Harold's in Lyndhurst, NJ

I would just like to add one more item. I have tried cakes like the one's pictured, at Harold's, other Jewish Deli's and also in Greek Diners.

In this case, looks are deceiving. The cakes are very heavy and dense. I would guess that they have to be made this way in order to stack them over 12" high. I would be happier with a 4" moist, light product.

I go to Harolds about once every other month...I live in MA but NJ is part of my sales area. I have never found Harolds to be a waste of food at all. True the portion are enormous...but the product that the sell is quality...its a fine marrige of quality & quantity. I usually order the "small" pastrami...with a mug of birch beer. I never finish the sandwich for lunch, but the sandwich never makes it to the end of the day & usually gets washed down with a beer at the end of the day.
As for JAKE's comment...you would have to try the pastrami there before you pass judgement...I have eaten a lot of pastrami in my life but have never found a place that compares to Harolds. The pastrami pretty much falls apart in your mouth and the flavor cant be beat...to compare it to bologna could possibly cause the earth to spin off its axis & go hurdling into the sun.

ellen4641, Thank you for weighing in. Your opinion and comments carry as much weight as Zagat on this subject.

We could have ordered one item and split it, and probably still had some to take home. But this is a place we do not get to often enough and we wanted the full experience. You cannot compare fresh hot corned beef or pastrami to what is available in the supermarket. And I doubt you can find a knish in my area of pennsylvania, let alone a good one.

BTW, I have Harold's in Edison on my jersey "to do list" based on your reports and Baah Ben's comments.

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641

quote:

Originally posted by brisketboy

"Tub of lard" very nice. Why don't you show us a picture of yourself so we can judge you.

I was thinking the same thing..
besides , that guy was'nt so big,anyway...

Ellen, I agree with you. I like big men anyway! Thin men make me nervous

quote:

Originally posted by wmceaton

I go to Harolds about once every other month...I live in MA but NJ is part of my sales area. I have never found Harolds to be a waste of food at all. True the portion are enormous...but the product that the sell is quality...its a fine marrige of quality & quantity. I usually order the "small" pastrami...with a mug of birch beer. I never finish the sandwich for lunch, but the sandwich never makes it to the end of the day & usually gets washed down with a beer at the end of the day.
As for JAKE's comment...you would have to try the pastrami there before you pass judgement...I have eaten a lot of pastrami in my life but have never found a place that compares to Harolds. The pastrami pretty much falls apart in your mouth and the flavor cant be beat...to compare it to bologna could possibly cause the earth to spin off its axis & go hurdling into the sun.

Thanks for your comments. Funny, my work takes me to the Boston Area. Lots of great Roadfood in mass.

I am lucky enough in Milwaukee to have Jakes Deli-darned good corned beef and pastrami-and at midwest prices.

quote:

Originally posted by Greymo

Ellen, I agree with you. I like big men anyway! Thin men make me nervous

Awwww Greymo, you've gotta meet my 140 lb. Brian! He no make me noyvus! He didn't make Ellen nervous either! (and my ex was 6'4" and over 300 lbs.)

Ellen - I don't think I've ever asked you this, but could you rate, Harold's, Sarge's, Carnegie, and Katz's from your favorite on down..Thanks Hey, add some more if you can.....I'm really intersted to see where you put Harold's.

Joergo...If you have to travel, what better area to be in than wherever Harold's is open. The man knows his deli as I have said time after time. Can you imagine being able to eat whatever you want at your own restaurant every day...He's a lucky guy. I wonder what his favorite foods are at his own place.

I'm going to guess the real traditional Jewish stuff like Kasha Varniskas, brisket, potato pancakes, etc. Ellen, next time you are there, why not ask him?

quote:

Originally posted by joerogo

ellen4641, Thank you for weighing in. Your opinion and comments carry as much weight as Zagat on this subject.

Now THAT'S what I call a compliment!
That's so kind, Joe!

quote:

Originally posted by Baah Ben

Ellen - I don't think I've ever asked you this, but could you rate, Harold's, Sarge's, Carnegie, and Katz's from your favorite on down..Thanks Hey, add some more if you can.....I'm really intersted to see where you put Harold's.

