Schlomo and Vitos

 The other day after we went to Sonoita. (and also after I turned off the water I had left dripping on my orange tree for 6hrs. Yes I can be absent minded!) We went to Schlomo and Vitos, a New York style deli right here in Tucson. The only other thing I really have to compare it to is Jason's Deli. Let me just be clear I like Schlomo and Vito's much more! It has a sense of style and purpose. The first thing you see when you walk in are the large deli counters. It looks almost like your supermarket. Then you see the desserts. Some of the best pastries you will see in a resturaunt here in Arizona.

The food:  (4 out of 5)

I had the Babbling Brookliner, chopped liver and tounge on rye bread. It was delicious. The flavors melded well (even more so the second day for left overs. Did I mention these are BIG sandwiches?) and the rye cut through the richness leaving a well balanced flavor profile. My wife had the Corned Beef and that was excellent too. All sandwiches come with fries and a side. The fries are fairly forgetable, however the coleslaw I had for my side was wonderful I just wish I had more of it. The desserts are amazing!! They have a sampler platter and it comes with various cookies, rolled pastries and an eclair. We split it among 3 people and still had left overs. The canoli and eclair were my favorite. The pastry's were flaky, light and airy. The cookies were good too, but the macaroons left a little to be desired. For drinks they have the typical soda fare and a full bar. They have some decent happy hour specials on beer and martini's. Over all the food is done well and there is a lot off attention to detail given to the sandwiches. I will have to go back to try their more savory dishes and their huge selection of lox and other smoked fish.

The Place: (4 out of 5)

Schlomo and Vitos is located at Campbell and Skyline across from La Encantada to the south. The decor has a nice sense of style and sticks to the theme with out being tacky or over done. Nice black and white photos of New York decorate the walls, and a large clearly defined seating area, both indoor and outdoors add to the simple charm. A bar also sits along the back wall complete with flat screen to watch the game. You can either wait to be seated or go to the deli for a to go order when you enter. The server was attentive, friendly and prompt. She refilled drinks in a timely manner, but was not overly intrusive. She seemed to have a lot of experience.

The Dollars and Sense: (3.5 out of 5)

The sandwiches are all in the 10$ - 14$ price range for full versions. Half versions are usually a couple bucks cheaper. It makes sense to get the full sandwich, take the rest to work the next day and be the envy of all your coworkers. The happy hour special on "well" martini's was 4$ a decent deal for a decent drink. Its a little pricy compared to some of the other "deli" options but the ambience more than makes up for the price. The menu is huge, the portions are huge, the staff is great what more do you need?

Overall: (4 out of 5) not an average

Schlomo and Vitos was a great experience. I will go back and I will take friends. Its a very authentic feeling concept and probablly the closest you'll get to a New York deli in Arizona. I highly recommend trying this deli out.

The Arizona Foodies

This is it. Finally a real food blog for real food people in Arizona. This blog will have unbiased reviews of restaurants, fast food joints, local dives, and finally food television. We will try to keep our identities secret, we will always pay for our own food and will try to keep note keeping to a minimum in establishments. We will be like superhero's of the food world. Cloaks of secrecy will veil our unbiased love of food. Our waistlines will suffer but this is the price we will pay for you. To seek out the best of the best and guide you to it. For now we will be relegated to the greater Tucson Metro area. We will be open to suggestions so please feel free to help us on this journey. Arizona this is for you!!