weiss deli.

When dining in one of those old-school delicatessens where they name sandwiches after people, my strategy is to go with the sandwich with the coolest name. Thus, my first visit to Weiss Deli, the 3-year-old family-operated joint at Sunset and Green Valley Parkway in Henderson, was highlighted by this gargantuan named Sol Rubin. Brisket, tongue, kosher salami, coleslaw and horseradish sauce. Wow.

Triple deckered on rye with potato salad, this meat skyscraper was so stuffed that after my first slab was gone, I had to deconstruct the next piece to individually sample each animal. The brisket was best, slightly fatty and complemented wonderfully by the creamy horseradish. The salami was the next layer, and it's kosher so think more bologna-ish than the oily Italian salami you're used to. Tasty, though. The tongue was crazy but good: salty, chewy, odd. A tongue and coleslaw sandwich might be fine by itself. Upon further review of the menu, I wish I'd ordered Ceily's Stack, two latkes stuffed with brisket topped with cheese and brown sauce. Damn.

I did manage to fit in a bowl of chicken noodle matzoh ball soup. It was full of tiny noodles, carrots, celery and maybe the biggest matzoh these gentile eyes have seen. Very satisfying, but overall not beating out the west side's Bagel Cafe for my favorite chicken soup. Just not as much flavor, and not as much chicken.

I should be ashamed of myself for not trying Weiss Deli until now. It's been on the list forever. It's also on a stretch of Sunset that contains some other great eating destinations: Layers bakery, Todd's Unique Dining, Bangkok Orchid (Thai) and the Olive (Mediterranean). This is not a newer section of Green Valley/Henderson, but it's pretty strong. Weiss, a small, kinda plain but friendly dining room with ten booths and a half-dozen tables, also serves homemade bagels, hashes, more breakfast (the Kosher Nostra omelet has salami, bologna, onions, tomatoes and muenster), burgers, salads and tons of other sandwiches.