So, where to start if you want to open a first-rate Jewish deli? For Lee Schear and Carin Solganik, the answer is simple — a road trip to all the great Jewish delis, to learn the ropes. “What we did, we wanted to create a New York-style deli (in Dayton, Ohio),” says Carin Solganik. “So, we went all over the country to visit delis. We went to Second Avenue Deli in New York, which is the gold standard. Went to Chicago to Manny’s, and to Kenny & Ziggy’s in Houston. We went to Corky and Lenny’s, to Jack’s, and to Saginaw’s Deli in Las Vegas.
“They all were very kind and opened their doors, answered our questions. At Saginaw’s they were very generous with what they do and how they did it. So, we really traveled the country and looked for the best of the best. In some cases, we came away with recipes, in others, important ingredients and where to source them. It was a combination of things, the methodology of how they cook things, and where to source what we’d need,” she stated, adding that Lee and she unabashedly appropriated bits and pieces from each eatery.
The seed that grew into All The Best Deli likely came from Lithuania with Schear’s grandfather. A typical Jewish backstory, the grandfather left Northeastern Europe for a better life in America, coming here with a knowledge of the “food business” and not much more. He started with a pushcart, graduating to a motorized cart, and then to a brick-and-mortar food store — Liberal Market — where Lee Schear learned the family business. His interest in a deli sprang from his experience in the market, Solganik says, adding that she recently retired from 40 years in the food business, dovetailing neatly with Lee’s desire to open a deli. Talk of creating a classic Jewish deli led to a collaboration that spawned the road trip, the planning, and the eventual opening of All The Best Deli this past June. In the deli’s materials, it clearly states that All The Best “shamelessly” stands on the shoulders of all the great delis of America and lists them as well.
For Solganik, finding her way in a deli kitchen comes with the territory of a Jewish household. “I learned to cook by working in the kitchen with my mother on Jewish holidays,” she said, adding that the experience has served her well over the years, and especially now. “The salads, the potato pancakes, the soups, all are made from scratch in our (the deli’s) kitchen. Our chicken soup, we make our own stock, and make our own chicken soup (from that house-made stock).
“Our potato pancakes are incredible. We do it all and squeeze out the water (from the shredded potatoes) and use the (potato-starched) water to thicken it — very old school. The pancakes are crispy and a bit thicker too. They are very good,” she stated. So, too, the French fries, which she said are hand-cut, soaked in water before frying, and double-fried for extra-crispy fries that are hot and soft on the inside. Take it from me: if you have not tried double-fried French fries, and you enjoy a good fry, you’re in for a treat.
To die for is the chopped liver, according to Solganik: “People go crazy for our chopped liver and onions. People just can’t believe it — how good it is!”
Solganik stated that the quality of the end product is in part due to quality sourcing. “Our pastrami and corned beef come from Sy Ginsberg in Detroit. The matzo meal is from the Matzo Project in Brooklyn (NY) and all the fish is from Acme in Brooklyn also.”
At All The Best Deli, you’ll find four hot sandwiches, including corned beef, pastrami, brisket, and a frankfurter topped with kraut and horseradish mustard sauce. Solganik described the pastrami, saying it is thin-sliced, piled high, and served on seeded rye that is sourced fresh daily from Dorothy Lane Bakery. It’s a purist’s sandwich, featuring the pastrami on bread, but I’d add Russian dressing or slaw to mine.
In any event, much of what is offered at All The Best Deli is classic Jewish deli food, done in the tasty traditions of America’s Jewish deli scene dating to the late 19th century. Solganik said that the mix of patrons to the new deli includes many from Dayton’s Jewish community, and many who are not Jewish but love a great deli experience. “And we have a lot of people coming from Cincinnati, since we are not that far away,” she said. The deli is located on the south side of Dayton, just off the I-675 circle freeway, not far from I-75, at 5940 Far Hills Avenue, 45429.
See you at All The Best Deli!
