Millburn Deli

The Millburn Delicatessen is confusing at first, because you can't figure out if it's a deli or a party. The workers are having so much fun, the customers are rushing in and out so fast, and the plethora of sarcastic signs and unusual figurines (even on the ceiling) are, taken together, as dizzying as a shot of tequila.

In truth, the deli is a crazy, busy neighborhood institution that since 1946 has been serving up its sandwiches and "world famous" giant sloppy joes which, says a customer, are "really, really good."

There are hundreds of sandwiches (extras include sweet peppers), grillers, subs and paninis, healthy potato chip choices, homemade deli salads, daily hot specials (e.g., hot roast pork) and homemade soups, and, "Scream it LOOOOUUD," the Gobbler, which according to Manager Andrew Morgan is analogous to "the day after Thanksgiving on bread."

In the summer, the tables fronting Millburn Avenue make for good people watching. Shipping, catering (sandwich trays) and gift cards are available if you want to take this party home.

FACT: great deli can only be found in the Northeast. I am not talking about lunch meat pretending to be turkey breast or some kind of scary looking beige, processed crap they call ham.
New Jersey, NYC and Philly are the only cities where I have found good deli, unless your town has a transplant that has relocated from Deli-ville that I don't know about.

I grew up in a predominantly Italian American and Jewish neighborhood. We had 2 delicatessens. Carmella's Italian Deli, that made the best Italian subs w/ Genoa Salami, Mortadella, Cappicolla, Provolone, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions and oil & vinegar, with oregano, of course. Then there was Beck's Kosher Deli across the street. They had fresh hot turkey sandwiches or hot pastrami on rye w/ mustard and a garlic pickle on the side. We kids would take turns after school, crossing the street, never playing favorites, though Mrs. DeFilippo (owner of Carmella's) was the nicest to the kids!

The word DELICATESSEN is of German origin, and means delicacies. These Delicatessens were little places that sold quality meats and prepared goods for takeout. I used to go to the Jewish Deli in Queens as a kid with my grandmother and she would buy knishes, tongue (gross) and other little delicacies that we could open up like little presents when we got home. They also had a pickle barrel heavy with the aroma of garlic & dill, filled with giant pickles. Most delis have since gone. Deli is truly a lost art.

NYC & Brooklyn still have the best, ie. 2nd Ave. Deli, Carnegie Deli, Deli King and others. One corned beef sandwich at these joints will feed 4 people and the quality of meat is fantastic. These guys (& gals) slicing the meats and making the sandwiches are professional deli men. True artists.

Great pastrami is hard to find. I like mine with a little fat and gristle. It is the same cut of meat as corned beef, just a different process. Check out how to make your own pastrami (which I will never attempt).

In Northern New Jersey, we have our very own sandwich called a SLOPPY JOE. This is not the ground beef and tomato sauce that the rest of the country eats, but originated here, and is 3 slices of rye bread, and either turkey, ham or roast beef (you can combine them), dripping with cole slaw, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese. When it's made w/ REAL turkey (not the crap called "lunch meat") then it is a true delicacy.

Today, my brother and I shared a Turkey Sloppy Joe & a hot pastrami w/ brown mustard on thin sliced rye (the bread is sliced to order) at the Millburn Deli, a fantastic deli that is always packed. The photos speak for themselves, so take a number and get in line!

Now to many of you when you hear the words Sloppy Joe you have visions of ground meat in a tomato-ish sauce served on a plain hamburger bun.

Good food for sure but not the Sloppy Joe I am talking about. In Millburn, NJ on Millburn Avenue is a sandwich shop called The Millburn Deli. Their version of the Sloppy Joe is made on fresh, sliced to order rye (yes I said the bread was sliced to order) and your choice/combination of deli meats. There is also a “Friday Joe” created for Lent which is Tuna and Egg Salad. The sandwiches come in two sizes, the regular Sloppy Joe and the Monster Joe. Above is my favorite Monster Joe, Corned Beef Pastrami, Swiss, Cole Slaw and Russian dressing (and butter on the bread).

The Millburn Deli has been open since 1946 and owned by the current owners since 1991. It is one of those places where there is someone who owns the business, but the place is really the community’s. Anyone who grew up in the West Orange, South Orange, Short Hills and Millburn area can recall memories of going to events, etc growing up and seeing Millburn deli Sloppy Joes being served. Just this past weekend my cousin and I rented a zip car and drove from NYC to Millburn just to have Sloppy Joes. This is a very special sandwich and so worth the trip to New Jersey if you have never been.

