(ish) delicatessen — Restaurant in Raleigh

It would've been a passable Italian + soda for $10 without tip, but the $17~ you can expect to pay for a sandwich and a non-alcoholic drink with tax (tip not included) is not worth what you get. For the record, whatever service issues there were with other reviewers was not a problem at all when I went to visit. Service was prompt and cheery. I do not regret the tip I gave.

The bread the sandwich was on looked and tasted like it came from the same distributor Harris Teeter uses--light crumb, a slight sweet taste, and it instantly glued itself to the roof of my mouth. In my first draft of this ode to disappointment, I forgot to mention the herbed ricotta, then I realized I couldn't remember tasting it at all. I could see the flecks of minced herbs in the spread, but it was devoid of flavor.

The meats used were correct, at least (not bologna, thank god!!), and in good balance, but I was expecting more than three millimeters of things that aren't shredduce in a fourteen dollar sandwich.

Normally, I'd give a new place a second shot, but given the fact that the owner was there the day I went, and given that nearly every response he's had to the justifiable criticism he's received drips with thinly-veiled anger and resentment, the sandwich effectively had his approval. I feel disappointed, but more than that... I feel lied to. Let's rewind a bit.

In the Before Times--specifically sometime in 2018--a Jewish sandwich shop-deli concept was holding pop-up events hosted in Fox Liquor Bar and at a few other places. I was a regular at Fox's along with my then-partner, and given that I grew up on Long Island, I was wary but interested.

The first time I ate Ish's popup food still remains a fond memory: Piled high on a homemade slab of rustic bread was the pastrami, slowly leaking juices to soak into the bread below. It was still warm from the steamer, bark thick and dark and deliciously seasoned. The 'kraut it came with had the familiar funk of proper home fermentation. The mustard was probably made in-house, too. If you had told me Matt Fern had hand-reared the cow that the pastrami was made from, and lovingly doted on yellow mustard plants until they bore their delicious seeds before grinding them himself, I would have believed you.

I told my friends. I told my coworkers. I told customers at the store where I work. I went back the next time they had a popup that coincided with my schedule and bought the pastrami again, along with their knish, and dragged my then-partner along with me. Once more with feeling: I grew up on Long Island. But this wasn't the food from home--it was better. I keep a special list of my most-loved butcher shops, fishmongers, bakeries and eateries that I hand out to recent transplants from the Northeast. To date, Ish is the only restaurant who has been on the list for years prior to opening.

Imagine my surprise when the deli opened to mediocre reviews. I decided the reuben and pastrami were both likely some kind of supply issue with a common denominator--or maybe even the original recipe was lost during Ragnarok, so I wouldn't be getting it until the situation improved. One disappointing Italian sub experience at another independent so-called deli (who puts bologna on an Italian?!), I decided the perfect remedy -and- litmus test would be an Italian from my long-awaited Ish. Unfortunately, it told me everything I...

There are few things more satisfying in the summer than a proper BLT. Pair it with a soup or a glass of bourbon and perhaps there's no better autumnal luncheon, either. But Ish deli fuses a modern, southern twist on the classic that is absolutely delicious and will leave you full and satisfied until tomorrow... when you crave another one. It's called the BL(FG)T & Blue: Fried green tomatoes, crispy bacon, lettuce, and caraway blue cheese dressing on whole wheat bread.

Things you wouldn't expect go together: golden heirloom tomatoes bursting juicy sweet through the delicate lace of their fried crust, drizzled with a thin, caraway-tinged blue cheese dressing, packed between some lettuce and perfectly crispy bacon curls on two whole-wheat slices. It's a beautiful cross-section and a manageable bite. Pair it with a side from their deli case: I chose burnt ends potato salad, a hearty, lemony, mustardy mix of generous smashed fingerlings and chunks of burnt pastrami ends. There's a cooler with some random beers and assorted bottles of wine so I ordered a white and let them choose one to open for me ($9, unlisted in the menu).

The leaves were falling so I sat at one of the sidewalk tables (there is indoor seating as well), read poetry until my sandwich was served, and felt more satisfied than I had with a meal out in a...

Had been waiting for this place to open up since I saw the construction and rebranding of the location. Went on 8/3 to get some lunch to go as it is so convenient while working from home in Oakwood.

With the menu changing all the time, I didn't know what I was planning to get, and the employee at the counter gave me some great feedback on her favorites. I went with the smoked "bluff" fish sandwich and because I could not decide which side to get, I got all three of them.

The sandwich literally reminded me of the whitefish salad I used to get in NY from when I was a kid and it was fantastic! The three sides were housemade chips that have a different "flavor" either every day or every week but they were great, the pasta salad was on point, but the star of the sides was this squash medley that they had because it was in season and it was AWESOME!

Price was super affordable, staff was amazing (they even let me try a bit of the chicken salad just because), and overall the variety of the sandwiches and knowing that the menu is fluid and ever-changing will keep me coming back for more....

I want to end this review by saying this:

I don't write reviews (Ish) warranted it My first visit was on 8/3 and it is now 12:04 pm on 8/4 and I am heading back to try the next sandwich I had my eye on the first...