I LOVE potato pancakes with applesauce, homemade chicken soup (of course), both brisket and corned beef sandwiches, and those thick-cut homemade french fries. I also love the asst'd breads they put in baskets on the table. You can always make at least two extra sandwiches "to-go," with what you can't finish.

What are everyone's favorites?

Matzo ball soup is my absolute favorite, and some nice latkes, perhaps a generous helping of chopped chicken livers and excellent rye bread.

Geoff's tongue and whatever else we had at Harold's Deli Aug.'05

Easy... Corned Beef/Pastrami/Tongue piled high on rye with cole slaw and a bit of russian dressing... and of course Matzah Ball soup, Bialys & Lox, Matzah brei...

My mom loves it all, being an old-school Brooklyn Jew and everything... especially Kashe Varnishkas, Stuffed Derma ( ), Potato Pancakes, Brisket, Chicken (and Calves) Liver ( ), Gefilte Fish ( ), Egg Creams*, and everything I like as well...

...and OF COURSE washed down w/ Dr Brown's Cream Soda

My dad's not much of a fan of most of it, tho, being a very finicky Italian

When I worked in the city now and then I'd stop at Ben's Deli on the way to Port Authority to fill the bus with such beautiful aromas

*I think I might just order some Fox's u-bet for my mom... but where can I get spray seltzer?

I'm starving now!!! I really could use one of these right now

Canned seltzer will do. Unless, of course your mom passed on an anti-jarred phobia to you.

Where the hell am I gonna find a Jewish deli in Indiana?

Or in Ohio?

A brisket on club with brown gravy on the side is my absolute favorite deli sandwich. I also enjoy a good Matzah Ball soup.

And what good is a trip to the deli without ordering a Knish as well as a Hot Dog?

But one of my favorite deli dishes is stuffed derma.

DC, Are you sure you are up for the task on schooling me? Cuz by the looks of things I need to learn alot.

Oh God, I love stuffed derma, DC!

When my office was in Forest Hills, I had it at least once a week at the Ben's Best Kosher Deli, on Queens Boulevard, opposite the Queens Center Mall.

Oh, you poor, poor desperate souls. We'll have to send some Fed-Ex.

PLEASE DO!!!!

There seem to be a few in the Cleveland area, Mig. USA Today calls this one of the country's Ten Great: http://www.corkyandlennys.com/


You may be S.O.L. -- the same search for Indiana just lists Subway locations

I'm telling you, Ben's Best Kosher Deli, on Queens Boulevard. Take a train into Port Authority, shuttle over to Grand Central, then grab the N or the R train to the Queens Center Mall. It'll only take you guys a day or so.

Now there's a deli!

Chicago? I'm an hour away. Chicago seems more eastern European though.

Actually, I stand corrected -- that search site didn't show anything, but that USA Today article lists this, with locations in Indianapolis and Carmel,IN: http://www.shapiros.com/

Indy is 2.5 hours away. Only reason I'm going to Indy is to meet friends or a Colts game.

There you go - meet friends at the deli before a game! lol

We wouldn't know what anything is!

With all this deli talk I just may have to make a trip to Harold's pretty soon.

I'm ready. My belly just about feels up to it.

This damn forum is gonna make us all fat.

Or poor.

I went shopping today and ended up buying pastrami and fresh rye bread for it.... now $10 in the general scheme of things ain't that much, but I (really) only bought it because of reading about it in the sandwich thread.

BTW - Its sure ain't deli pastrami, but Boar's Head brand isn't all that bad. Take 6-8 slices (enough for one sandwich) and put it into a low heated frying pan with a few tablespoons of water. Cover it and let it heat for about two minutes.... drain off the water and its ALMOST like a deli sandwich.

I hope you have good mustard, SC.

ALL RIGHT THAT'S IT!!!! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!! I'M GOING TO WOLFIES!!!!

I don't like either pastrami or corned beef. And I definitely don't like mustard.

Geeez... you sure are picky! Even worse than Sr. Vitelli, and I didn't think that was possible.

I only eat what I like. But what I like....oh, boy, watch out!! My mother always says that God forbid your hand gets in my way when I'm eating, you might just lose a finger!!

