$12 a Lunch: Frances' Deli

If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now: I love Deli food.

It all goes back to my father who grew up in New York and raved about how he could not get a decent pastrami or corned beef sandwich anywhere else. Needless to say, I've kissed a lot of froggy sandwiches along the way.

Frances' Deli has been located in Lincoln Park since 1938, though not in its current location. The modern day Frances' Deli sits in between a string of storefronts on North Clark.

I wandered inside on a late Wednesday afternoon when the dining room was completely empty. The sign in the main hallway said to seat myself and I did. My waitress quickly handed me a menu, but I already had in mind the type of  sandwich I would order: corned beef all the way. I opted for the soup and half-sandwich deal for $8.95 because I assumed that like most delis, Frances' sandwiches would be larger than life.

Frances' Deli's corned beef sandwich and barley and mushroom soup.

My corned beef sandwich, served on challah bread, was huge even as a half-portion. It was stuffed full of tasty cured meat, lettuce and tomato. The plate also came with two sides: coleslaw and a dill pickle spear, in addition to the soup. I opted for the soup of the day, which on this day was a heaping, hearty portion of mushroom and barely. The soup contained carrots, celery and potato. The starch added to the thickness of the broth.

Midway through my meal, I began to feel a bit like Adam Richman, the host of Man vs. Food. While I thought the half-portion would be the right amount, the combination of soup and sandwich weighed heavily on my stomach, but I broke through the wall and cleared my plate.

The corned beef was delicious, albeit slightly dry. Luckily there was plenty of mustard on my table to smooth out the rough spots. The challah bread's slight sweetness was the perfect complement to the savory meat and sourness of yellow mustard. Plus who can resist a side of sweet coleslaw?

Frances' Deli also serves breakfast and creates magic with sundaes and milkshakes, but after a heavy lunch, I thought these dessert items would be best left discovered on another day.

Frances' Deli
2552 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-248-4580
Hours: Mon and Tues 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wed & Thurs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fri 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat & Sun 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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