Hi Baah Ben, and all fellow Roadfooders!
I have a NEW FAVORITE pastrami place now!!!!
I'm in L.A. on vacation right now, then it's off to Vegas tomorrow for 8 days.

My sister took me to Newark Airport for my flight, and on the way I suggested we stop at the new IRVING'S DELI in Livingston, NJ.
The pastrami was EXCELLENT; hand sliced, Katz's style..
the whole place is Katz's style; they even give you a "ticket" when you go in. I was so happy to see that my sis loved the pastrami, as well, as she's a VERY tough pastrami critic, as well.
(nothing came close to her Carnegie before Irving's)

So my NEW CURRENT ratings are as follows:
#1 CARNEGIE
#2 IRVING'S
#3 HAROLD'S (yes, I had to actually drop Harold's down a notch after
having IRVING'S. Irving's was THAT good.
#4 CANTOR'S Deli in L.A. (just had it the other day)

Katz's did'nt agree with me on the few times I've tried it,
and I know that really goes against the grain! (since most ROADFOODER'S seem to LOVE Katz's)

ellen in L.A./Vegas

p.s. Stay tuned for my Irving's report, LA, Vegas, etc..
all coming up in late October..

Ellen, 8 days in Vegas. I hope you set aside some money for plane fare. What am I saying, you will be giving THEM poker lessons.

Can't wait to hear your take on Vegas. I will be there in January.

Hi Ellen!

Have you ever tried Langers when in LA? Can you believe I've never been? So the next time you visit... I'd love to!

My meet to eat meat treat!

You having fun? You wouldn't believe the rest of our day. I'll tell you later.

Harolds has excellent corned beef and ok pastrami. Irving's has crappy corned beef and excellent pastrami.

Ellen - Didn't you mention this place last year? The owner use to work at Katz's? I'm pretty sure it was you. If not, another roadfoodie gave us a heads up on this place. Next time I'm in Hackensack, I'll have a decision to make..Harold's in Edison or this place in Livingston..Either way, I'm sure I can't lose.

Try to get to Rosemary's in Vegas, if you have a car. No, it is not a roadfood place, but you should check it out. Also, if you do have a car, consider going to Zion National Park;3-1/2 hrs each way. A once in a lifetime experience...

We're looking forward to seeing you in Daytona soon. You will still be coming right? I mean, with all these trips, do you think you can still fit us in? Unbelievable.

I just sent my next door neighbor (He works for Panasonic) to Harold's (Edison) since he had to fly up and go out to Parsippany. He called to say it "was amazing." He does travel all over the country and has the perfect dining expense account, but he'd never heard of Harold's. Sadly, he failed to complete the deed. He only could eat one half of his pastrami sandwich.

Hi Joe Rogo, Mar52, bigD, Baah Ben, and all other fine Roadfooders!!!
I'm back now from my 2 weeks in L.A and Vegas, and I've got lots of Roadfood.com catching up to do!!!

MAR52: I've been to Langers once, about 8 years ago , when I used to live in L.A.
I LOVED their corn rye! I just had a very similar DELICIOUS rye bread at CANTOR'S in L.A.
I liked Langers pastrami, but did'nt love it; I found it had that slightly "goyish" taste.
(just my personal tastes, as many others love it)
I found CANTOR'S to be the best pastrami I've had in L.A., thus far...
(except for my memories of DREXLER'S in North Hollywood,back in around 1991...(RIP)
mom and pop joint, long gone
I would LOVE to "meat up" with you at Langers, anyhow...
so next time I'm back in L.A., we'll do it up!
(and I can't wait to hear about the rest of your day, after we met up for the BBQ ribs/brisket.)

BAAH BEN: I need to try ROSEMARY'S on my next Vegas trip. I know it gets so many good write ups and recommendations. I went right past it while in Vegas last week, it's a storefront building in a strip mall, on West Sahara, by Durango...only about 6 miles west of the strip..................... NEXT TIME!!!!!!

