Super bowl...of matzo ball soup - Stevens & Stevens Deli - The sandwiches are amazing too

"I could go for a sandwich", I say to my husband, when he asks what I'm in the mood for.

"You can always go for a sandwich", Nick says, eyes rolling, as he realizes how ridiculous it was for him to even ask.

The answer for me, is almost always, "a sandwich".

It doesn't really matter what the question is either.


"What's the best cure for a hangover?".......A sandwich(turkey)
"What do you want for Christmas?".............A sandwich(roast beef with horseradish)
"What should I do when I'm in Philly?".......(eat)A sandwich(roast pork with broccoli rabe)

I'm no Nobel Peace prize winner but I'm pretty sure strategic distribution of the right kind of sandwiches between waring nations could do some real good.

That being said I'm sure it goes without saying that I like me a good sandwich. Are you looking for a good sandwich? How about a really good bowl of matzo ball soup on the side? My recommendation would be to head to Stevens & Stevens. Good sandwiches? Yup. They got 'em.

Sandwiches are engineering marvels of the culinary world. They're built level by level from the ground up, combining texture and flavor in a fantastic hand held package. And as any good architect will tell you...a good foundation is key. Enter...the bread.

Stevens & Stevens makes their own rye bread in-house. I really don't need to say more.

Now for the guts of sandwich.......

If you're typically an indecisive person you may want to just close your eyes and point to something on the menu because the choices here are staggering. They run the gamut from traditional NY style deli sandwiches to French inspired creations.

And if you can't decide whether you want a sandwich, soup or a salad do what I did and order half of two. At $6.25 you really can't go wrong.

On this particular day I chose a bowl of matzo ball soup(a favorite of mine for sure) and The French Connection sandwich. The sandwich was hot roast beef with melted brie, dijon, greens and onions...all on a foccacia roll.

The sandwich was good, but the star of the show for me was the matzo ball soup. A bowl of rich, flavorful chicken broth caressing a fist-size matzo ball. The matzo ball was fantastic. It was moist and tender yet firm enough to stand up to being submerged in broth. Great flavor and texture rounded out this ball. Sometimes on a cold day I think of making a big 'ol batch of matzo ball soup...but why go through the hassle if you can get a really good quality soup here?

The winning sandwich that day has to go to Nick's. He ordered the Phantom of the Opera and I was jealous. This puppy had hot corned beef and pastrami WITH chopped liver, Russian slaw and some Jarlsburg cheese to add a layer of gooey goodness. He got it on the house made rye(but of course), and it was delicious.

When in a NY deli I can never decide between pastrami and chopped liver. Here they don't make you decide. You can have your pastrami and liver too.

I didn't try any of the salads, although I've heard good things about the Isabella Tortellini.

I would have loved to see a smoked white fish option on the menu but was happy to see a bagel and lox option.

The service was prompt and friendly. The prices were reasonable for what they were offering. I mean, pastrami, corned beef AND chopped liver? $7.95 seems about right.

The best part for me was that Stevens & Stevens offers a little taste of the Tri-State area, here in Louisville. I have yet to find a truly good bagel in town, and I'm still searching for that perfect piece of pizza...but at least I know where I can get some damn good pastrami on rye with a side of matzo ball soup.