Virginia Road Trip Part IV: New York Deli

I went back to Carytown for some lunch and a little bit of shopping. And again I was going on Kurt's recommendations. His one big suggestion for lunch would not have been an obvious one to me in the former Capital of the Confederacy. But in the end, I went to the New York Deli and had a lovely lunch.

The place has character - lots of art deco and bar-style decorations with a counter directly facing a large mirror and well-stocked bar. There were also tables, but after some confusion I just sat at the counter. The woman behind it immediately came to my aid with a menu (talk about service). For a drink I settled on unsweetened iced tea (about $1.50) - this way I could sweeten it with as much sugar-free stuff as possible (sugary drinks do not like my system, sadly). The refills were free (an uncommon thing these days). I had two of these while I waited for my main course, for about, oh, twenty minutes.

For that main course, I ordered one of their oft-requested Reubens (about $8.00) with some fries (again, the waitress' recommendation). I could see why it took so long to make - OMG, it was huge! I doubted that I could finish it! This Reuben had sauerkraut, Swiss cheese on top, cheddar cheese sandwiched in between two kinds of meat, corned beef and pastrami, all on rye bread with crispy, crusty fries and a large pickle wedge. And except for a stray strand of dried-out pastrami, it was delicious. If you find yourself in Richmond for whatever reason, get thee to Carytown and head straight for the New York Deli.

Afterwards I headed back to Baltimore, getting stuck in hhhoooorrrrrrible rush hour traffic about half an hour south of Alexandria. Once in Maryland, though, it was pretty smooth sailing. At least I had these purchases to reflect upon:

• A lemon zester from the Compleat Gourmet for $3. It was certainly a steal because: 1) this place jacks up most of its other prices; and 2) Bed, Bath and Beyond AND Williams-Sonoma have the EXACT SAME THING for $8 and $20 respectively. I also got a vanilla bean for $1.50 and another item that is a Christmas present for my sister, who is probably reading this right now so I can't tell her what it is;
• exploding "bath bombs" from Soak (3 small ones for $12);
• Two old CDs of Crowded House and the Mavericks for $3 each, as well as a DVD of one of my favorite MST3K'd movies, Parts: the CLONUS Horror, ($10, but it's the original movie so no bitchy commentary), at Plan 9 Music;
• And some ice cream to finish my trip at Bev's Ice Cream - Bev's Brownie sundae, with two large scoops of any particular ice cream, whipped cream and two other toppings (one of your choice) all on top of a brownie, goes for $5.50 before tax, just over $6 after (it's the cheapest thing you can buy in order to use a debit or credit card).

And that's it! This whole Jamestown-Richmond trip was a very long time in coming, but it's finally happened, and it was quite nifty. Pictures of Jamestown will follow, but I'll throw in some of Carytown, night and day, here:

This is the delicious and HOT lamb vindaloo from my dinner at Farouk's House of India the night before. The hottest stuff, according to the menu, "will bring you tears". Is it that bad?

Perhaps the most appropriately-named business on the street.

The interior of the New York Deli. That clock advertises A&P.

So... ya got a public restroom?

And there's this last one, with these cute doggies just lounging around, waiting for their owner (No, I refuse to call them "pet parents" - I loves me kitty, and I'd put him on the rescue boat before I got in. But I am his owner! Get over it!)