For the next few weeks Mise En Place will be running the blog out of New York. One of the staples of the New York culinary scene is the Jewish delicatessen, something not to be missed.
As with anything food related there is a huge debate on which deli is the best in NY, who serves the best pastrami, best roast beef, best cheese cake etc etc. Katz’s deli of when Harry met Sally fame is often hailed as the best in NY and it is very good. The problem is that it is a nightmare to get a table with people (tourists) often lining up around the block to get a taste of the pastrami on rye and the infamous orgasm scene. For 100% Kosher 2nd Ave deli is high on the list aswell, although not located on 2nd ave (now on 33rd and 3rd) but I have yet to try what they have to offer.
For me though there is only one place to get my heart achingly (clenchingly) good Pastrami fix and that is Sarges Deli on 3rd ave. This old school deli has been kicken since 1960 with the original owners great grandchild now running things. You cannot expect too much pomp or flair from such a deli. The decor probably hasn’t change since 1966 and some of the staff may well have been there that long too! You enter by the take away counter where you can get sandwiches, soups, steaks and noshes to go 24 hours a day 365 days a year. If you are going to takeaway make sure you tip the guy making your sandwich to ensure you get an even more ridiculous amount of amazing meat on your rye!
Inside it is you typical NY diner layout with booths and corny posters. Yesterday when we went we were served by the owners wife who must be pushing 90 but going on 22 with amazing NY humor. She brought us a massive bowl of pickles, colselaw, crackers and handed over the HUGE menus. I think the menus are the thing I like most about NY delis and diners. No where in the UK could you find such an enomous and eclectic selection of dishes. I won’t go into detail of the shear amount on offer at Sarges but you can have a look here at the menu yourself. Regardless of the amazing Jewish and NY staples on offer I come to Sarges for one thing, Pastrami!
I love all forms of deli meats, but Pastrami has to be my favorite (with corned beef a close second). Sarges is the only deli (to my knowledge) in NY that cures it’s own brisket and prepares on site. The results are amazing and for $13 a sandwich I suppose you would want them to be. Considering you pay almost $10 for a roll from pret with around 100 grams of meat in it it though these 500 grams of top quality pastrami monsters aren’t all that bad value. The meat is cut super thin and juicy, served on Rye bread (which never tastes as good as it does in NY) with a healthy dose of spicy mustard. You can get endless mixes of fillings, the tongue is supposed to be incredible but for me it’s all about the Pastrami! We got the lunch special this time around which included a Matzo ball soup which was Ok as well but the sandwhiches are the star here!
I will be back again on this trip to NY as I have just heard that the cheesecake there is one of the best in NY and with an ex-pastry chef fiancee who makes the best cheesecake I’v ever tried I am keen to see how it stands up!
You can find Sarges at
548 3rd Ave, New York 1001 (Btwn 36th & 37th St)
Phone: (212) 679-0442
http://www.sargesdeli.com/
Open 24/7 365 days a year (as only could be found in NY)
Review by Mise En Place Hospitality Recruitment
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