pastrami in northern NJ

[NJ2FLA]

Yes, I think it's nasty and I posted a while back perhaps in another forum on here about why.

Edited May 1, 2005 by NJ2FLA (log)

[markk]

Yes, I think it's nasty and I posted a while back perhaps in another forum on here about why.

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The only comment I could find by you was this, "The Kosher nosh is terrible. " in the Flanken thread.

Would you be kind enough to go into detail about it? I've never been there but was considering making the trek, and am curious. Thanks.

[Gifted Gourmet]

it has grown in size by 7 ounces in the past year, but the size isn't the point.  It was totally delicious. 

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Dear God in heaven, pastrami on Levitra! size does matter after all!

[markk]

it has grown in size by 7 ounces in the past year, but the size isn't the point.  It was totally delicious. 

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Dear God in heaven, pastrami on Levitra! size does matter after all!

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No, no, NO! What we need is pastrami on Vytorin (or Zocor, or Litptor) !!!

[menton1]

Is the Tabatchnick's in the Millburn Mall on Vauxhall Road gone? I don't go by there very often, so forgive me if it is ancient history. I remember , though, that Tabatchnicks had some terrific pastrami!!

Very much open, Menton!  We stopped in there during the Hot Dog Run!

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So how does their pastrami stack up? I remember years ago they used to cut it right in front of you out in the aisle... (Great pickles too)

[markk]

Is the Tabatchnick's in the Millburn Mall on Vauxhall Road gone? I don't go by there very often, so forgive me if it is ancient history. I remember , though, that Tabatchnicks had some terrific pastrami!!

Very much open, Menton!  We stopped in there during the Hot Dog Run!

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So how does their pastrami stack up? I remember years ago they used to cut it right in front of you out in the aisle... (Great pickles too)

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Since learning about it on this thread, I've been there twice. It's by no means a large sandwich like the Harold's version, or the Carnegie (smaller) version, or even the Katz's even smaller version - which is to say that I considered it healty, by virtue of its portion-size, and didn't feel guilty about having it a second time. The first time I had it it was quite good, although (as they say), there not being a lot of it, I didn't have a long time to analyze it and ponder it. When I went back a week later, I got a batch that was not as good- it was tough, not tender - but I will probably give them a third chance.

What's really interesting is that I asked them where it came from, and after some prodding, they confessed that it's made by Empire National, whose hot dogs they sell in the package. Well, what's really (really) interesting here is that Empire National supplies the pastrami for Second Avenue Deli, and Ben's Deli on Queens Boulevard in Queens; and supposedly, they make a 'special' recipe for those two places (at least, according to my extensive research).

Whether this is true or not, whether Empire National pastrami is sold other places, I don't know. I will have to give it a third (fourth, fifth) try before I pass final judgement. Does anybody know about this?

[NJ2FLA]

Yes, I think it's nasty and I posted a while back perhaps in another forum on here about why.

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The only comment I could find by you was this, "The Kosher nosh is terrible. " in the Flanken thread.

Would you be kind enough to go into detail about it? I've never been there but was considering making the trek, and am curious. Thanks.

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Here is what I said in a previous post:

"I thought the Kosher Nosh stunk. I will tell you why.

I went there for lunch with my mom and was greeted by one of the waitresses that just finished smoking a cigarette out front. No she didn't wash up.

We ordered some soup and then asked would one pastrami on rye be enough and she said it was huge. Well the soup was alright, nothing special. In the mean time they have a pickle and salad bar that had some green tomato's and pickles and cole slaw and other salad. The cole slaw is like the crap you get at the supermarket and obviously not home made, which is sad for a deli. The pickles were bitter and had not spent nearly enough time in the brew. Then the sandwich came out and it was plenty for 1 person, not two. It was not humongous like she said.

I guess I compare to the size of a sandwich at Katz's in NYC or the Rascal House in North Miami Beach. I just thought the Kosher Nosh for all the rave was not worth my return trip. That's my opinion sorry. Should I have got "creative" and ordered a $20 dinner for lunch and got something else? "

[menton1]

I share your view of the mediocrity of the Kosher Nosh, NJ2Fla. I vote for the bus trip to Katz's...

[nizza]

We like the Kosher Nosh. We've been going there ever since Karpen's in Clifton closed many years ago. Kosher Nosh is not the best there ever was, but, you give me a better alternative in New Jersey! (Ok, maybe Tabatchnick's or Eppes Essen...)

As for Katz's, you should know that it is not a Kosher deli as Kosher Nosh is. Katz's is "Kosher style". Even so, the pastrami wasn't that bad, but, EVERYTHING else was terrible. We went to Katz's last year when we were in the area and had heard SO MUCH about this place. Well, besides the food being kosher style and not very good the place was a filty mess. Talk about waitresses and the people cutting and serving the food, the place was "Schifo", (that's Italian for disgusting!).

Anyway, to each his own. Enjoy the supermarket deli kosher style at Katz's. I'll take the real thing. Thank You!

Edited May 3, 2005 by nizza (log)

[menton1]

As for Katz's, you should know that it is not a Kosher deli as Kosher Nosh is. 

