So when one encounters a business that’s prospered for over two decades, that throughout the years has remained a one-of-a-kind place, a few enhancements here and there but still true to its original mission, you have to marvel.

I first encountered Broders’ Cucina Italiana in 1987 when we moved to the neighborhood from Uptown. Instead of looking out at Embers from the back porch of our apartment, we could now walk around the corner to an Italian deli and pizza place. Sure I’d had pizza before, and even excellent pizza on the East Coast, but Minneapolis had so far disappointed in that department. And as for imported Italian cheeses and meats, and exotic salads and antipasti, ... well, it’s probably safe to say that my gustatory yuppification began with Broders’.

I’m still in the neighborhood if not around the corner any more, and visits to Broders’ Cucina don’t occur as often. But it’s still a consistent delight. It’s harder to find a seat now, and since it expanded its Italian foods selection to packaged pasta, canned produce, candy, beverages, and other comestibles (all or mostly shipped from Italy), it can even be hard to find standing room. Yet when only the best prosciutto will do and when it has to be sliced to your specification there’s nowhere else.

On this particular day, a dreary, drizzly one, there weren’t any crowds to be fought. Their loss; despite the weather, the bright but diffuse light from the ceiling light fixtures reflected off the yellow walls to give the dining area a sunny, cheery feel.

Broders’ Cucina is a deli and one orders accordingly; peruse the goods, take a number, and tell the person behind the counter what you want. I ordered a faro salad and a slice of pizza. The former came with cannellini beans, black olives, red and yellow tomatoes, and caramelized onions, with parsley and scallions thrown in for good measure. Garlic had not been spared either. Some might have considered the beans underdone, but I enjoyed the slightly crunchy texture, especially in combination with the sweet-and-tang of the tomatoes and the onions.

Broders’ typically has two or three pizza pies one can order slices of, usually a plain, a pepperoni, and a vegetable. I almost always get the pepperoni. Once you sample the large, meaty, flavorful rounds, there’ll be no going back to Pizza Hut. The crust is excellent too, New York-style, not too thin and not too thick, simultaneously doughy and crispy. Pasta and sandwiches are also available. I haven’t tried the former too often (see below); the latter include hoagies on baguette which are highly recommended.

We had dessert as well, a piece of a thin-crust rustic peach pie for me, the usual tiramisu for B. Both were good. I ended with an espresso, ordering an Italian cookie with it. The espresso was a large shot, not authentically Italian, but the cookie—sort of an almond version of a macaroon—was imported.

Some years ago, the Broders opened a companion restaurant, Broders’ Southside Pasta Bar, across the street—it’s not open for weekday lunch, so a review is not in the cards. This too has done very well and consistently serves excellent pasta. One might suggest a business consultancy next.

Miscellaneous Notes . . . Broders’ may have the best New York-style pizza in town, but a foodie colleague and Naples native was recently praising the Neapolitan authenticity of Punch. . . . A dinner visit to Muffuletta Café was a pleasant surprise: elegant, inviting, good wine list, very good duck a l’orange. . . . What’s with Chet’s Taverna? On two recent occasions I’ve tried to go there for lunch and it’s been closed. Open up; I’ll promise to come weekly, really. . . . On the most recent of these occasions, I ended up at Sapor and enjoyed another lone-diner-in-the-place experience there; I’ll promise to go there weekly, too. . . .

The above introduction is an act of sheer desperation. The restaurant under review was one that was visited by the Lunch several weeks ago and its review due to (my) laziness, lethargy and other lay about tendencies never got to see the day of light until now. The problem is that by the time I got around to writing this I’d completely misplaced my notes and had to inquire from A as to what I had ordered. The restaurant (or deli) in question is the Broders’ Cuchina Italiana just across the street (50^th) from its more formal sibling, Broders’ Southside Pasta Bar. This is a neighborhood fixture and has stood here for as long as I can remember, which goes back to 1986.

The deli is laid out with plenty of food on display so that the diner may walk around and then order at the start (or end) of the display. The environment is light and airy with color tones that are pleasing to the eye.

I started with an Italian orange soda and followed this with a combination of soup (tomato basil) and spaghetti meatball dish. The soup was served with slices of freshly baked bread and was almost a meal in itself. The Spaghetti was covered with zesty tomato sauce and the meatballs gave me no reason to complain. I tasted A’s pepperoni pizza and had to admit that this was the best tasting pizza I have had in a long time. We finished with dessert. The tiramisu was a tad too dry for my taste but again no complaints.

An excellent inexpensive meal that I wish I remembered more about!

B