Ben's Kosher Delicatessen in NYC, New York

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I love delicatessen food and New York has quite few good places like Junior's or Second Avenue Deli, without forgetting the world renown Katz's (world renown for the movie When Harry Met Sally rather than for the food). So, I noticed Ben's deli on my way back from Bonchon Chicken and we decided to try that place. 

Interesting decor to say the least, resembling more to a place coming straight out of a comic book rather than a traditional deli with all these flashy colors. 

It started well: when the hostess sat us at a booth, she got yelled at by the waiter who told her in a nasty way that he had enough work. Not very professional for sure. So she apologized and sat us in a different section where at least the waiter was nice, but I hadn't that the service was overall slow. 

As we were looking at the menu, they brought us some pickles:

And some coleslaw. 

I love that and it was good that we got it because it took a while for our order to be taken. The good also took some time to come. Then, finally! 

Jodi ordered two dishes: the matzoh ball soup.

And the knish. 

Both were subpar compared to what you can eat in other restaurants. The soup lacked flavor and the outside of the knish was a bit tough. The inside however was delicious. 

On my side, I could not resist ordering the pastrami burger. 

It was a beef patty with some pastrami on top between a toasted challah bread. 

It was served with homemade fries that were skin on. The fries were unevenly cooked. However, the burger was pretty decent, the meat being cooked as ordered (medium) and it was juicy. The pastrami however was a bit tough because thin and overcooked. Not sure it was of the best quality anyway, but for sure a heart attack on a plate that I ate with Russian dressing...

This was definitely a disappointing dinner and clearly Ben's Kosher Delicatessen does not measure up with Junior's, Second Avenue Deli or Katz's.

Enjoy (...)!

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My nephew culinary visit: day 4 / part 1: Katz's Deli in NYC, New York

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I have never been a big fan of Katz's before, preferring Junior's for a better dining experience (and their cheesecake). But as Valentin never tried a deli, I proposed to go there and give it another chance, as this place remains an icon in New York 

We arrived around 1pm, received our tickets (not to be forgotten otherwise you pay the high price), and the place was packed. Not surprising though as it is in all the guides and it is not uncommon to see buses full of tourists make a stop there. 

At Katz's, you have two choices: wait for a table with full service or order some food at the counter, where you can observe (briefly) the staff preparing food and then, find a table to sit. 

We went for a waited table and probably waited 15 minutes before being seated. strangely, our waiter was nice...

We decided to order several dishes to share, after eating the traditional pickles they put on the table:

The Matzo ball soup:

The matzo ball was good, light and spongey, but the broth was just ok: I prefer the one at Junior's or 2nd Avenue Deli. 

Potato pancakes:

Served with apple sauce and sour cream. They were deliciously crispy and not too greasy. 

Pastrami Reuben:

It was served with sauerkraut, cheese and Russian dressing. The meat was literally melting in our mouth. I loved it, but it is clearly a heavy sandwich. 

Salami sandwich:

We picked the soft salami; they were very generous with the amount of salami for sure and it was delicious with mustard. 

The last dish was hot dog, ordered with sauerkraut:

It was a very good hot dog, the sausage having a nice texture and spices. 

We had a pleasant time at Katz's...surprisingly! The food was good and, for the first time, we got good service! So I guess I changed my mind about this place...

Enjoy (I did)!

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A trip to Montreal - Part 7: Schwartz's delicatessen!

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On Sunday, after visiting the Fine Arts Museum, we decided to got eat Rue Saint-Laurent. We noticed some delicatessens the last time we walked there and decided to go there to have some good deli sandwiches. We ended up at Schwartz's, located boulevard Saint Laurent.

The place has been opened since 1928 and reminded me of Katz's in many ways, although Schwartz's is much smaller and the staff is courteous...

The place was packed and we had two choices: try to get a table at the restaurant or go to the takeout section. We tried the restaurant and got lucky to be seated right away! We had to share a table with other patrons. Over there, the menu is on the wall only. Interestingly, the menu is small and if you are vegetarian, your choices are limited to fries, slaw and pickles...

Contrary to most of the delis in New York, they do not bring you pickles or slaw: you pay for it! So did we...

We decided to order two sandwiches:

The salami sandwich:

The smoked meat sandwich:

Smoked meat is what we call pastrami in the US. You can order it lean, medium (our choice) or fatty. It was very good, tender, with just enough fat in it.

The salami sandwich was also delicious with a nice quantity of meat for sure! As people come and sometimes share, they impose a small fee:

With her meal, Jodi ordered a black cherry soda.

At the end, they gave us our bill and we had to pay at the cashier, cash. So no fear of losing a ticket like at Katz's!

It was good and comforting. The atmosphere definitely reminded us of Katz's, but I thought it was much better. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Stage Deli in NYC, New York - CLOSED!

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If there is one thing we do not have in France, it is Delicatessen or Deli. Each time I have family or friends visiting, I strongly suggest them to go to a deli and try a sandwich. But not a regular salami or turkey: rather pastrami or corned beef. In fact, the way I knew corned beef when I was a kid was totally different: my mom used to buy these cans that contained some fatty ground meat that in France we call corned beef. She was adding it to a tomato salad. It was delicious, but I am wondering if it was really made of corned beef! Well, sometimes it is better not knowing what you eat...

So, my friend Benny and I decided to go to Stage Deli, a deli that has been opened for more than 70 years. I guess we could say that they compete with the usual suspects: Katz, Junior's, 2nd Avenue Deli or Carnegie Deli, not far away.

