The Early Word on Mile End Sandwich in Noho

Two weeks ago, husband and wife team Noah and Rae Bernamoff unleashed their pickled and smoked meats on the streets of Noho with the opening of Mile End Sandwich. The spinoff of their Boerum Hill delicatessen is open all day, serving up sandwiches, soups, snacks, and sides. Most diners love the food, but some people have complaints about the set-up of the space. Here's a look at what people are saying about the new delicatessen:

The Good, But Not Better Than Katz's News: A loyal Katz's fan isn't ready to make the switch: "I've heard so many great things about Mile End Delicatessen in Brooklyn, I was really excited to learn that another sandwich shop was opening up in Noho, about a 10 minute walk from my apartment in Soho. I figured the Montreal-style smoked meat sandwiches might give Katz's pastrami and corned beef sandwiches a run for their money. I ordered a smoked meat deluxe with poutine ($21), which came with a side of coleslaw and pickles. The sandwich was quite good. The smoked beef brisket was piled high on fresh, house-made rye with a smidgen of mustard that complimented the smoky flavor of the meat very well . However, the poutine, a staple in Quebec, was almost inedible. The fries were cold, soggy, and lacked salt; the gravy was virtually flavorless; and eating the globs of cold cheese curd was like chewing on rubber. I had about four or five bites and threw the rest away. I'd probably go back to Mile End to get a sandwich, but Katz's will remain my favorite neighborhood Jewish delicatessen, especially at 3 a.m. after a night of partying on the Lower East Side." [Yelp]

The Bad News: Writer Donna Minkowitz is not pleased with the standing room only concept: "Lack of seating at the new Mile End Sandwich Manhattan makes us feel like cows in a feedlot." She recaps her uncomfortable experience in detail on her blog: "THERE WERE NO CHAIRS THERE. We were supposed to take our voluptuous but ridiculously expensive sandwiches and cram them down our digestive cavities in the time we could muster standing at a long ugly beige 'standing table.' The standing table made the experience of eating comfortable only for a maximum of five minutes. Clearly, the intent was for us to fressdown our food and get out of there as soon as possible, freeing up the space for a new cohort of suckers...My tongue sandwich on pumpernickel was really tasty but tiny, and it certainly didn’t make up for the feeling that the owners didn’t care one bit about my comfort or my sense of being welcome and at ease." [Twitter; Donna Minkowitz]

The Food Coma News: A blogger also requests a chair: "The breakfast burger was amazing; the combination of the veal sausage and fried egg topped with maple syrup made it sweet and savory. It was also incredibly messy and dripping grease and egg yolk anywhere. At this point, I would have really appreciated some form of seating or even a stool or hook for my purse. The food at Mile End is too food-coma-inducing to only have standing tables; it makes you want to sink into a booth and recover before you leave." [Luciafer]

The Breakfast Sandwich News: A tipster on Foursquare raves: "Amazing breakfast sandwich. The bacon has the smokiness of their smoked meat and is out of this world delicious!" [Foursquare]

The Not as Good as the Brooklyn One News: A disgruntled Yelper is sorely disappointed: "First off, it's not the cozy nook that the Brooklyn one is. Instead, it's set up like a fast-food joint, where there's a giant menu on the wall and you line up to order. Mile End kinda lost some charm points here. I really like being served a menu and being able to score a much-coveted seat. And that leads to my biggest let-down. The lack of seats in the dining area forces you to eat your sandwich standing up . The only seat in the house was the bathroom. That's not cool. I mean, if it was Gray's Papaya or something other disgusting cheap joint, then I understand why there are no seats. However, I picked up a $18 combo set that came with my smoked meat sandwich, some pickles, and some slaw. That's no cheap dawg — that's supposed to be a premium sandwich. It was extremely uncomfortable and instead of focusing on enjoying my dinner, I was constantly thinking about how my tired feet could've used a rest...I also think the meat is not as good as the meat produced in Brooklyn...I still love Mile End, but I wish it would bring in some chairs and keep with the quality of the smoked meats from their Brooklyn joint." [Yelp]

The Needs Salt News: An unhappy Yelper reports: "Had the deluxe with the poutine. One comment...SALT!!! There was not enough salt in anything. The red cabbage slaw was not balanced, Too much vinegar. Matzo ball soup again, where was the salt? It was just okay....Friend had the breakfast sandwich and said the bodega around the corner makes a better sandwich at a much better price. I expected much more for the price. Probably will not be back." [Yelp]

The Cures Hangovers News: Hugh Acheson dropped by after his victorious night at the Beard Awards: "Smoked meat sandwich at Mile End and then a cortado at ground support. Me gonna beat this hangover... |:)" [Twitter]

The Great News: Another Yelper is blown away: "Holy crap. The smoked meat sandwich is unbelievable. This is some of the freshest rye bread I have ever had in my life. Small, but packed with flavor and totally filling. So happy this gem from Brooklyn came to the city - especially since it's dangerously close to my office. Cheers, Mile End. Your smoked brisket is better than my great-aunt's. There are no words. (But, may she rest in peace.)" [Yelp]
— Claire Nugent