focus on a single meat at delis. That’s especially true with pastrami, which I only eat in combination as a crown burger. The server asked if I wanted it toasted. I declined, as I much prefer untoasted bread on sandwiches (except Club sandwiches and BLTs), and firmly believe that toasting is mainly a device for covering up stale bread in sandwiches.  

And a side view —

The sandwich came and the bread was a little dry. It also had more caraway seeds that I’ve ever seen, and they buoyed the flavor. The pastrami had been seasoned with a talented hand, and it tasted delicious. It did lean toward toughness, but it was still well-seasoned pastrami, and that forgives a multitude of sins. The sandwich came with a scoop of potato salad that I enjoyed. The potatoes retained a good flavor, and the dressing had an appealing flavor.

I also had a Cel-Ray.   Although I’ve eaten at many a Jewish deli going back to when I was 11 or 12, I’d never tasted Cel-Ray, and it had evaded my consciousness until relatively recently. I’d always passed over Dr. Brown’s drinks in favor of Coca Cola. Celery was something you chopped up and put in potato salad and dishes calling for the trinity, or sliced across and filled with peanut butter or pimiento cheese. It’s my policy, however, to try new things, so I ordered one. For those who have not tried it, Cel-Ray tastes like … celery, only it’s sweet.  Imagine celery stuffed not with peanut butter but with marshmallow fluff.  Well, not that sweet, but sweet. Well, I tried it.

All in all it’s a pleasure to eat at Perly’s. It has such a pleasing atmosphere. I’d really like to go back and try the corned beef hash, and also a tongue sandwich. I wish I’d loosened up and tried the Jewish Sailor. You should give Perly’s a try, and let me know what you think.

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