By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Food-loving Louisville folks often complain that our city just can’t get a genuine, New York Jewish deli like Shapiro’s in Indianapolis, or for that matter like Katz’s or Sarge’s or the late, touristy Carnegie Deli in actual New York.

I have never quite gotten this. We have excellent Louisville-style delis here where you can get a pastrami or corned beef on rye that gives New York a run for its money. 

But nope, that doesn’t seem to satisfy the deli-hungry crowd. “That’s not autheeeennnntic, they cry. 

Now let’s hail last year’s arrival of Good Belly in the Douglass Loop, a popular food truck landed in the bricks-and-mortar space that formerly housed Silly Axe Cafe. Good Belly’s web page describes this happy place as a “chef-driven, NY deli-inspired sandwich shop. … a scratch kitchen where the ingredients between the bread are made in house – including our corned beef and pastrami!”

That’s a lot to like. I like it! I just hope it’s, well, authentic enough to satisfy the long-suffering deli dreamers. I think I’ve figured out what the authenticity seekers are looking for: Visit Shapiro’s or one of the tourist-beloved Jewish-style delis in New York City and you’ll find gigantic pastrami or corned beef sandwiches literally bigger than your head.

Our sandwiches at Good Belly weren’t that lavish. A hefty corned-beef and pastrami combo stood maybe half that height, but it still supplied two days’ worth of leftovers, and it cost $15, just about half of the $28.90 toll for the mountainous pile of meat at Katz’s. 

Good Belly’s menu is posted on large chalkboards, featuring a dozen sandwiches numbered for easy ordering. Traditional Jewish deli sandwiches featuring combinations of corned beef, pastrami, or both on rye with mustard are priced at $15 or $16. Most of the rest (priced from $12 to $16.25) are New York deli style but not kosher style, bringing together meat and cheese in a blend that’s tasty but frowned on in Leviticus. 

For the record, Good Belly does not claim to be certified kosher. For that matter, neither do Shapiro’s, Katz’s, Sarge’s, or many other famous New York delis.

Good Belly’s sides also bridge the gap between deli-style (matzoh, latkes) and chef creative (watermelon gazpacho and beef tortilla). Specials show off the chef’s imagination, too, currently a choice of Harlem bodega-born chopped cheese and beef ($14); fried mortadella ($13.50), and a Swiss-filled knish ($6.50).

We tried matzo ball soup ($6.25) and potato latkes ($6.50) and were delighted with both. The soup came, like all of Good Belly’s dishes, in a quality white stoneware bowl. It contained only a single matzo ball, but it was the size of a tennis ball, a dense and smooth dumpling with a distinct crumb thanks to its ground matzah meal base. It was surrounded by a remarkably complex clear burnt-orange chicken broth that spoke quietly of onions, carrots, and other good things that might have gone into its construction.

Three sizzling-hot latkes were stunningly good. Thin and flat, finely grated potato and onion retained good texture within a shattering-crisp golden fried exterior. They come with choice of sour cream, apple butter, or both; I had sour cream for tradition’s sake and did not regret it. 

Speaking of skill at frying, fresh-made potato chips that came with both sandwiches are outstanding: Very thin, shattering-crisp, grease-free, with a distinct hint of garlic for our pleasure. 

Torn between pastrami or corned beef, we went with a combination of both (#6, $15). Both are made with beef brisket in a process that reportedly takes 30 days to complete. Pastrami is long-smoked in a procedure that could be likened to Jewish-style barbecued brisket. Corned beef is brined and boiled in salt and pickling spices, then finished with smoke. Slice both meats thin and pile the result a good inch high between rye toast slices smeared with hot mustard on a single sandwich with a tasty house-made dill pickle slice on the side and a pile of those fantastic chips: I challenge you to declare one better than the other.

You might not expect deep thought would be involved in inventing a veggie sandwich (#11, $12), but Good Belly’s creativity shines in the current version. Two thick slices of quality multigrain toast frame layers of soft, earthy edamame hummus; spicy Japanese shiso leaves; crisp, shredded napa cabbage and red pepper fashioned into a piquant slaw, and thick slices of peppery daikon radish. Every bite brings all those disparate textures and flavors together in symphonic excitement. Can you tell that I loved it?

The veggie sandwich changes every month or two, so check in fast if you like this idea. Or come back later and see what the chef can imagine next.

A filling and very well made lunch for two came to $40.01, plus a $10 tip.

Good Belly Sandwich Shop
2216 Dundee Road, Unit 7
322-0300
goodbellylouisville.com
facebook.com/goodbellyky
instagram.com/goodbelly_ky

Noise Level: This is a busy dining room with a lot of hard surfaces that can amplify noise, but an average sound level at 72.7dB was not a conversation killer.

Accessibility: Two steps inside a common hallway bar access to the main level. A rear entrance from a parking area in the back may allow wheelchair access to an upper room.