SB... SAY IT AINT SO!!!


I love all kosher deli food except tongue.

I'm coming Geoffy. Maybe Don T will drive across the state of Florida to meet us.

The Rascal House in Sunny Isles is still open, so let's go.

It's so hard to take pictures of food and capture the scale for some reason... but it's almost as tall as the soda can

Please take me with you.

Food photography is really an art. They're making a ton of money now, deservedly so.

An overstuffed sandwich is much like a beautiful woman... they're nice to look at but you don't necessarily want to eat one.

That sandwich (above) is TOO big... I understand thats part of its appeal and that you can easily make TWO sandwiches from it and thats what I'd probably do... I'm much more interested in the quality of the meat on it (rather than its size).

That said, Harold's (in Edison, where a group of us went a few years ago) was a very good deli! Rather than just rating it on the size of their sandwiches, the food itself was good and all the little extras (side dishes, pickles and condiments, etc.) were plentiful and decent.

Of course, the company there added just added to the enjoyment of the meal.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! That look so good!!!! I love pastrami.

Btw, is there any other way to have pastrami besides in a sandwich? Maybe a dumb question, but that's the only way I know of to eat it.

TIS

You can fry it up and serve it with vegetables.

Pastrami is really corned beef thats been spiced up... I suppose you could substitute it for corned beef in some other dishes also.

Ahh, I always thought corned beef and pastrami were quite similar. Years ago a co-worker would always make corned beef and cabbage on St Patrick's Day I think???? (is it Irish?) and bring it for all of us to share. It was relly good.



TIS

Corned beef and cabbage is an American-Irish dish.... they rarely use corned beef back in the old country (with the cabbage).

Ummm... If it didn't taste good you think I'd spend $16 on it? LOL But the size is definitely a plus. and yes, of course, it comes with a middle slice of bread, so i eat it in sections -- that "san" is eaten in 2 sittings (well, I actually stand for that one lol )

Yeah - especially if you shake the can before you open it!

My grandmother lived in Coney Island until she entered a nursing home around 1993. She always had the old-style seltzer bottles delivered, so I guess there was at least one company that still provided it back then. I'm not sure about nowadays, though. Maybe someone on the Boards knows more about this.

Sometimes those seltzer bottles had a lot of pressure in them. I'll always remember dinner at my aunt's place in Brooklyn one year - she also had the seltzer bottles delivered. I attempted to fill my glass with seltzer, and it shot out with such force that it ricocheted back out of my glass like Old Faithful and sprayed my grandmother in the face (she was sitting next to me). Everyone laughed hysterically - except my grandmother. She was a rather stern character, but it really was like a scene out of a Three Stooges film!



My Florida memories of Wolfie's were the ones in Miami Beach on Collins Ave., particularly Wolfie's 21. My late uncle was very well-known there and was a regular with his friends. I used to eat there with my parents when I was very young, and later when I would visit relatives. Miss that place - I understand it closed up only a couple of years ago.

I didn't know there was a Wolfie's in New Jersey - does it have a connection to the ones in Florida?

Signor V.

I kinda dought the current Toms River Wolfies has any connection to anything. Many years ago, they were at a different location, and the laughing stock of (at least) the teenagers my age... but they seemed to reverse it all in their new location... and damn, a mighty fine sandwich doesn't hurt!

I doubt there are more than a handful of guys still making seltzer deliveries in the City (if even that many).

My family moved to Sheepshead Bay in 1955; there was a regular seltzer guy who handled our co-op. There were 240 apartments there and almost everyone had seltzer delivered once a week (including my family)... he'd also deliver Fox's UBet syrup (the large bottles) and those heavy seltzer bottles (with the spritzer on top) made making an egg cream absolute joy. He delivered there until around 1970 or so, but by that time most of the kids had grown and I guess the parents didn't want the seltzer delivered anymore.

Still, it used to be funny to walk down the hallways (in the 50's) and see 5 or 6 seltzer bottles in front of everyone's door.

