Sloppy Joe

Whilst out running some errands in New Jersey, I came across this:

Town Hall Delicatessen, it says. A Proud Tradition Since 1927. Birthplace of the Sloppy Joe. Right there, on the sign, in big letters. That's advertising, folks. In this case, the target audience is me, and it worked. So in I went. 

I grabbed the menu, but didn't read it closely--I kind of stopped when I got to the Sloppy Joe section and the price was $16.00. Reading a bit further...they feed 2-3 people. Great, but I'm only one. I finally found, at the bottom of the menu, the "lighter side" sandwich for $9.00. One of those, please, original. 

This is what came out:

Not what I was expecting, honestly. Like I said...didn't read the menu that closely. They really had me at "sloppy", and kind of sealed the deal with "joe". Checking out the menu a little closer, it explains:

"Sloppy Joes contain two meats and a cheese, three layers of rye, cole slaw & Russian dressing. Choose from one of the favorites below, or create any combination of your own."

My "original" comes with swiss cheese, ham, and tongue. A little different than what I grew up with in Iowa, to be sure, but I'm game. And they have a good story--check it out on the menu, or on their website.

On to the sandwich. It was very good, and I ate it all. No complaints, very nice, thank you. The only problem is a personal preference, probably. I'm not that big on Russian dressing, for sandwiches. It's too big a flavor, I think...it sort of overpowers everything else. In this case, the first taste of the Original Sloppy Joe is definitely all dressing. You get a little bit of the richness of the tongue, and enough of the tang from the cole slaw to go "hey, that's not lettuce", and that's about it. If you think about it hard enough, you can taste the swiss cheese, but the ham just as well not exist. And while you're mulling all of this over, it's all Russian dressing, punching you in the face.

Now, don't get me wrong---there's nothing wrong with Russian dressing. And the Russian dressing made by the Town Hall Deli in South Orange, NJ was very good (the recipe is secret, and has been handed down since the store's opening). I just think it's better suited on, say, a wedge of iceberg lettuce. Somewhere it can shine, as the star, without having to spend it's time blocking out the supporting cast. Lettuce, Russian dressing, and maybe some tomato. Nice. 

All in all, very happy I stopped. Good stuff, and they're keeping tradition alive, which is extremely important. No mention of how the sloppy joe evolved (or devolved, depending on your point of view) into what we know it as today. I'll do a bit more research on that. I just have one other question, I guess: if the recipe is based on a sandwich that was eaten in Cuba, is the Town Hall Deli's really the "original" sloppy joe? Hmmm...discuss.