And , YES, I'm definitely IN for DAYTONA ! And regarding all these trips I take, the least I can do is "meat up" with my Roadfood buddies in Daytona!!
I'm definitely fitting you guys in! Means a lot to me..
(and meanwhile I'm losing my shirt in the stock market............but we've still got to take trips!
(helps keep our mind off of this "falling knife")

And you are right, Baah Ben, that it was ME who mentioned Irvings previously. I asked them about their Katz's deli association, and was told that the counterman was from Katz's. (not the owners)
He looked young, in his 30's perhaps.
Irvings is owned by 2 cousins who grew up across the street from each other in Paramus, North Jersey. Their 1st ever restaurant venture...
They were so nice to me and my sister......(pics coming soon, in the sandwich forum!!)

To BIGD : IRVINGS corned beef certainly did NOT look too good to me, either; I saw it behind the display case..........yes, go with the PASTRAMI everyone!

Joe ROGO,
thanks for the kind words once again.........this time I used one of my mileage award tickets...("use them or lose them") I get points from using my credit cards, as well as from traveling..
I played some $1-2 no limit poker in Vegas (MGM, Luxor, Hard Rock, etc ), but enjoyed sitting by the pool, and going to shows and movies, as well...

Here's Ellen at 8 yrs. old.

http://brands.kraftfoods.com/oscarmayer/main.aspx?m=product/product_results&SiteId=1&CatalogType=3&BrandId=126&SubBrandId=509&PageNo=1

LOL!!!!!!!!!

no way..............that cannot be Ellen. Ellen does ribs and brisket and hamburgers. This is an imposter.

Hey Ellen, Welcome back. Now take a deep breathe, relax and catch up on some threads.

Hope the all went well. You were missed here, looking forward to the details of your trip

quote:

Originally posted by Greymo

no way..............that cannot be Ellen. Ellen does ribs and brisket and hamburgers.

"little Ellen" does have a HOT DOG in her hand, though!
That also fits into my favorite foods...
(although ribs, brisket, burgers, and buffalo wings ARE my top 4 !!)

quote:

Originally posted by Baah Ben

Next time I'm in Hackensack, I'll have a decision to make..Harold's in Edison or this place in Livingston..Either way, I'm sure I can't lose.

Talk about TOUGH DECISIONS ! Do what I would do, and have BOTH!
If you absolutely could only have one or the other , Harold's or Irvings, I would say go for Harold's , due to their famous "pickle bar".

BTW, Irvings owners told me that there is no "Irving".....that is only folklore... so nobody go in there asking for Irving..
it's just Mark and his cousin..

It's in the Toys R Us shopping center on Route 10, but the sign for Irvings is real bad; it's in script, and hard to read..

quote:

Originally posted by Baah Ben

Ellen if you do have a car, consider going to Zion National Park;3-1/2 hrs each way. A once in a lifetime experience...

Been to Zion a few times, awhile back; yes, it's real pretty rock formations...
However, I was with my sis and my aunt & uncle in Vegas, and they were too busy with their blackjack hand formations ....

Hey Ellen! Welcome back!

Love Zion and Bryce. One you look up and the other you look down.

Had the best Mexican food I've ever had during my trip to those places, Jackson Hole and Yellowstone.

Probably not still there as it was in the 80's.

We were told to go to Mama Bear's for excellent Italian food.

That's where we had the Mexican food. Best I've ever had and it was in Jackson Hole.

The Harold's in Lyndhurst has taken a triple nose-dive; the quality of the food, customer service, and even their business ethics have hit bottom.

