A Cut Above Deli: Lives Up to Its Name

A few months back, I was talking with a chef friend of mine about covering restaurants in Marple Newtown and he asked me if I had been to yet. I replied, "no."

He went on to describe how it was one of the original delis/sandwich shops in the area. He called it a predecessor to places like PrimoHoagies, Quiznos and Potbelly. He described the high quality meats and cheeses they used, the great bread, the care that went into each sandwich. In fact, he couldn't say enough about this place.

I made a mental note to suggest it to my editor and just recently, I remembered A Cut Above and was delighted when my editor gave me the green light.

I arrived a little after the lunch hour (nearly 3 p.m.) and stood in line with the people of the community—office workers, construction workers, nurses and students. I perused the spotless deli cases with the handwritten signs describing the contents within. "All salads are made on the premises," as is almost everything else. The sandwiches are "built on Sarcone's Bread of South Philly" and the finest roast beef, roast pork, meatballs and chicken cutlets are prepared daily in their own kitchen. 

A roast pork sandwich with provolone and gravy is a quintessential Philly sandwich and when done well is a truly transcendent meal. Remembering all the wonderful things my chef friend had said about this place I ordered a small roast pork sandwich ($6). For bigger appetites, there is also a regular ($8) or a whole ($16). I tucked the warm sandwich bundle into my bag, paid and drove home.

When I unwrapped the pork sandwich the gravy and juices had soaked into the bottom bun and the cheese was perfectly melted. I could see thin slices of translucent garlic and herb flecks (rosemary) throughout the pork. I took a bite and waves of euphoria overcame me.

The pork was ridiculously tender and succulent. The meat was flavorful and multi-dimensional and the gravy soaked bread only added to the enjoyment of this sandwich. I scarfed down the entire thing in about one minute: it may have lasted five or six gargantuan bites, which got progressively larger.

There are nearly 30 hoagies, almost 20 hot sandwiches, along with corned beef specials and a liverwurst sandwich on the menu. You can add sweet roasted peppers, fried hot peppers or even broccoli rabe to any sandwich. Basically, anything you could ever want between two slices of bread is possible here.

Vegetarians need not shy away as the fresh mozzarella hoagie, eggplant parmigiana or veggie deluxe sandwiches are much tastier than the sad vegetarian offerings of other places.

A Cut Above Deli is a fully Philly joint. The whole family of Herr's and Tastykake products (though the company got sold, it'll always be a Philly company to me) line the walls of the shop.  There are Phillies clippings, rosters and more all over. There are multiple refrigerated cases of juices, iced teas and the entire Coca-Cola product line. 

The service is friendly and quite attentive. This is not the type of place where you will be kept waiting while someone chats on the phone with their girlfriend. The space is very clean and sparse, the main event is the food.

"A cut above" is a phrase meaning "superior to," which goes back to the 18th century. I found the sandwiches and service here to be superior to many others—kind of like the Phillies pitching line-up this season. It's a great time to be in the City of Brotherly Love.