Levy’s Deli impresses with fabulous corned-beef hash, tasty pierogi

Go to Levy's Deli for the corned-beef hash, but stay for the pierogi.

Surely you've tasted corned-beef hash, that old-fashioned deli staple. And chances are good that if you did, it was pretty nasty stuff. While there are a few places around town and in other parts of the country that serve good versions that are made in-house, much of it is canned and mushy. In fact, I've even had some that the server swore was made in-house but that still was mushy, and salty and greasy and just not good and, yes, probably had more than a passing acquaintance with a can.

That is most assuredly not the case at Levy's. In fact, I haven't had corned-beef hash this good since those great old places on Miami Beach died out, victims of gentrification that replaced them with hipster-magnet trendy clubs that charge overinflated prices for watered-down drinks, not that I feel strongly about it.

What was good about Levy's corned-beef hash? That it had big pieces of corned beef, thin-sliced and tender, sauteed with lots of crispy-edged potatoes and enough onion to make things interesting. It was a very generous portion, part of a served-all-day breakfast plate ($8.95) that also included a choice of bread (sesame bagel in my case, lightly toasted with butter, which was quite nice) and potatoes or fruit (sliced tomatoes in my case, after I was warned off potatoes by our waitress who noted that I'd be getting a lot of them as part of the hash, although she ended up forgetting the tomatoes). And the eggs, perfectly over easy so that the yolks ran into the hash. Start the day like that and there's a good chance it'll be a fine one.

My friend was in a lunchy mood and decided on the stuffed cabbage ($12.25), which is more like a dinner since it comes with soup or salad and a choice of side. She decided on soup -- the matzoh ball, which had a substantial, soulful stock that would be good for whatever ailed you. It was a little on the flat side, which is pretty much OK with me since so many restaurants go the other way and over salt, and besides, there was a fair amount of salt in the big matzoh ball, which walked the tightrope between light and chewy very well. Her side was a scoop of well-prepared potato salad, classic Midwestern mayonnaise-based and on the creamy side.

The stuffed cabbage itself came as two big rolls, the cabbage tender from long braising, the meat filling firm enough but still reasonably moist, the tomato mixture cosseting it sort of light but with lots of mellow flavor, and reminiscent of Hungarian style.

But I'm saving the best for last. While I thought the corned-beef hash was good, the pierogi ($5.25) were even better. I grew up in Cleveland, and while others have laid claim to the title, you'll never convince me it's not the pierogi capital of the world, or at least was back in the day, before the church ladies quit making them. And this was church-lady-worthy pierogi, the dough just sturdy enough to enfold a potato mixture that was almost fluffy. And -- the absolute piece de resistance -- it was topped with onions sauteed in butter. These are sold as a side dish at Levy's, but I see no reason not to make a meal of them.

Service throughout was pretty good, the overlooked tomatoes notwithstanding. In addition to warning me off the plethora of potatoes, our server checked on us frequently and generally gave us good service.

For me, though, Levy's is going to pose a problem, because I'm going to be craving those pierogi on a regular basis. Guess I'd better call my cardiologist.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.