Readers know that I frequent a lot of good restaurants. So far, in NYC, there are a few that I have returned to for various reasons:

• Shake Shack because it's a great burger option on the cheap side and is especially fitting for bringing my tourist friends
• Penelope Cafe because one was brunch (mmm... Nutella french toast) and one was lunch (fish and chips were surprisingly good)
• Millburn Deli because AG-friend AL lives around the area and swears by the sloppy joes made there

Yesterday I went to visit AL in Millburn again. Last time, I had the Sloppy Joe with Pastrami. This time I had the turkey sandwich with stuffings and cranberry sauce, a.k.a. The Gobbler. I have to say the Pastrami sandwich was much better even though the Gobbler was still very delicious. Anyway, I asked AL to come into the city some day so I can show him some of the best food in NYC that I have already experienced (Mmmm... Di Fara...). Then Katz Deli (Wiki, Yelp, Cityseach) came up. And I thought it would be fun if I did a back-to-back Millburn and Katz sandwich faceoff:

(Note: I know it's hard to compare a sloppy joe sandwich and a classic pastrami sandwich... just bear with me)

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the Sloppy Joe with Pastrami. The above is the aforementioned Gobbler. Overall, the SJ as a sandwich was very good. The meat was fresh and was still steaming when I ate it. The cole slaw was excellent and flavorful - it really balanced out the strong flavor of pastrami. It was one of the best sandwich moments I have had (being from Hong Kong and all) in a long time. There was a sandwich shop in Harvard Square - can't remember the name - that also manufactured sandwiches that were divine. Verdict: highly recommended, even after the 45 minute train commute.

Earlier today, therefore, I visitied Katz's Deli. After a 5 minute wait in a chaotic line (it's more like a free for all... even though they call it lines), I ordered its famous pastrimi sandwich at a ridiculously expensive $15. Luckily, the person preparing my sandwich had run out of pastrami so he went over to the roaster to retrieve a fresh piece of meat and started cutting it. He first gave me a few slices to munch on and then went on to prepare my sandwich. One on rye and one on white, both with moderate musturd (I wanted mine juicy, but he seem to have misheard).

The pastrami was by far the best pastrami I have ever (Langer's, I hear, is a major competitor for that award). Succulent and juicy, the pastrami was easy to chew on and was very flavored - a bit too strong for my tastes but still very good. The musturd helped balance the taste a little but it wasn't enough. Oh, but that thick layer of pastrami...! So good. Verdict: Highly recommended.

Like I said, you can't really compare the two. However, if you told me I could only eat one sandwich for the rest of my life, then the Millburn Deli gets my vote. Overall, the Sloppy Joe is a sandwich with better flavors. To be fair, the pastrami was better at Katz's for sure, but not by a lot. The taste of the Sloppy Joe wins out. Too bad it's 45 minutes away from Manhattan.

By Danielle Elliot

The Millburn Delicatessen could easily change its name to the Millburn Circus. Don’t be fooled by its simple exterior. One step through the door and you enter an alternate universe where employees gobble, toot horns and sing out sandwich orders. Not even slightly daunted by a constant stream of customers rushing in and out, they have enough energy to power a city.

The deli, located at 328 Millburn Ave., has been popular with locals since opening in 1946. There are colorful sarcastic signs and figurines hanging all over the walls—even on the ceiling—and a menu with so much variety it makes your head spin.

As soon as my sister Christine ordered, I figured out what the hoopla, heard constantly throughout the day, is all about. It means someone just ordered one of the signature picks: the Gobbler. A turkey sandwich with all your favorite Thanksgiving fixings stuffed between two slices of freshly baked white bread, it’s nearly impossible to fit your mouth around. Cranberry sauce poured out the sides as Christine attempted to take a bite.

I recommend having some idea of what you want before walking in. The sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps, veggies, specials and desserts are all listed on chalkboards behind the counter, amid the decorations. When you think you’ve seen the whole menu, look up. I totally missed the signs on the ceiling that listed more paninis.

With the constant stream of customers, it was tough to read everything without getting overwhelmed. I finally just ordered the grilled veggie sub because it sounded the most familiar. It was served on incredibly fresh multi-grain bread, sliced right when I ordered. With a hard crust but soft middle, the bread was excellent. The veggies would’ve been better served warm, but there was a good blend and they were topped with fresh mozzarella.

My family has been going to Millburn Deli since the late 1970s, and my uncle always ordered the “World Famous” Sloppy Joe. It’s a triple-decker with your choice of meat, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing on homemade sourdough rye bread served with pickles and olives. In the 20 minutes or so that I was there, I saw at least three customers come in to pick up Sloppy Joe Platters. The platters feed 10-15 people and go for .50. They are a staple at many Millburn family parties.

