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There's A Deli, There's A Bar, and Then There's Carson Street Deli & Craft Beer Bar
If there's one thing out of the many things that I love about Pittsburgh, it's the people. Whether you were born and raised here as a die-hard Yinzer or you found your way to the City of Bridges in another capacity, there's no denying that this city is addicting, from the food to the culture to the way people live and breathe and would die for their city.
Though being a college student, aka a broke college student, aka a broke college student that has too much on her plate (and I'm not talking about actual food) has prevented me from getting out of Oakland as much as I wanted to, there are the rare occasions that I can pull away from my piles of work, writing, and job-stressing and spend time talking and eating with new people and in new places.
I stumbled upon Carson Street Deli & Craft Beer Bar through the food Instagram world, where the deli's witty Instagram (which I found out the owner runs) commented some witty and pun-filled comments on my posts, especially the ones where I don't hide my love for food > boys. I messaged the account, set a day up for me to come in, and learn about the man behind the Instagram and historical dining destination.
Michael Murphy spent a good portion of his life in the finance world. He went to a plethora of amazing schools, both undergrad and beyond, and worked hard in his field. So hard, in fact, that he found himself wanting a change of course at age 55. He needed a new path in life, and he wanted to do something that brought him true joy.
His love for cooking, brewing beer, and consuming both of these things led him to purchasing and taking over the long-standing Carson Street Deli about fifteen years ago, which used to be located on the opposite corner of the street that it now operates on. Mike redesigned the menu to fit not only his taste for good food, but also his taste for a good beer. All ingredients, including bread and beer, are brought in from local vendors and used to create towering sandwiches and serve glass after glass of IPA. Most of the time, the leftover bread is donated to local organizations to serve those who are less fortunate.
As soon as I walked into the establishment with my roommate and best friend, Ariel (who loves a good sandwich as much as I do), surprisingly with the latest Beyoncé album playing as background music, I was greeted by Mike, who told me how much he appreciated my punny captions and my love for New Jersey bagels and pizza; he had grown up on Long Island, so he was no stranger to the amazingness that was a slice of New York pizza.
After talking a great deal, we decided to try out some sandwiches and get a lesson in food and beer pairing. I embarrassingly admitted that I usually reached for a Corona in the summer months, which Mike slowly shook his head to. As much as I wish I knew beer, I just don't! However, Mike went ahead and selected four beers for Ariel and I to try, which he did based off of the sandwiches we picked. We went with the "Carson Street Ruben," which was made on amazing marble-rye bread and served up with Swiss, fresh cole slaw, and russian dressing. We also chose a very different sandwich, called "Three Little Pigs," which was filled with honey baked ham, melted cheddar, North Carolina Style pulled pork, and bacon on ciabatta. Honestly, you could have put that bacon on bread by itself and I would have been over the moon happy.
The menu was so long, I couldn't even pick the sandwiches; Ariel had to help me out quite a bit. The options are all over the map, from a grilled chicken and fresh slaw wrap created and named after his wife, "The Dizzy Lizzy," to the best-selling and award-winning "Balboa," which is an interesting twist on the classic Italian. Mike referred to this one as one for a true meat lover.
The beers Mike hand-picked for us to try ranged in flavor, body, and color, which had me wanting to try every beer on the list. He taught himself how to brew beer and learned through trial and error the rights and wrongs of the process. He loves beer so much that when he and his wife host dinner parties, he is always pairing and picking the beers based on what food is being served.
In between gooey-cheese and bacon-filled bites of the "Three Little Pigs" and the corned-beef goodness of the "Carson Street Ruben," Ariel and I learned through tasting which beers we liked and which we didn't. Though I can honestly say I don't remember the names of the beers, I can say that next time I have the option to drink beer, I will definitely be reaching for an IPA and not a Corona.
As you can probably tell, my newly developed love for Carson Street Deli (and beer) is one that I wish I discovered before my second semester of senior year. However, I can honestly say that I will find every opportunity I can to get one step closer to trying every sandwich on the menu, while learning about beer through drinking it, of course.
Address: 1507 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh
Instagram: @carsonstdeli.craftbeerbar
Recommendations: Carson Street Ruben, Three Little Pigs, any beer on the menu
XO,
Hungrygrl