Best Delicatessen '97

Best Delicatessen

Jason's Deli
5420 E. Broadway

READERS' PICK: Jason's offers every deli creation, from the standard New York-style fare to its very own Southwest Texan flare. Where else in our salsa-saturated town can you order a "Friends and Livers" (liverwurst, pastrami, corned beef and cheese on hot rye); a Turkey Muffaletta (grilled turkey and provolone cheese on New Orleans-style bread); or a "Tejas Wrap" (chicken breast wrapped with avocado, onions, peppers, cheese and pico de gallo)? And the wide array of "heart healthy" selections will satisfy even the pickiest diner. Sandwiches come with a choice of pretzels, fresh fruit, German potato salad or steamed vegetables; and salads are big enough for two. Whatever Jason's does, it's done up right. But one thing is certain: Jason's cheesecake is the best you'll find west of the Mississippi.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: We haven't done a full survey of the landscape, but we're inclined to think Feig's Kosher Foods, 5071 E. Fifth St., is the best kosher diner west of Crown Heights and east of Fairfax Avenue. Only here can a Tucsonan get an authentic Billy Crystal nicely-trimmed-but-not-too-lean corned beef sandwich with a submarine-sized pickle, and all for a few bucks; only here can you get lox that wouldn't make a New Yorker look down in pity. You can even get a genuine bagel at Feig's--and, as bagel lovers know, that's saying something.

A REAL SCREAM: Perhaps better known for inventing modern physics, English mathematician (and cheap lunch enthusiast) Sir Isaac Newton had much to offer by way of gastronomic commentary. His First Law of Thermodynamics states, more or less, that for every new, over priced, chichi cappuccino-sozzled lunch bistro that opens (and closes), a more modest joint like the Sausage Deli, 2334 N. First Ave., will thrive. Why? The eternal verities prevail: good food, cheap prices and cheerful, efficient service. The fabled Italian Grinder has kept 'em coming--and Tucson cardiologists on call--for decades now. There's barbecue, the infamous Susie Sorority, and at the opposite end of the cholesterol scale, a veggie sub for the carnivorously challenged. All that, the outdoor tables, the witty repartee and the best bottled-beer value in town ensures near immortality for this Old Pueblo institution.

1998 Winner: Tie: Time Market + Feig's Kosher Foods
1996 Winner: Feig's Kosher Foods
1995 Winner: Feig's Kosher Foods