For most, it was the most public fake orgasm ever.
For us, it was a quest for authentic italian-american Jewish pastrami sandwich.
Well, for DT anyway. For me, it was the yummy looking pickles at the side.
>>>>>>>
Cuisine: Jewish, Sandwiches, Hotdogs
Price: (I really can’t remember, but it was pretty pricey. Even for NY sandwiches..)
Service: 2.5 (refer to glossary)
The deli occupies an end-lot of a row of shops in a somewhat ghetto part of NY. Rather inconspicuous, but if you look inside and see the huge crowd, you know you’re in the right place.
The cafe has a whole system to it – one that I’m not used to (it might be common, I’m not sure), so I was feeling pretty lost.
When you get in, you’re hurried along the line by these big burly men (or at least that’s how I remember it) and given these tickets which you are NOT allowed to lose.
You actually have to return unused tickets when you leave. If you don’t they charge you a fine (so I didn’t get to keep one as a souvenier 
).
Your eating experience starts here:
You order yummy looking hotdogs (which I didn’t try cos I wanted to try hotdogs from the stand) and Matzo Ball soup (it’s Jewish) here.
Move further ahead and you get an attendant (more like YOU grab the attention of an attendant.. kinda like at a market or the trading floor) and select your sandwich – breads, meats.. that’s also where I got my pickles!!! There’s a little paper cup in front of each attendant. That’s where you leave a tip.
Further down the line is where you get your drinks – soda, cola and all that jazz. I think you can skip to the relevant sections if you don’t want anything from the earlier sections.
the menu
A quick observation brought me to the conclusion that (or maybe DT concluded..hmmm) that a lot of people that come here are tourists. I’m guessing that must be for 3 reasons:
- I noticed a couple of Lonely Planet/Rough Guides in their hands
- The location of this restaurant is tagged on the tourist maps.. something along the lines of “Where Harry Met Sally”
- They sell souveniers here – t-shirts, caps, umbrellas (I think I saw that). The waiters in the deli wear the shirts and caps too. It’s really nice
Having said that, in such a complex environment, most people seemed to know what they were doing. SO unless, this arrangement is common, maybe there were more locals than tourists.
Conclusion:
It was worth the trip. DT claims the pastrami on rye was the best he had tasted (and he eats a lot of this stuff). The Matzo Ball soup was so-so, good for the experience (Jewish food and all), but nothing to shout about. The pickles… ooo, the pickles. Those were sooo yummy.. tee-hee ~~
It was a good experience, for a little Asian girl, first trip to U.S. of A.. It was a lovely experience, sitting in an authentic American delicatessen – from the countless pictures mounted on the wall, to the waiters, their mannerisms and the jukebox at the corner of the deli. I say it’s definitely worth checking it out.
Other reviews: NYMag, SuperPages, MetroMix, etc
Address: 205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002 [google map]
Phone: 1-800-4HOTDOG (don’t you just love those numbers); 212-254-2246
Website: http://www.katzdeli.com/
Opening hours: Sunday 0800-2245; Mon-Tues 0800-2145; Wed-Thurs 0800-2245; Fri-Sat 0800-0245
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