Pittsburgh's Corned Beef Queen Makes Mountainous-Sized Sandwiches

PITTSBURGH, PA — Alyssa Fine starts with the rye bread, then adds mustard and cheese. The size of the bread slices doesn't provide a clue as to what comes next.

Fine goes to her steamer in the Squirrel Hill Market and with a pair of tongs, she puts on a sufficient amount of pastrami or corned beef to satisfy any appetite. But she isn't done. She returns to the steamer and then piles an equally large amount of the meat on the sandwich.

Then she does it again.

Fine isn't finished until an entire pound of meat is crushing the poor slice of rye bread on the bottom of the sandwiches. Then she cuts and wraps what easily could provide sustenance for two or three lunches.

"Sandwiches are the star of the show here," Fine told Patch.

They have been since Fine and her husband, Adam, moved their market a few blocks up the street on Murray Avenue and wisely added a deli counter. Another wise move was putting the food preparation counter directly in the front window space so passersby could gawk in amazement when witnessing the mountainous sandwiches being created.

"We've had more than a few people come in after looking through the window," Fine said.

Squirrel Hill has a large Jewish population, but there has not been a delicatessen in the neighborhood since the Smallman Street Deli closed several years ago. Other delis that used to be in the community, such as Rhoda's and Kazansky's, are but distant memories to most people.

The market is not a full-service deli like those places were, but it also offers matzo ball soup, knishes and potato latkes.

"This isn't the largest space," Fine said of the market that occupies a former taco shop. "But we think it kind of fills a void in Squirrel Hill."