Exactly right SC. If I'm not mistaken, a brisket of beef is cured and spiced a certain way to become a corned beef, and then is cured and spiced up some more to become a pastrami.

They have pastrami here in CA of course, but not every place serves it and it's not as easily found as back East. We have a local chain here called "Farmer Boy" which is an eat-in/take-out place and close to my work. I must admit their pastrami is very good.

However, I've mentioned before, that the best pastrami I've had was while in NYC. I believe it was a "pound" of pastrami and it was absolutely fabulous. If I'm not mistaken, I got it from the Carnegie Deli. Like Geoff said it was about $13 or so, but well worth it.

TIS

When I was a kid my father used to take me to a great Jewish Deli that was on Avenue U and East 12th or 13th street.

They made the best Hungarian Goulash that I ever had.

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't remember that place. I guess because I had Adelman's Deli only half a block away, I wasn't really aware of many other places.

Can you remember the name?

This is going to be bugging me all day now!

Signor V.

The Carnegie Deli isn't as good as it used to be but I'd still recommend it to a tourist wanting to experience a New York style deli (the "ambience", the loud talking going on, the "rushing around" by waiters, etc.).

I used to work across the street from it and would get my lunch from them about once a week.... I'd order two extra slices of bread (they'd charge 50¢) and then divide the sandwich into two when I got back to the office.... so, two people could eat a treat for about $5 each then. I LOVED their pastrami and corned beef but you can get better now from other delis.

I took Beth E. there some years ago (it was her first time going) and she was amazed at the size of the sandwiches.... when they were brought to the table she exclaimed, "Its so big" .... I was about to say, "Thank you", but then realized she was talking about the sandwich.

Many years ago, when I was driving the cab, I got a job one late night requesting I pick up some food from there and deliver it to a printer (where law firm employees were working on an all-night rush job involving some prospectus). As I was waiting for the food a young guy ordered one of their truly SPECIAL sandwiches. I think the thing weighed about 4 pounds and had three different kinds of meat and other stuff on it. The counter guy was wrapping it up and announced that it cost $28 (and this was 1987 dollars). The guy freaked out and started yelling he didn't know it was that expensive and he couldn't pay for it. The counter guy started yelling back at him telling him all about the sandwich and WHY it cost so much. The customer freaked again and ran out of the place (without the sandwich)... the counterman started running after him, cursing him out at the same time.

Only in New York can you be entertained at 3 a.m. by what should be a normal, everyday thing.

Signor, I really don't remember the name. It was right on the corner.


Edit : I think is was something Zion or Zion something.

Not surprising. EVERY subway stop along the Brighton line (Avenue M, U, the Highway, Sheepshead Bay Rd, etc.) had a few good delis near the subway. And most of them had awesome food!

Sadly, they're almost all gone now.

There's a pretty good deli here on Staten Island called Golden's Deli.


The original owner bought an actual subway train car and had it placed in the middle of the deli! He refurbished the inside of it so that customers can actually sit inside the train and have lunch or dinner. The layout of the original train seating is still there only with tables placed in front of those seats. The food is pretty good and the french fries may be the closest thing to coney island Nathan's fries.

The subway finally made it to Staten Island!

Congratulations, pretty soon you'll have hot water and cable television.

This from somebody who's still living in Da Bronx.

I swear you guys have more delis than carter has pills. Sure, we have delis, but believe me, no where near as many as you guys do. They're a dime a dozen there. Here, you need to search them out. You'd probably be lost visiting here and not seeing a deli of some kind at every intersection.


TIS

Six and six, little brother. Okay, more like nine and three, if that . Whaddaya want from me, Florida's too fucking hot in the summer or I'd be there nine and three the other way.

Here TIS, I found one for you in Sacramento :

BOB'S KOSHER DELI

Wouldn't matter, you can take the guy out of the Bronx, but you can't take the Bronx out of the guy.

Thanks DC, but it's quite a drive to the State Capital just to get to a deli.

Just for the heck of it, I did a yellow page Yahoo search for Delis in my city: Came up with one called "Christi's Deli" :/and...about 25 Dominos Pizza. What the heck? Domino's is a Deli now?

