Carbone's Italian Sausage Deli, which has been slinging mouthwatering meatball sandwiches in north Denver for decades, has temporarily closed.

See also: - Carbone's Italian Sausage Deli is closing...maybe - Red alert: Denver's old-school Italian joints are disappearing - Best Sandwiches - 2011 - Carbone's

"We will be be temporarily closed due to a sickness in the family," says the voicemail at the business before thanking customers for their years of patronage. "Hopefully we'll be back."

But Carbone's matriarch Rosa Lenardo has been warning patrons for months that the deli -- which won Westword's Best Sandwiches for 2011 -- might have to shut its doors, either temporarily or permanently.

"I don't got no choice," she told Westword's Lori Midson back in August. "Nobody in the family wants to do this, and I can't do it anymore."

Westword will follow up on this story next week if we get more information about a possible reopening date.

• Open and Shut Cases