It’s funny. Not too long ago, I was with a group of people who were bemoaning the lack of “real” delis in the Twin Cities. Then, as if magically, two contenders appeared.
First, the New York Deli & Bar opened in June on the south side of downtown Minneapolis. And on Monday, September 10, former Solera chef Matthew Bickford and Michael Ryan, former chef de cuisine from Restaurant Alma, will launch a New York-style deli called Be’wiched in the old C. McGee spot at 800 Washington Avenue North (612.767.4330).
OK, so Matthew and Michael aren’t exactly Sol and Abe. But they’re planning to brine and smoke all their own deli meats — pastrami, turkey, roast beef — and serve them on homemade bread. They’ll pile the sandwiches high with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and plenty of spicy mustard. Also, Bickford and Ryan have acquired a strong beer and wine license, which they promise to use for “eclectic and approachable” brews and blends.
“Independently, Mike and I were both working on deli concepts,” said Bickford. “Even though we come from fine dining, both of us felt the pendulum was swinging toward simpler food and lower guest checks. Then we got together and came up with Be’wiched.”
The name is a play on the national trend to abbreviate “sandwich,” Bickford told me, as well as a nod to the current craze for everything occult.
So if you’re in the area, stop by for lunch on Monday to see how the boys are doing. Shout Mazel Tov. . . .or wave a pentacle in their direction. Then order a pastrami on rye.
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