NeWorlDeli
Sandwich sanctuary will leave you salivating
By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: Oct. 20, 2004
NeWorlDeli makes five or six soups from scratch each day. Here are, clockwise from top, tomato, cream of spinach, clam chowder, broccoli cheese, chicken poblano and, center, black beans marsala. 
Owners Sarah and Greg Bontempo show off a few of their sandwiches, made with bread from Great Harvest Bread Company. They start early each day, preparing from scratch components such as the meatballs, meatloaf, eggplant Parmesan and curried chicken salad. 
Sandwiches are made fresh to order. Some options are a meatball sandwich, left; a meatloaf sandwich, center; eggplant Parmesan, right; and a Reuben, front. |
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Photos by Michael Broadbent/AA-S |
Oh, there are plenty of places to pick up acceptable meat-and-bread couplings that will fuel a few hours. But I'm talking about sandwiches that are constructed with care, with pride in the ingredients.
One such place that I've discovered far too late is NeWorlDeli (think New World Deli) on Guadalupe Street north of 35th Street. There, owner Greg Bontempo clearly cares about a good sandwich.
He starts early each day, preparing from scratch many of the featured components, such as the meatballs, meatloaf, eggplant Parmesan and curried chicken salad. Plus, he makes five or six soups daily.
While his typical sandwiches are far more complex, a simple one shows his concern for the basics: cold meatloaf on white with a thin coating of mustard ($5.95) -- a favorite of mine since childhood. Made that day, the meatloaf (normally served hot on a French roll) was well-flavored and firm enough that it didn't disintegrate on first bite. For the bread, Bontempo uses the admirable Great Harvest Bread Company (rather than some cheap brand), and he has a good, zesty mustard that one expects from a proper deli. Together, those three ingredients stacked up with the best.
The NeWorlDeli Reuben ($6.25), made with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on rye, was thick and messy -- just what a Reuben should be.
As sides, the cream of spinach soup ($2.49 for a cup, $3.95 for a bowl) was smooth and tasty, with shreds of spinach in a medium-thick base. The clam chowder was zesty, with a relatively thin broth and big chunks of potatoes.
While the soups are good, it's the sandwiches that have me salivating.
The curried chicken salad ($5.99), served on Great Harvest wheat with tomatoes, onion and lettuce, featured finely shredded chicken and slivers of red grapes in a strong curry dressing.
It was delicious, one more reason why NeWorlDeli stands out among the sandwich spots.
NeWorlDeli
4101 Guadalupe St.
(512) 451-7170
Rating: Forks Up. Price: Cheap.
Oct. 21, 2004 Reviews:
• Aquarelle
• NeWorlDeli
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