Three guys walk into the Milburn Deli, a recording engineer, an artist and an access specialist. The sandwich man says, “Is this a joke?”

No it is not!

The first man whips out a pad of paper and a pencil. “This is a head scratcher, fellas. So many choices, only three of us. It’s a deli-emma.” The venerable Joe requires a Venn. That is to come. I need a minute.

In the meantime, MMSMINY, Curtis and LRoy walked into the Milburn Deli. Preemptively I had implored them to guest post. The fellas obliged.

Curtis, James and LRoy outside the Milburn Deli

James (MMSMINYC) weighs in:

JOE REVISITED: A follow-up to my 2008 guest post …

My best friend L. Roy Goldberg and I grew up in Springfield NJ – the town next to Millburn.  Since high school in the 70s, we both have been huge fans of the Milburn Deli Joe.  Since it has been years since our parents passed away, it has been some time since either of us visited our old haunt.  That changed today, as our good friend, “Fun and Pretty” artist Curtis Wallin,  drove us out there from Manhattan.  

Our initial Idea of a jaunt to the Deli turned into more of a pilgrimage, as we not only got our long sought after Joes, but also drove past the homes L. Roy and I grew up in, and visited the graves of L. Roy’s parents on the way back to the city.  While taking pix in front of the house I grew up in, the current owner, who remembered my parents and me, came out and invited us in.  I had always wondered how the house had changed on the inside and was quite surprised to find out that it had changed very little.

But, hey – this is a sandwich blog – right?  

It felt so great to enter the Deli once again and get swept up in the rhythm of the crew behind the counter as they cranked out Joes and other popular sandwiches, including the Godfaddah (chicken cutlet, bacon, fresh mozzarella, Russian dressing on a sub roll, pressed).  

As we left the deli with our weighty order – 2 Turkey Joes, 1 Ham Joe, and 3 homemade iced teas – we were salivating as we entered adjacent Taylor Park to find a shady picnic table at which to chow down most mightily.  

I don’t need to describe the Joe here, since I did that back in 2008 on this blog.  I am happy to report that the superior quality sandwich is nearly identical to the first one I ever had, with the one exception being that the rye bread is now a bit “spongier” than it used to be, which is in no way a deal killer.  We devoured our Joes, washed them down with the iced teas and, with big smiles on our faces, vowed to return.

James Farber (unmasked: formerly JAF – Lisa’s Main Sandwich Man in NY

And from LRoy, the ham man:

It was an eagerly awaited challenge – get the three of us out to Jersey and get our hands and mouths around a Millburn Deli Joe. The planning took months, but we finally made it. Aside from some very garish signage and a hundred new sandwiches with Jersey mobster names, the place was pretty much the same. But would the sammys be the same since the last time I had one (6 years ago? 8 years ago?).

The structure was the same, the layers and layers of rye, ham (for me – the boys had turkey), Swiss, cole slaw, Russian. Cut into three pieces: left, right, wedge.

But wow, could they really have always been this big? So heavy? The bag must have weighed 20 pounds (with the homemade iced tea for each of us, natch). Would we really be able to consume such a monstrosity? The challenge was on and none of us was going to back down – eat or die. Eat and die. And maybe a few weeks sooner because of this Joe (ironic that we visited my parents grave sites after lunch, and James suggested I lie down next to them. Not dead yet).

So consume we did.

We were proud of ourselves (though we did need to hose ourselves down in a nearby bathroom). Has our capacity for gorging ourselves been diminished with age? Should we have split one or two? Would we order it again? Yes, for sure, definitely – but the consensus also was, maybe we should wait a few years, until we digest today’s mighty Joe. Curtis said that afterwards we were moving like we were all in our 3rd trimester. But happy as hell.

L.

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From Curtis, is a Joe fun and pretty?

Is a sandwich as good as a memory ? Sloppy Joe, Milburn Deli 

On Monday I drove out to Milburn NJ with James and L.Roy. They grew up together nearby and wanted to visit the homes they grew up in. No old home tour is complete – in my opinion – without food from your youth to complete the memory.  

When my wife was taking care of my parents in Lansing, MI. I took her to many haunts old and new. When an old haunt is new, your memory starts there. When it is old you bring your senses (dimmed).  At home in Michigan, Jersey Giant had to change their bread, once locally made and fresh daily, and it became a par-baked industrial loaf from Jersey. The bread brought the outside, the first thing that hit your tongue, down. But still, the best quick sandwich in town. The pizza I grew up with was Sir Pizza (my father engineered their early buildings and took pizza as a trade). My favorite pizza then was BROWN BERRIES, until one day a new waitress delivered my MUSHROOM pizza and my six year old brain melted down. (From the moderator: haha.) The Sir Pizza pie was snappy and crisp and our pie was BBQ sauce and sausage. Strangely divine. Until it was not. Time had done it in. 

Back to Monday. After a fine tour of the home James grew up in off we went to the Milburn Deli with an impressive staff that kept the line moving. My guys insisted I go for the Sloppy Joe.  I followed James with the Turkey Joe.

Fresh Roasted, three slices of un-seeded rye, cole slaw, Russian dressing, and a slice of cheese ~ TOPPED OFF with a square of folded wax paper with one pickle slice on top. You guessed it! That moment was my favorite thing about the sandwich.

I must say the sandwich was pretty swell. I have never had this type of JOE and it was juicy, and sloppy and tasty. It is what is an unpretentious taste of yesteryear. 

The rye died on the vine and could have used more flavor to compete and complement the slaw and Russian. My guides informed me that it used to be seeded and more flavorful. Ahhhh yes, that memory.

But this Sloppy Joe was everything it was upsold as – a wet, chewy, triple-decker of joy left alone and not altered to compete with a TIC TOK-ready look that is made ready for seeing on your phone and not tasting.

No this was a memory I got to create, with dear friends through their eyes, and I cannot wait for our next trip, but I must include my wife, she needs to be part of the SLOPPY JOE CLUB.

Curtis Wallin, Monday July 21, 2025, Sandwich eaten 

Addendum from LRoy: It’s been 5 days and I think I’m ready for another.