MARCI
We were all set to head to Jackson Heights, Queens for Colombian food when I woke up wth a pretty miserable cold.
I couldn't bare the thought of arepas and steak; I needed some good old chicken soup!! So, Jeremy and I changed our plans and decided to eat at the culinary institution, Katz's Delicatessen.
As a true New Yorker, Jeremy has been eating Jewish deli food long before he could say "hot dog". We've shared many a meal at Woodrow, the deli near my parent's house on Long Island. We've also eaten at the "new" Second Avenue Deli. But we've never made the pilgrimage to Katz's.
Aside from the fact that I craved chicken soup, the timing was also perfect for Jeremy who is beginning his study of immigration. We learned that Katz's first opened its doors in 1888 on East Houston Street in the heart of the Lower East Side, home to thousands of immigrant Jewish families at the turn of the century. Katz's was opened by Russians but modeled after the German delicatessens that started in NY in the 1820s.
We arrived at the restaurant around noon on a Sunday. Oy vey! Was it packed!
While we were eating, we spotted the current owner of Katz's, Fred Austin, who bought the restaurant from the Katz family in the 1980s. He told Jeremy and I that the restaurant was originally located across the street. It moved to its current location to make room for the El train. The restaurant was renovated in 1951 and it's been the same ever since.
JEREMY
When we walked into Katz's, it was pretty confusing because there were a lot of people. We were handed a ticket and then had to search for a table. We could have gotten counter service but my mom didn't want to so we waited for someone to finish their meal and sat down at one of the few waiter-service only tables.
I ordered a cream soda then a round potato knish and a pastrami sandwich. My mom told me that if you go to Katz's, you have to order the pastrami sandwich. It's world famous. So I did.
My mom ordered matzoh ball soup and knobleworst which is like a garlicky beef hot dog.
First the knish arrived. It was a good because the potato had a lot of spices in it and the dough wasn't too thick. Shortly after, my pastrami sandwich arrived. It was tasty but way too fatty for me so I switched plates with my mom and ate her knobelworst. The knobleworst was better because it wasn't fatty. We left over nearly half a knobleworst sandwich and practically the whole pastrami sandwich since my mom doesn't like fatty meats either.
We were also served a plate of pickles consisting of half sour, sour and picked tomatoes. I liked the pickled tomato best.
I was surprised how busy the place was and I guessed that they make at least $50,000 a day. I also learned that each week, Katz's deli sells 5,000 pounds of corned beef, 2,000 pounds of salami and 12,000 hot dogs. I was also impressed by how many photos they had around the room. I liked the restaurant because it seemed as if it was a place that people have been going to for years and years. I could go to Katz's at least once a year.
MARCI
The matzoh ball soup hit the spot. The baseball-size ball was pretty light and the soup had just the right amount of salt. I had never heard of knobelworst before so I ordered it. I thought I was getting a sausage but what arrived looked more like a pastrami sandwich. It was pretty good, tasted like a spicy hot dog. I had about 3 bites and was full. Good thing they have doggie bags at Katz's We have about two pounds of meat left over.
I can barely remember the last time I went to Katz's; somehow I think it was back in college. For sure, I'll go back but it's not like I often have a hankering for deli food and when I do, Second Avenue Deli and Sarge's are a lot closer.
In keeping with our Jewish deli theme, it seemed appropriate that we find a Jewish bakery -- no longer an easy task in NYC. We headed to Moishes on Second Avenue. Moishe's feels like the last of an era. I remember going to Moishe's when I was studying at New York University. The bakery is 38 years old and still owned and operated by Moishe. Not much has changed since it opened -- except perhaps the graffitti on the window.
Inside were all the Jewish pastries my grandparents would go nuts over: kichel, babka, mandelbrodt, hammentashen, challah, bagels and the unforgettable corn rye bread. No fancy cupcakes with buttercream or vegan products here!
JEREMY
The bakery doesn't look like anything special. But the food looked pretty good.
We bought a slice of checkerboard cake, a piece of cheese danish, apple strudel, apricot hammentshen and a babka.
When we got home, we sampled everything. My favorite was the checkerboard cake because it was very chocolaty. I also loved the chocolate babka. My mom even made me a mini egg cream!
Although I've eaten Jewish deli food and Jewish desserts before, I enjoyed the afternoon because I felt like I was eating the kind of food New Yorkers used to eat.
Katz's Delicatessen Moishe's Bakery
205 Houston Street 105 Second Avenue
New York, NY New York, NY