Then I tried Jewish Deli and got "0" in my city, however there were a couple in the outer boundaries of my city. See, you guys got it made there.

I'm guessing L.A. probably has a larger number of delis though.

TIS

Aw, you always know just what to say.

Seriously, I guess it's true. I mean, you know I live in Country Club, near the water. You honestly would never know you were in the Bronx (the closest subway is the Pelham Bay Station #'s 4,5,6--over 3 miles from here) but I get in the car on a Saturday or Sunday morning and I'm in Manhattan in literally 15 minutes OR I'm just 20 minutes from the heart of Westchester County. It's really convenient for me.

The Second Avenue Deli was good, but it has closed. I hear, however they may re open at a new location.

I really loved that place, Don T. Just the other day, I made a post about the Veleska diner, a Ukrainian joint on E. 9th and Second Avenue, it's like five doors away from the old 2nd Avenue Deli. After the owner--Abe Lebewohl was murdered, the heart went out of the place. A real shame, too. He was a very sweet man.

Actually, not any more, TIS. When I was growing up, Jews constituted almost a third of residents of the five boroughs of NYC. In my old neighborhood, Brownsville Brooklyn, there was a kosher deli literally on every corner. Today the Jewish population has shifted elsewhere, and they've discovered Chinese and Italian food.
Meanwhile, the population as a whole has embraced Jewish deli (as seen in this thread). You can get decent "Kosher-style" corned beef, pastrami, tongue, brisket and matzoh ball soup in plenty of places, not all of them in Jewish-operated restaurants. But the hardest-to-get authentic Jewish soul food is really good derma (kishka). I'm talking about the derma that's grayish-brown, not bright orange; firm-textured, not mushy, and that comes with gravy that's actually viscous, not like spackle. Try finding that today.

My father LOVED Deli food and went crazy for stuffed Derma. That's how I learned how to eat it.

And you're so right Turnbull. The Stuffed Derma that you find today is nothing compared to how it was made years ago. Although Harold's Deli in Edison makes a pretty good Suffed Derma with excellent non "spakle like" gravy.


When I was growing up Kings Highway, from the lower west streets all the way up to the high east streets, seemed to have a Jewish Deli on every corner. And one was better than the next!

Is that Harold's Deli in Edison the same one that used to be in Parsippany? Last time I ate there I got deathly ill.

You're right about a deli on every corner in Brooklyn. Now there's a bodega on every corner.

The Harold's in Parsippany is NOT owned by the same Harold in Edison. We ate there once after seeing a show at the Meadowlands. Disgustingly horrible.

Yes, on Third Avenue! But, I understand that the name will remain the same. ("Da name stays like-a before!")

Heard this a few weeks ago on local radio.



Also, a new type of food shop has proliferated in Brooklyn - the "International Food" store. (International = Russian)

They are not sit-down restaurants. They are stores dealing in cold cuts, cheeses and (sometimes) fish, with canned goods and mysterious things in jars. Lots of Russian prepared stuff, and seldom anyone in the place who speaks English. These stores are all independent, but seem to invariably have the words "International Foods" on their signs. Signs in the windows are usually in Russian. Americans almost never go into these places.

Oh well...at least there's still Edelman's.

And, before I forget, there's another Kosher Jewish deli not far from the Kings Plaza Mall - the Mill Basin Deli & Art Gallery (yes, you read that right).

Signor V.

Jerry Seinfeld, when asked, "What's kishka?"

Seinfeld: "It's kind of a stuffed meat thing. Israeli soldiers carry it, in case they're captured behind enemy lines. They eat it, and it kills them."

One of the things I love best about Jewish delis is all the free goodies they put on the table.... pickles, cole slaw, etc.

How ironic that this topic was revised and on the top. Just came back from Golden's Deli and had 2 Hebrew Nationals with mustard and onions.

Were they blondes or brunettes?

From around 40 years ago, here's a classic from MAD Magazine:

(Sung to the tune of "Hello Dolly")

Hello, Deli,
This is Joe, Deli,
Would you please send up a nice corned beef on rye?

A box of Ritz, Deli,
And some Schlitz, Deli,
Some chopped liver and a sliver of your...apple pie.

