The first thing I noticed when I bit into a Just Like New York pastrami sandwich from Cecil’s Deli in Saint Paul was the textures. The soft, freshly-baked roll contrasted nicely with the crunchiness of the carrots and lettuce in the coleslaw. Poppy and sesame seeds rolled off the sandwich into my mouth, cracking in my teeth as I bit down. The pastrami was stringy enough so that with each bite, it pulled some of the coleslaw out, spilling over my hands in a not wholly unpleasant way. Not wholly unpleasant because I got to lick it off. The meat was richly flavored, with pepper, mustard seed, and other spices I couldn’t identify.

All in all, a fantastic sandwich. 5 out of 5. Good job, Cecil. And goodnight.

After eating canned soup for two nights previously, the Grant’s Village Restaurant near our campsite in Yellowstone was a welcome treat. When I walked in and saw a sign saying that the night’s special was elk chili, I immediately knew what I was going to get. It turns out, I made a great choice. Unlike Campbell’s, the chili was not too thin, nor was it gloppy. It was advertised as having “just enough cayenne pepper to heat up a cool fall evening,” and they were right. I didn’t even notice the spice until I paused for a second to let it sink in. It was enough to make me reach for my water, but after a minute it didn’t even bother me. If no one had told me that it was made of elk, I don’t think I would have even realized that it wasn’t beef. But because I was paying attention, I could tell that the meat was slightly more tangy.

The bowl was large enough that I couldn’t finish it, and kept some for lunch the next day. It was still good, although the beans became a bit rubbery. The warmth obviously fades, but the heat doesn’t.

This chili was fantastic, especially compared to Skyline.