Mandy & Joes, Brighton, MA

328 Washington St
(between Academy Hill Rd & Waldo Ter)
Brighton, MA 02135

(617) 254-9843

Being absolutely jealous of all of the HG options in New York and Chicago at all hours of the day, it inspired me to see what was close by in my neighborhood for some good, hard, deli-style grubbin.

I celebrated a rare weekday off by first going to the dentist, going to lunch, and going to get my taxes 'did.' Let me just say, lunch was the only part of the day where I felt like I wasn't getting my teeth yanked out!

There was an overcast to the afternoon, and the rain started to spit after the dental appointment. Here I was, on Hump Day, just barely holding on to cracking a smile. Mandy & Joe's was a beacon of sunshine on this dreary day.

I mean, look at this 'grandparent's basement' decor: How can this not bring you back to watching Wheel of Fortune with Nana on a February vacation Monday in Wilkes Barre, PA?

I sit down at a low counter at a place frozen in time. I feel I could just say "Malted!" to Brian behind the counter here, and he would say "I thought so, and your usual grilled cheese with a dry tomato and brown mustard, how you like it as well, sir?"

I'd reply with a "'Suppose so...," and this dude already has a blender and his spray Pam both at full blast.

Old men that admire Ian Fleming novels and consider Sean Connery as the 'new' James bond are talking tough stuff in here.

Check out my brah grubbin on eggs here. Fast forward 45 years and this is old Clay grubbin on some yellow scramble.


If you think I'm disrespecting this guy by snapping pics of him at Mandy & Joes, then I applaud you. It's practically all I can think about. This is all about respect and hard grubbin, I am not exploiting my friend here, he just wouldn't be able to understand that if I tried to explain.

I decide on the corned beef when longtime customer Phil walks in and is greeted as I described earlier. "Hey, Phil. We got pie today."

Phil casually, and I am almost certain non-verbally, orders his usual. Phil trades in 2 dimes and a nickel for a fresh quarter and after a trip to the news box, Phil is cracking open the Boston Herald morning edition.

Nostalgia and wondering why people aren't smoking cigarettes in here are not not the only charms of this hallowed diner. Breakfast all day is a major selling point, and there are couples, families, doctors, and regulars filling the seats here daily. I'm sure the menu has not changed in over 10 years, on the philosophy , "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Good strategy.

My sandwich comes. It's a simple thing, really. Corned Beef marbled with fat, my choice of yellow or brown mustard on a similarly marbled rye and white bread. Think pastrami but cold, and picture it on a plate that you remember eating Hostess chocolate cupcakes off of when it was your birthday in fifth grade. I second guess, and fear I may have made great missteps getting to this point in the meal already, but there was no turning back to get the open face turkey plate or a feta omelet. This is exactly what I want. This is exactly what I need. The 4 pickles are enough (though I usually demand more).

What better way to celebrate a good tooth cleaning than drinking coffee with white sugar and gumming up the in-betweens with salted meats and soft bread? I cannot think of a better way.

A quick call over to my H&R Block rep and I realize I have to bounce. The sandwich made it's way into my belly and I'm leaving an 18% tip for Brian before I ride the bike home to get my papers, full of food, and full of an honest nostalgia.

Domaine Marcel Deiss: Alsatian Wines of Distinction

Hey Hard Grubbers. As the other contributors know, I have a particular affection for wine(and it pays my bills!). I have been fully convinced of the European model that wine is not just a beverage, but a foodstuff. Part of the meal and more so a part of the mini celebration that every meal is. Obviously in these fast paced, instant gratification, on-demand times not every meal can be joined by a bottle, and not every bottle a meal, but.....

On Thursday morning I was privileged to meet and taste with Mathieu Deiss, third generation winemaker at Domaine Marcel Deiss (Marcel was great grandpops) in Bergheim, Alsace, France. A young man about your age who explained the domaine's firm commitment to expressing terrior as opposed to varietal charecteristics. Terrior, of which there is no perfect English translation is essentially the coming together of the soil, climate and grapevines in the bottle to suggest a sense of place and perspective. I realize it sounds like some kinda flowery prose, but sometimes tasting a wine, it absolutely smacks you over the head with richness of flavor, texture, amazing aroma, crisp fruit and a togetherness that suggests "there's NO WAY someone could figure out how to make this! It's gotta be a splendid, sublime accident of the highest caliber..." and that's just it..the non-interventionist techniques used by producers such as Deiss are merely the vessel to put forth wine that sings about its origins.

The wines were impressive across the board, but the Premier and Grand Cru's are really the superstars. The entry level stuff is all single varietal (one grape) and covered the traditional Alsatian grapes: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Muscat d'alsace. Each was from a different vintage (2004-2007) and each was varietally correct, but not in a loud in your face kinda way. More of a TLC situation to preserve the delicateness and freshness. These are all delicious and affordable, but on the big guns...

The nicer wines are the ones named after their place of origin. No distinction is made to quantify the blend for the public, as these are wines whose character is totally a product of a specific vineyard site. Much like Burgundy, the quality production sites in Alsace have been well known and locally documented for hundreds of years (Shout to Carthusian and Benedictine monks for starting that trend) and so these aren't simply stumbled upon names. They are carefully chosen and the best fruit goes in to the blends (using numerous varieties apiece just as traditional Alsatian field blends were).

Englegarten 2003--(from the Angel Garden, get it?) Super young for a white wine that's already 5 years old. Has the color of dark hay. Seriously fruity, but with a richness that danced on the tongue. And then the finish: amazing. A hint of acid to confirm structure but just tons of peach and lychee and apricot... Please sir. A bit more if you don't mind..

Schoffsweg 2002- whoa! Seriously looking like liquid gold! Plush and full of delicate fruit (getting some riesling here..) but with more citrusy acid than the Englegarten. Crushed minerals lingered on the tongue and it smells like acacia and wet stone. A bohemoth that probably has YEARS to go until it's at its' finest. Unfortunatley this one's pretty much outta the market. Too bad, but it's too expensive for most Grubbers everyday wine needs, but there is such a thing as a special occasion...

Anyway, the point of this first wine post is just to let you know where I'm coming from in my wine preferences and hopefully suggest places you might want to try adding to yours....