The place looks like any deli that has been at the same location for years: old fashioned with old photos, most of the time tilted...
This always gives a certain charm and authenticity to the place.
Of course, at the entrance, there is the usual cake display:

To be honest, none of these cakes look appetizing...

The menu has the traditional deli items like matzoh ball soup, knishes or chopped liver. It also has some sandwiches with Celebrities names such as the Adam Sandler, Kathy Couric or Aretha Franklin. It all started in 1937 when the founder of the deli, Max Asnas, invited his famous patrons to the carving board to create their own sandwiches.

We decided with Benny to share an appetizer and a sandwich as, based on the prices, most of the sandwiches were big....

We started off with chopped liver.

It was served with pickles, a sliced onion and some rye bread. I really enjoyed it! The chopped liver was dense and very tasty and the bread delicious. 

We then went for the pastrami and corned beef reuben!

It was huge! So huge that they made it open face. They were nice enough to allow us to have two types of meat in it, the pastrami in the bottom and the corned beef on top.

The way they do it is put the bread in the bottom, then the meat, then some sauerkraut for some crunch and then some swiss cheese. For sure, they were generous with the portions! There is no way a single person can eat this alone (don't challenge me!)! Unfortunately, it was just ok for me: the corned beef was good, but the pastrami was not as fatty and tasty as it should. Also, I prefer a regular sandwich as it allows you to have all the flavors at once: bread, meat, sauerkraut and cheese. This was definitely not a reuben I would dream about; not like Junior's or Friedman's lunch in Chelsea Market!

So it was an ok lunch finally and I was not wowed by the food. Instead of going to Stage Deli, I would rather go to Junior's or Carnegie Deli close by. 

The last thing I would add about this place is that you also get the experience of the rude service! Similar to Katz. Except that I do not think it adds any charm to the whole experience!!!

Update: This post has been prepared few weeks ago and I just learnt today that Stage Deli closed due to a rent increase! So sad to see businesses opened for that long face such issues with rent!

Enjoy !

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Rotondo's Liquor, deli and fine food in Clark, NJ

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Recently I was in Clark and we decided to have a quick meal. So we went to Rotondo's that is a deli, a liquor and fine food store.

The place is big, but it is not surprising considering what they sell. I only went to the deli side of it and did not look anywhere else as we were in a hurry. The deli offers already made sandwiches, but you can also make your own. They have a pretty large selection that can satisfy any appetite. They also have bagels, already made salads (potato, macaroni...), chips, fruits, cookies...

I was clearly not on a light lunch mode when I picked the Sonoma sandwich...

It is a triple decker sandwich made with seedless rye, russian dressing, swiss cheese, Roast beef, turkey, ham and coleslaw. On the photo, you only see half of it! It was very good! Although, the roast beef part was quite thin...I loved the different layers. The only thing that I would have changed is probably the bread: I wish they were proposing different types like Italian or baguette.

We also ordered a cheese and mustard sandwich on a whole wheat bread.

This one was pretty straight forward, served with lettuce and tomato. Good, but they put a bit too much mustard.

At the end of the day, Rotondo's is not the best deli ever (in fact, in term of sandwiches, my reference is Sorento's Subs in Freehold, NJ - best subs ever!), but they have some good sandwiches at a very reasonable price!

Enjoy (I did)! 

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Carnegie Deli Restaurant in NYC, New York

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You cannot come to New York and not try a deli (short for delicatessen). Carnegie Deli is with Junior's and Second Avenue Deli, one of my favorites. Yes, I did not mention Katz's Deli because I do not like it, think it is overpriced and overrated.

The restaurant opened in 1937 and got its name from being close to the Carnegie Hall. It is still operated by the family of the founder: the Parkers. It is today one of the most visited restaurants in New York City, although the expansion of business has not been that successful, seeing most of the branches in California or Connecticut close. Today, there is a Carnegie Deli in the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

The restaurant is pretty big and tables are cramped, making it uncomfortable when the restaurant is packed, especially during the week end. At the entrance, you cannot miss the desserts that are showcased, as well as all the autographed photos of celebrities who ate there. By the way, the Carnegie Deli was even mentioned by Adam Sandler in his song about Hanukkah (Saturday Night Live).

Concerning the menu, you may think that is is expensive (it is a bit). In fact, they serve family style portions. So be careful when you order!

We started with the Matzoh Ball soup. It comes with the soup in a cup that they will verse in the plate: nice way of serving. The balls are dense but not too much and perfectly seasoned. The broth is good and served with delicious pasta.

We then tried the potato pancake (there was one of a reasonable size). It was served with apple sauce (I am not sure it was homemade) and sour cream. I really liked it. It was tasty and not greasy at all.

But, the plat de resistance was the open face pastrami reuben. This was huge and we had to split it! We asked the waiter to split it for us, but he did not seem to be willing to (only disappointment in the service that was overall great).

The meat was delicious, lean and with just the necessary amount of fat. There was tons of Swiss cheese and some sauerkraut to give a bit of crunch. With the amount of meat and cheese, the bread was invisible. All of this was served with a very good Russian dressing. Definitely a great dish!

So, of course, we had to finish with desserts...

We tried the strawberry shortcake: not the best shortcake we had....

They also had coconut cream pie and banana cream pie.

I have to say that I was disappointed. It was light but a bit bland. Both cream pies are made with the same base and they just sprinkle the pie with almonds or toasted coconut. Definitely not as good as the banana or coconut cream pie from Billy's bakery in New York or at the Red Eye Grill.

The Carnegie Deli is one of my favorites, but not for dessert! If you go there, enjoy the reuben: it is so good!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

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