Pastrami? Well if you say so.

With nothing on the docket for a Tuesday evening, I made a spontaneous trip up to Heritage Financial Park, home of the Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. This is a step where future Bronx Bombers like Jasson Dominguez, Ben Rice, Anthony Volpe, and Austin Wells once sharpened their game.

Rolling in on an empty stomach, I was immediately drawn to the “Gotham Deli” just past the gates. Their sandwich menu featured all-stars, including Harlem’s own iconic Chopped Cheese. Tempting, but I opted for the pastrami. That’s when things started to unravel.

First pitch: they were out of Swiss. The counterman offered American instead. American cheese on pastrami? That’s like sending your ace to the minor leagues, and calling up a rookie reliever—you just don’t do it.

Before I could pivot to a backup plan, the pastrami was already sizzling on the grill. Served on marble rye, I was asked if I wanted mustard. I nodded, the same time I was distracted by a text, and that’s when I spotted it: a yellow squeeze bottle of an unfamiliar brand mustard getting squirted on my sando. Not the good stuff.

A small silver lining was. when I asked for a bottle of water, they said it was on the house. Indeed a brief win.

Now for the review: the pastrami had decent flavor, not Katz Deli quality, but definitely a step above Boar’s Head. A bit fatty and a bit underwhelming. At $17, I was hoping for more—a pickle, a dollop of coleslaw, anything to round out the plate. As it was, it did the job. Nothing more, nothing less.

Would I get it again? Probably not. Next time, I’ll give that Chopped Cheese a shot.

And borrowing my co-host’s rating system? This one’s a solid “okayyyyy.”