Turkey legs, Deli,
Hard boiled eggs, Deli,
With tomatoes and potatoes you French fry.

Oh...

Please don't be late, Deli,
'Cause I can't wait, Deli,
Deli, without breakfast I will die!



Signor V.

OK, completely off topic, but years ago when I listened to Howard Stern, he had sent an intern out to do one of the show's famous "mock" interviews. The subject that day was Richard Gere, who is always crowing about his devotion to the Dali Lama.

The question asked of Gere? "Do you ever go up to him and say 'Hello, Dali!'"?

Redheads!

How were their buns?

Soft but firm.

No dimples huh?

My son and I went out for lunch today and we tried this New Jewish Style Deli that opened here on Staten Island about 6 months ago called VINTAGE DELI . It was out of this world delicious! Now some of you know that I love Harold's Deli over in Edison, but I have to say, while Harold's give you a ridiculously large amount of food, this place gives you pretty large portions also ( not like Harold's, but large enough), and the quality of their meats blows Harold's out of the water! Excellent.

And the dessert display looked awesome. They had what's called a 5th Ave Bar Cake that I will definitely try the next time that I go back. It looked delicious.

I love cake. I may go bake one now that you posted that.

Then you'll definitely have to make a trip out to Staten Island to try this new Deli. The quality of the meat was excellent. I know that you favor Pastrami, which my son had yesterday. He said that it was so juicy and tender. And my Brisket just fell apart everytime I bit into it. That's how tender and juicy it was.

The fries are home made hand cut and were fantastic.

They make these HUGE Chocolate Egg Creams, only using U-Bet Syrup ( they have a little placard on every table giving the history of the authentic Brooklyn Egg Cream). I'll definitiley have to try one of those the next time that I go there.

There are quite a few Jewish delis in Toronto although I have never actually been to one. From the description of the food in this thread I think I will be making a trip to one pretty soon.

DJ, did you ever eat at the KitKat Bar & Grill? We had a lovely meal there last time we were in Toronto. In Chinatown, we enjoyed Spadina Gardens, and Il Fornello, which was near our hotel, had good Italian food.

Haven't been to any of the restaurants you mentioned SB, for Italian I usually grab some premade pasta from a supermarket...yeah I know...for Chinese, Szechuan Gourmet near Bathurst/Steeles in North York is the best in the city in my opinion.

I'll have to keep that in mind for our next visit. Il Fornello was pretty good and not expensive at all. I don't remember the address, but it was near the Hilton.

That's a topless joint on Greenwich Street!


When we were in Toronto back in 1994, we had lunch one day at a place called Moe Pancer's Deli, and from what I remember it was very good.

Best in T.O.

Jewish Deli - don't really know.

Chinese - Szechuan Gourmet (which is really in Vaughan but I think of it as North York because it's so close).

Strip Joint - Whiskey A Go Go's in Vaughan, Zanzibar or The Brass Rail (say hi to A-Rod when you go there) downtown.

Shawarma - Farhat in Scarborough

Middle Eastern - Jerusalem in North York.

As far as Jewish delis go I'm sure Toronto has several but I think it may be more of a Montreal thing. Not saying that the ones in T.O. aren't just as good as their Montreal counterparts just that the ones in Quebec are probably more famous.

Of course the Shopsy's chain is quite famous but I don't know if it would qualify as a "Jewish Deli" per se. Good food though in any case.

Don't know about that, but the restaurant in Toronto was excellent. Here's their website: KitKat Bar & Grill

I ordered the fettucini in a four cheese and cream sauce and it was out of this world.

I love quattro formaggio cream sauce as well as quattro formaggio pizza!

Damn Guineas! Do we have to hijack every other thread with our Italian restaurants and food?

Guilty as charged.

And I as the accomplice!

I have to tell you that I am not that big on deli. I do love the rye bread, I adore matzoh ball soup, but I don't like pastrami, corned beef, tongue or any of those.

A bunch of troublemakers

I respectfully disagree. The first time I had Jewish deli was 3 years ago when we went to that Harold's, I loved it. I would like to go again someday.