No way is Kosher Nosh a kosher restaurant. It is also "kosher-style"! It is open Saturdays, so that immediately kills any thought of it being kosher. There is a pure "Kosher" place 5 minutes away in Fair Lawn, Petak's, but it's takeout only, and pretty ordinary. (How about a bi-weekly bus excursion to Katz's?)

[zhelder]

As for Katz's, you should know that it is not a Kosher deli as Kosher Nosh is. 

No way is Kosher Nosh a kosher restaurant. It is also "kosher-style"! It is open Saturdays, so that immediately kills any thought of it being kosher. There is a pure "Kosher" place 5 minutes away in Fair Lawn, Petak's, but it's takeout only, and pretty ordinary. (How about a bi-weekly bus excursion to Katz's?)

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The Kosher Nosh is indeed a kosher restaurant. However, it is not "glatt" like Petak's meaning that they do not follow all of the rules and traditions of Judaism. For example, since Petak's is glatt kosher, they are not open on Saturdays, but the Kosher Nosh is. Petak's is a very good deli, but it is not in the same league as the Kosher Nosh. Just because a place isn't glatt doesn't necessarily mean the food isn't kosher.

[nizza]

Thank you zhelder. That's exactly what I was going to say. Kosher Nosh is under rabbinical supervision.

As per their website Kosher Nosh UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF RABBI ISAIAH HERTZBERG, THE KASHRUTH COMMITTEE OF BERGEN COUNTY.

[menton1]

The Kosher Nosh is indeed a kosher restaurant. However, it is not "glatt" like Petak's meaning that they do not follow all of the rules and traditions of Judaism. For example, since Petak's is glatt kosher, they are not open on Saturdays, but the Kosher Nosh is. Petak's is a very good deli, but it is not in the same league as the Kosher Nosh. Just because a place isn't glatt doesn't necessarily mean the food isn't kosher.

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I just called an Orthodox friend of mine in Teaneck to get some clarification of this matter; When I asked if Kosher Nosh was kosher, he laughed! No way, he said! And I told him of your analogy about being kosher except for Saturdays, he compared that to the peppers in a western omelette (ham cheese and peppers) being kosher. Doesn't matter, because the ham is there...

[rlibkind]

Kosher is kosher. Not kosher is not kosher. If it's open on Saturday it's not kosher. Their food may come from kosher sources and, all other things considered, be kosher. But it's not kosher if it's open on Shabbat.

[nizza]

As per their website Kosher Nosh UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF RABBI ISAIAH HERTZBERG, THE KASHRUTH COMMITTEE OF BERGEN COUNTY.

[rlibkind]

As per their website  Kosher Nosh  UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF RABBI ISAIAH HERTZBERG, THE KASHRUTH COMMITTEE OF BERGEN COUNTY.

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Well, that is what the website says. And, although this is probably highly tangential to the stated subject of this message string, I don't know any rabbi who would authorize as kosher a restaurant that is open on Saturdays, as Kosher Nosh apparently is, other than this rabbi and/or Kashruth committee. Anyone who observes Kashruth would not patronize this establishment; no matter what this particular rabbi says, if it's open for business on Shabat, it's not kosher.

[jb_973]

Earlier this week I managed to persuade my fellow colleagues to make the trip down to Harold's Deli. It was a first time for nearly all of us - me included - only one person had been there before.

We ordered one of their group sandwiches to share between five of us. All I can say is *wow*. It would have been enough for at least seven people! And we had good appetites! I must admit, I did stock up a little at the pickle bar (love those sour pickles), but saved enough room to polish off some great pastrami and brisket sandwiches. Our order consisted of a combination of pastrami, brisket, and turkey, but, compared to the first two, the turkey paled in comparison. Not that it was bad, but the flavor in the pastrami and the brisket (with the au jus) just knocked the turkey out of the game.

Harold's, for me, it is the kind of place where you leave there feeling content, but know for sure that it'll probably take a couple of months to build up the stamina to go back again!

Definitely added to the lunch list.

[markk]

Well, my friends on this thread...

This MAY be deemed slightly OT, but today I had to make the trek from Hoboken to Hicksville, on Long Island. My research showed that I'd be in Ben's Deli territory (ben's deli website), and while I'd heard about it, I'd never been, so of course I went. Lunch was a combination pastrami and tongue sandwich - small, quite small, by our standards, and at first I didn't think it was great, but I got into it and enjoyed it a lot. So we took out for dinner - chopped liver, mini meatballs (they had chicken-fricassee with the meatballs, but I only got an appetizer portion of the meatballs in sauce), kashe varnishkes, stuffed cabbage, and boiled beef Flanken "in the pot" with knaidlach and kreplach. Well... oy... was it enjoyable! It was like being a kid again and eating at my Grandma Ethel's house. Perhaps none of the dishes was spectacular, but as a whole - "oy", as I say, it was a very delicious trip into the past. I wlll have the occasion to make this trip again and will bring home a similar meal, and I just wanted to report on this to this particular group. I can't quite advocate making the schlep for it, but if you ever find yourselves on Long Island, do make a note of this place and its many locations, for sure !!!