There’s something to be said about doing things the old fashioned way. We live in a time of digitalization and hyper-modernization where everything is expected to be new and better. But, sometimes, it is the old ways that truly lead to the best results. This idea might hold more truth in the food industry than anywhere else.

City & Country Deli and Sausage Co. does things the old fashioned way, and they are all the better because of it. The small deli is the child of two of Denver’s most exciting restauranteurs, Coy and Racheal Webb, who are also the owners of the always list-topping barbecue joint, Roaming Buffalo BBQ. City & Country is a return to the days of old, when the neighborhood deli was an essential fiber in the fabric of each neighborhood. The Webbs’ goal in opening the storefront was to encapsulate that neighborhood deli feeling through both atmosphere and admirable dedication to the craft of the delicatessen.

City & Country Deli and Sausage Co. sits two doors down from the Webbs’ award-winning barbecue joint on a busy stretch of Downing Street that, at lunch hour on a Wednesday, is bustling with people all waiting for their chance to delve into some of Denver’s best dining.

City & Country’s doors invite one into a world of delicious cured meats and finely crafted deli selections. The interior perfectly conveys the vintage authenticity the Webbs envisioned for the restaurant. Vintage fixtures, hand selected and restored by the Webbs, line the interior, as does a wall of cutlery that makes one feel as if they have traveled back in time. Inside, warm autumn sunlight pours into the space as music lightly plays and the two deli cooks move about, chopping up huge pieces of meat and serving customers.

Atmosphere is one thing, but food obviously is the backbone of a successful deli, and City & Country does not skimp on the food whatsoever.

First off, everything at the deli is made in-house and includes a rotating menu of meats: pastrami ($16.25/lb), corned beef ($16.25/lb), ham ($12/lb), turkey ($15.25/lb), roast beef ($12.50/lb), cured bacons (Applewood-smoked for $10.50/lb), hand crafted sausages (spicy Italian $2.25/ea), home-made mustards (4 oz $3.25), relishes (8 oz $3.00), side dishes (including probably the best pasta salad (4 oz $2) I have ever had) and various pickled veggies (8 oz $3.75).

This reviewer enjoyed a sampler of the pastrami, turkey, pistachio mortadella ($21/lb), elk bologna ($12.50/lb) and pepperoni ($24/lb). To say all the meats were delicious would be a gross understatement. The pastrami was served warm and practically melted in the mouth, while the elk bologna was perfectly balanced, keeping a hint of game and the wild without being overpowering. The turkey was thick and well salted, which has now ruined all grocery-store bought turkey slices for me. Along with the meat sampler, I enjoyed a sampling of the side dishes, pasta salad and coleslaw being the main highlights. The pasta salad is cooked with housemade tomatoes and ham, and it was a delectable dance on the taste buds.

Obviously, the bulk offerings provide quite an amazing selection, but it is in the deli sandwiches that City & Country really shines. Each sandwich offers a different meat selection with a delicious pairing of veggies, cheese and housemade sauce. Options range from the hefty “Business Man,” hot pastrami on rye with brown mustard, Swiss cheese and pickled red cabbage, to the lighter “Store Clerk,” consisting of roast turkey on rosemary potato bread with Chardonnay Dijon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato.

This reviewer had an “Assembly Worker.” This heaping–and I truly mean heaping–sandwich consisted of cooked corn beef with a housemade Thousand Island Dressing, Havarti cheese and smoked cabbage on rye bread. This sandwich took me back to when I was younger and visited the famous, and soon to be closed, Carnegie Deli in New York City. I finished a massive turkey sandwich at the Carnegie, but I wasn’t able to finish City & Country’s sandwich in one sitting.

City & Country’s sandwiches might not have as large of a serving of meat as the Carnegie’s, but they are such a rich combination of meat, veggies, sauce and bread that they fill you within a couple of large, delectable bites. This is not a negative thing, it just means you get another amazing meal later in the day.

The sandwich, however, was definitely the highlight of the dining experience, as it not only was supremely delicious but also a great way to showcase how multiple homemade ingredients from the deli interact and how mouthwatering that interaction is.

The idea behind the neighborhood deli is one of trust and authenticity. It is the idea that you’re sourcing your meat and other deli fixings from someone you personally know, from a local location that cares about its customers and its image. There is something in the knowledge that a meat was cured/made by local and well-intentioned hands that helps make everything taste better and brighter.

City & Country Deli and Sausage Co. perfectly lives up to this ideal of the neighborhood deli. This relatively new restaurant is a bright and unique spot on Denver’s culinary map, and it is a shining example of how the old way can be the best way.

5/5 stars

Suggestions: Assembly Worker Sandwich, Pasta Salad, Pistachio Mortadella, Elk Bologna.

Hours:

Tuesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.