Designation Detr@it
Corned Beef
eaven
Detroit's Hygrade Deli
has been attracting diverse
diners for 60 years.
Steve Raphael I Special to the _Jewish News
estied among Mexican res-
taurants, Coney Islands and
even a ham sandwich shop
sits one of the city's last
remaining full-service Jewish kosher-
style delicatessens.
In some ways, 60-year-old Hygrade
Delicatessen doesn't meet all the
criteria. It serves chili, perhaps to
accommodate the taste buds of its
Hispanic neighbors. And you won't
find matzah balls, knishes, gefilte
fish or lox on the menu.
"We keep it real simple and basic,"
said owner Stuart Litt, 56. "It is not
the type of deli you would find in
West Bloomfield or Farmington Hills."
But, in one key way, it may be the
best deli in Metro Detroit, if not the
world.
"It has the finest corned beef, I
think, on the planet," says Oakland
County resident Lou Fischetti, who
has dined at Hygrade as well as other
Jewish delis in and around Metro
Detroit.
Soups are simple and homemade,
and classic deli sandwiches dot the
menu, such as the Dinty Moore. "We
make everything from scratch," Litt
says.
The restaurant seats 56 people in
an Art Deco, Old World decor, "all
rolled into one," he adds.
It is open for breakfast and lunch
7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday,
and 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. It is
busy enough that Litt employs five
people.
He easily sells 400 pounds of
corned beef per week and, curiously,
not one ounce has ever touched his
lips.
"I don't generally eat corned beef.
I prefer tuna or roast beef or turkey
or salami," Litt said, noting he has
been a "deli guy all my life," starting
as a dishwasher at the Esquire Deli in
Southfield while still in high school.
Hygrade Deli has been at its current
location, 3640 Michigan Ave., one
N
SPONSORED SECTION BY:
block east of West Grand Boulevard
and next door to Mexican Village, for
almost 40 years.
Ups And Downs
The first owner, Nate Stutz, opened
the deli about 60 years ago in the
old Western Market that sprawled
across the 18th and Michigan Avenue
area. The deli took its name from the
nearby hot dog manufacturer Hy-
grade Food Products Corp., the main
tenant in the Western Market.
When Western Market was knocked
down in the 1960s to make way for
1-75, Stutz moved the deli about one-
half mile west to its present location.
In 1972, Bernie Litt, owner of Billy's
Deli at Seven Mile and Livernois,
bought the deli from Stutz. Bernie
eventually turned it over to deli lifer,
son and cook, Stuart. The 87-year-old
Litt can still be found at the deli from
time to time.
In the early days following its move
to Mexican Village, the deli attracted
workers from the now-closed Cadillac
plant and other nearby businesses.
But Detroit was thriving then, at least
relatively so.
"Business is not what it used to be,"
Litt says. "It is tough getting people
to know that I exist. Years ago, the
Downtown crowd knew all about us.
Today the new influx of people at
Compuware and Quicken Loans don't
know I'm here."
Though in a Hispanic neighbor-
hood, Litt estimates that his Hispanic
trade accounts for no more than 10
percent of his business. Suburbanites
working in Detroit account for maybe
40 percent. Carryout is the staple of
the deli's black customers. Hygrade
Deli also has a modest catering busi-
ness. The deli is generally crowded at
lunch.
Two customers who know all about
the Hygrade Deli are current Detroit
Mayor Dave Bing and former Mayor
Dennis Archer, thanks to the pair's
security chauffeur, who is a regular
QuickenLoans
Engineered to Amaze
11 •
Stuart Litt and prior Hygrade Deli owner Bernie Litt, his father, with a
photo of his original Detroit deli, Billy's.
customer, Litt says.
Fischetti comes closest to fitting
the profile of the typical Hygrade Deli
patron. He works in Downtown De-
troit and, by his own estimate, makes
the five-minute drive from his office
twice a month.
"There aren't many places to go
in Downtown Detroit, and once you
discover the Hygrade, you keep going
back," he said.
The corned beef "is always warm,
fresh and juicy," he added. "I watch
Stuart cut it by hand ... he has a
rhythmic pattern. He makes French
toast like my dear, departed mom
used to make. Stuart must have
robbed my mother's cookbook. It is a
personal battle each time that I walk
in, deciding what to eat."
The problematic existence of the
Hygrade Deli was probably highlight-
ed by the TV show Detroit 187. The
producers filmed one episode in the
deli, providing the business with in-
valuable local and national exposure.
But when the lunch bell rang,
the cast was bused about one mile
away to the old Detroit train station
where a catering tent fed their faces,
Litt said.
Litt has given some thought to
moving to the suburbs, but he owns
the building and the property, which
means he would have to cash out
first, and that's difficult with today's
real estate market.
"Going to the suburbs may or may
not be a wise move," he says. "The
suburbs have higher rents and more
competition."
For the most part, it is just a pass-
ing thought.
"I am in it for the long haul," he
says. "I don't mean to toot my own
horn. We have a unique atmosphere
... a unique presentation. I work for
our uniqueness and being the only
deli around.
"People who come here enjoy it for
the food, the atmosphere. I just need
more people to find us." P1
Hygrade Deli:
(313) 894-6620
3640 Michigan Ave., Detroit
December 15 2011 1