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For roast beef shops across the Merrimack Valley and North Shore, one thing is certain: They let the beef do the talking.
On any given day, meat slicers get a workout. For customers, the beef is the star of the show.
In Beverly, Nick’s Famous Roast Beef will celebrate 50 years of business in January, and has only focused on beef during that time.
“We just do beef all day,” Eleni Koudanis said.
She owns the landmark establishment with her husband, Nick Koudanis, who was busy manning the slicer during the lunchtime rush one day this week.
The kind of beef they use and how they prepare it has remained unchanged over the years, she said. It’s about simplicity and using the best piece on the market.
Nick’s doesn’t use a marinade. There’s no salt on any of the slabs of black Angus beef flying in and out of their oven over the course of a day. and there doesn’t have to be anything special added to the beef because it speaks for itself, Eleni Koudanis said.
“It’s always freshly cooked and straight out of the oven right to the slicer,” she said.
In the back room, eight slabs were being prepared at different stages.
Some slabs rested for a few minutes, then went back into the oven before taking center stage on the slicers. Others had been sliced in half and were ready for the fat to be trimmed.
Nick Koudanis got to work on his perfect “Nick’s” cut – not too pink, not too well done.
The sandwich is piled with thin, oven-crusted slices before it’s dressed with any, or all, of the three-way toppings: cheese, mayonnaise or James River barbecue sauce.
In the Merrimack Valley, Londi’s North Andover prides itself in its preparation of roast beef.
Owner Akash Saini said they marinate their meat in butter, salt and pepper before it’s cooked for about an hour and 20 minutes.
Londi’s keeps sandwiches more on the rare side.
“We use the highest quality of beef,” Saini said. “We keep it soft, very rare, and trim off all excess well done or gray slices.”
Both shops serve their roast beef primarily on the traditional, staple onion roll for the “super beef” and plain one for the junior size. But nowadays, they offer more varieties of bread to accommodate dietary needs.
“Breads have changed – like the sesame roll,” Eleni Koudanis said. “We don’t do that anymore because there are too many allergies. You have no choice but to change with the times.”
While beef is the main attraction, both shops go through numerous cases of James River barbecue sauce every week.
When asked how many cases he uses a week, Saini smiled.
“It’s definitely around 10 cases,” he said.
James River sauce makes its way on 95% of the sandwiches at Nick’s, Eleni Koudanis said.
She also couldn’t put a number on how much sauce is consumed at the restaurant.
“I couldn’t tell you, but it’s a lot,” Eleni Koudanis said, then laughed.
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By Angelina Berube | Staff Writer
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