If you blinked, you might have missed the transformation of the Bread Basket Deli, at Ellsworth and Carpenter, into the new Lefty’s Cheesesteak. Owner Jehad Dakroub, who goes by “JD,” closed for just one week in May before reopening.
Like Bread Basket, Lefty’s is a small, Detroit-area franchise–the original is in Livonia. Dakroub says founder Sam Berry (the titular “lefty”) is “like a brother to me.”
Lefty’s offers traditional cheesesteaks “cooked as you order,” says Dakroub, “and the steak has to be high quality.” Customers of the former deli can also find some familiar fare in the pastrami and corned beef sandwiches.
Not to be confused with the cheese steaks, cheesecakes are also on the menu, including a rainbow-colored “superman” one that’s hard to ignore. “You ever taste the ice cream?” asks Dakroub, “It’s just like that, but cheesecake.”
Lefty’s Cheesesteak, 4003 Carpenter Rd., Ypsilanti Twp. (734) 677-7717. Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. leftyscheesesteakinc.com
