I liked the attempt at a cult of personality with Perry, and the lunchtime quizzes for those standing in line. But, for a place that spent so much energy designing sandwiches to look enormous and inviting, I never ate anything so tasteless.

I write the previous based on a thought that when I went by there recently it wasn't there -- can anyone confirm? If not, I'll be there Monday and take a look.

It's almost blasphemous to say it in the same breathe, but Manny's is a world better. I don't know if it would really stand up to what I know they've historically had in NY, but the beauty of the Manny's steamtable is really the pace at which food moves off of it. I doubt 'fresh' is the right word, but you can generally eat something steaming hot i.e. just cooked, etc. And the pastrami and corned beef are solid. As much as I've always loved the Northside places others have mentioned, they can't stand up to Manny's.