My mom picked up one of the pre-made salads and asked to add grilled chicken. There were plenty of on-the-run options in case you're crunched for time including salads and sandwiches. All are displayed in the glass cases in front of the counter. There are also daily soup specials, like Mushroom Barley and Cream of Broccoli. I thoroughly enjoyed the Tuscan white bean.

With no indoor tables, we decided to sit outside instead of heading home. It was a nice idea, but it was still a little too cold to be eating outdoors. Without my soup, I would’ve been way too cold. My sister Shawn agreed. She was happy to have ordered a bowl of hot, hearty chili, topped with melted cheese.

As the cashier was ringing us up, I couldn’t resist the bag of homemade granola on the counter. But you might want to. It was overcooked. Stick to the sandwiches, soups and salads and you are sure to be going back again soon.

The best part of the meal could arguably be that all 5 of us ate for less than , including snacks and drinks. Everything was reasonably priced, with sandwiches ranging from -. Party platters of wraps, classic sandwiches and Sloppy Joes are available for .50; Giants Subs go for /foot; and you can also order Veggie Fruit and Cheese Platters (prices vary).

ou probably know the background of the NJ Sloppy Joe and how it differs from what the rest of the country calls the sandwich of the same name. The NJ version is not ground beef in a sauce on a bun. It’s a double decker on rye with a combination of deli meats, cole slaw, Russian dressing and, sometimes, cheese. It’s always cut into multiple sections, not just into 2 halves. Usually you see them on a big platter at parties, carved into squares about 3″ X 3″ X 3″ with a toothpick holding each section together.

The Millburn Deli makes a gourmet version of the sandwich. The 3 slices of rye are thinly sliced fresh to order, meats are of super high quality (fresh turkey, rare and lean roast beef), there is one slice of Swiss cheese, and the homemade slaw and Russian are kind of sweet and thick, gluing the sandwich together. The sandwich could be described as creamy. You order the sandwich by the (single) type of meat you want, for examples, a Turkey Joe or a Roast Beef Joe. The ham Joe, which I believe is the most popular version, is simply called the Sloppy Joe. One unique feature of the Millburn Deli Joe is that it is sliced into 3! sections – picture an oval rye slice divided this way with 2 opposing D shaped sections surrounding the center Wedge. Just as people have various ways they might approach eating an Oreo cookie, there are different schools of thought on whether to eat from L to R, R to L, start with the Wedge, or save the Wedge for last. (There is no toothpick, as the sandwich is only about 1.5 ” tall.) The sandwich has remained essentially the same since I first had one around 1970, even though the ownership of the deli has changed. They used to butter each slice of bread – now, that’s only done on request (by some old timers).

By TAMMY LA GORCE

If the words “sloppy joe,” for you, conjure the image from a can of Manwich, Diana Fluke, co-owner of the Millburn Delicatessen, will be happy to set you straight.

“A sloppy joe is called a sloppy joe because it’s very messy to eat. It doesn’t have anything to do with ground meat and tomato sauce,” she said.

As the deli’s estimated 500 daily lunch customers know, a sloppy joe here means a triple-decker sandwich — ham, corned beef, turkey or roast beef on sourdough rye, with Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing (.50).

The deli seems well on its way to converting those who would make their joes with a skillet. Ms. Fluke has sent her sloppy creations as far as California, where a group of Millburn High School graduates sometimes awaits overnight deliveries. When a sloppy joe is to travel a distance, Ms. Fluke said, the secret is to butter the rye. “That protects it from getting mushy,” she said.

The Millburn Delicatessen does not thrive on sloppy joes alone, even though the Fluke family — Diana, her husband, Ron, and son, Andrew — inherited the specialty when they bought the 1,800-square-foot store (which serves only takeout) in 1991. These days other popular sandwiches include the gobbler (.25), which is “Thanksgiving on bread” — turkey, hot stuffing, cranberry sauce, lettuce and mayonnaise on sourdough rye. For breakfast, the Taylor ham and cheese sandwich on a roll (.25) is a brisk seller.

If you’re wondering why there is sometimes a line of people out the door at 8 o’clock on weekend mornings, though, it’s not for the breakfasts.

“It sounds crazy, but people are lining up for the sloppy joes at that hour,” Ms. Fluke said. “If it’s a football day, they want to pick them up early and get home.” At the Millburn Delicatessen, Superbowl Sunday starts not with a kickoff, but with a stampede.