But so far, the busiest time of day at Russo’s Italian Deli has been lunchtime, when the lines sometimes grow long for a custom-made sandwich of high-quality imported hams, salamis and cheeses. Prices are quite reasonable, with all hot heroes going for $7 each and specialty sandwiches ranging from $7.95 to $9.50. My Cousin Luca — named after a real-life cousin back in Italy and consisting of prosciutto, a chicken cutlet, provolone, lettuce, onion, mayo and olive oil on Italian bread from the Rockland Bakery — is the hottest seller, according to Debbie.
There’s a grill for traditional American breakfasts, and plans are in the works to introduce Italian breakfast specialties like frittatas and potato, pepper and egg sandwiches quite soon. Evening dining is also available, though less busy. “We’re building that,” says Carmine, indicating that evening hours will likely be extended come summer. At present, the Deli is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Who has discovered this new midtown hideaway so far? “We get lots of college students,” Debbie reports, “and lots of senior citizens for breakfast; business people as well. There’s a group of five or six ladies who come in every week to hold some sort of meeting.”
As word-of-mouth spreads that our town’s deplorable Italian deli gap has finally been filled, it’s a good bet that this space will start to fill up at all hours, so check it out now, while there’s still plenty of seating — not to mention free wi-fi service for those who wish to linger for an hour or two with an espresso and a laptop. And if you’re in need of some radical comfort food, try Anya’s cannoli-topped cupcake; it gives new meaning to the term “decadent.”
“We wanted to create something that the community needed, and would give us jobs,” says Carmine. “This corner needed a vision,” adds Debbie. “The building has good karma — it was just stifled!”
