Editorial
Front Page - Friday, February 18, 2011
River City Roundabout
Big city taste locally
Erica Tuggler
The River Street Deli is one of the longest surviving eateries on the Northshore side of town and offers New York style deli sandwiches, soups, salads and sides that will have your mouth watering.
- Erica Tuggle
If you’ve ever been to New York City, you know that there is a deli on every corner. This trend, far from making visitors to the Big Apple sick of seeing the little shops, brings in the crowds of locals and visitors alike. This is because New York delis do what they do better than anyone else. I’d go so far as to say they practically invented the deli as we know it today.
Chattanoogans are fortunate enough to have a New York style deli right under their noses, offering hot homemade soups, fresh gourmet sandwiches and other deli must-haves at the River Street Deli.
The River Street Deli is so much of a hole-in-the-wall type of place that it may be easy to overlook it at its location on the backside of the Northshore shops, opposite of Coolidge Park. Entering this little deli, it feels like you have stepped into the basement of Chattanooga where all the good and hidden things reside.
Inside, there is wood-cut art on the walls, a large television monitor scrolling scenes of the city and tables filled with those who already know and love River Street Deli. Step up to the deli counter where the specials are on a blackboard beside you, meats are waiting to be sliced for your sandwich and a case full of the daily made pasta, potato salad, vegetables and other sandwich toppings are on display for the customer to choose.
A little further down the counter there is a cooler full of beverages like glass-bottled sodas and cold cans of beer. There’s also a soda fountain and a stand full of giant M & M packed cookies for your sweet tooth.
The River Street Deli has been around awhile, because, once discovered, it’s a safe bet to return for another good lunch. The specials change everyday and include strombolis on Monday, and the Saturday I visited, French Dip sandwiches.
They also prepare killer tasty homemade soups. I got to try a hot bowl of Tomato Florentine soup that was out of this world. It was filled with lots of cheese, spinach and a creamy tomato mixture. Adding a French Dip sandwich to go alongside was a great idea as the steak and cheese in the au jus dipping sauce or in the soup was a filling combination.
If the special of the day doesn’t strike your fancy, try any one of their sandwiches. The half sandwich and soup or salad combo will allow plenty of food, and leave room for desert. The muffaletta sandwich is made on toasted and crispy bakery bread and piled with ham, salami, turkey and smothered in cheese. You just can’t go wrong with dishes piled with cheese.
There are also vegetarian sandwich options and ham or spinach quiches for a lighter lunch. The turkey and jelly sandwich they have is topped with raspberry jam over the thick sliced lunchmeat and is something that everyone must try.
Add one of their diet cherry sodas to the meal, and watch as locals head to the park across from the deli. Depending on this crazy spring like weather, you may even be able to take your sandwich to the park and have a winter picnic.
What better to add to this picnic than the other side options that River Street Deli offers? Their pasta is a picture perfect example of what deli sides should look like. Tossed with feta cheese, spinach and tomatoes, it’s a must try. The staff at River Street Deli are friendly and can answer questions about kosher and dietary needs, and will be sure to find their customers something they can savor. They prepare and cook the sandwiches in plain view behind the counter and are always moving around to keep the steady flow of customers satisfied.
The River Street Deli also offers special dinners on certain occasions. For Valentine’s Day, they prepared a dinner that included oysters Rockefeller, smoked asparagus and bourbon-cheese soup, beef Wellington, sorbet, chocolate truffles with cheese and two sides. Couples who made reservations for this dinner were able to bring their own wine.
Take it from a local who has been to New York City and fallen in love with the delis there: We are fortunate to have such an eclectic mix of people in town and especially on the Northshore of downtown Chattanooga that gives us options like the River Street Deli. Never again will you think of sandwiches the same way when you try the New York flair of this quaint and comfortable local deli.
Email Erica Tuggle at reporter@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
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