In mid-February (2009), we ordered a double meat (26 ounce) pastrami sandwich and a knish. When the sandwich came, we were unpleasantly surprised. As the waitress then confirmed, they had changed the pastrami recipe. Instead of the richly flavored, smoky, superior meat we had been served there in the past, the meat was more akin to cheap supermarket corned beef with some black pepper on the outside, in both flavor and texture, without any detectable smoke flavor. Also, the sandwich appeared to be a bit on the small side. We asked the waitress if she was sure this was the 26 ounce and not the 19 ounce pastrami sandwich, and she assured us that it was. The bill specified that we did order the 26 ounce sandwich. The potato knish did not have the usual traditional Jewish fried-onion in shmaltz flavoring; instead it was bland whipped potatoes in a pastry crust.

We brought half the sandwich home with us. Still doubting the waitress' claim, I weighed the meat on a scale, and, sure enough, there was only 9 ounces left; they had given us the 19 ounce sandwich and charged us for the 26 ounce sandwich. We called the restaurant the next day about the overcharge and the missing half pound of meat, and were told to speak to Carlos, the general manager. We called Carlos twice over the next few days; both times he promised to get back to us to resolve the problem. No response. The fourth time we called, we spoke to the bartender, who promised us that Carlos would get back to us. They never returned any of our calls.

We have realized that the restaurant management has no intention of even talking to us, much less trying to make it right. The only conclusion we can come to is that Harold's in Lyndhurst no longer cares about quality or customer service.

Actually I am amazed this place lasted as long as it did.  Harold was famous for opening and selling..opening and selling.  This one was one of his first "ventures" after the Claremont in Verona.

Sorry you got so aggravated and had a lousy meal.  You are doing the right thing!  Rip them a new one.  Can I suggest you go on yahoo.com and post there too.  Also tripadvisor.com.  Also NJ Dining has a site...chowhound, too. 

There are lots of places you can get some satisfaction..Don't let them get away with it!  G-d bless the Internet and sites like this one.

That was a horrible experience, BARTL !!
Glad you shared it with us, though, so we know to DEFINITELY AVOID the HAROLD'S in Lyndhurst........(and with all due respect to Harold Jaffe, he does not own it anymore, and probably has'nt in awhile...)

STILL, his NAMESAKE is on it; I know I would have an issue if any of my "Ellen's ectasy deli's" started going downhill....
cause MY NAME would still be attached to it, and plenty of people will think I still owned it, even if I did'nt ....
 
Also, post your bad experience on YELP.COM....
I love Yelp!
 
 

ellen4641


That was a horrible experience, BARTL !!
Glad you shared it with us, though, so we know to DEFINITELY AVOID the HAROLD'S in Lyndhurst........(and with all due respect to Harold Jaffe, he does not own it anymore, and probably has'nt in awhile...)

STILL, his NAMESAKE is on it; I know I would have an issue if any of my "Ellen's ectasy deli's" started going downhill....
cause MY NAME would still be attached to it, and plenty of people will think I still owned it, even if I did'nt ....
 
Also, post your bad experience on YELP.COM....
I love Yelp!
 
 

 
OK GUYS-------------Just got onto this thread and am having a huge anxiety attack-----PLEASE---Ellen and others reassure me that this DOES NOT APPLY to the Harold's in Edison----after going back and forth in the recent posting of Miami Don on this topic I am jonesing big time for a Harold's Pastrami and was going to get my fix soonest---reply soon with blessed good news that Harold's Edison is still PRIMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Sleepless in Belmar-----------------------------------Russ

 

Hi Russ2304,
It's all good, you can  breathe a sigh of relief!!!
Cause   Harold's Lyndhurst DOES NOT APPLY to HAROLD'S in EDISON; the latter is actually still owned by Harold himself...
and the Edison pastrami is still PRIMO!!
I must've been there about 3 or 4 times at least over the last year or so... and it's still soft and moist!
 
Just recently, another Roadfooder named Russ (who posts under rpalmer) sent me an e-mail saying how much he loved his first visit to Edison Harold's....  he was taking a Roadfood trip from Connecticut to go to some basketball games in Piscataway...

It's too bad all around, though. Selling your store and your name and letting the buyers trash it can't be good for anyone's reputation or business.

I've never eaten at this one, but the portions look the same as the Edison location.  The Edison one is the only one I've ever been to.  It was actually the first place I ate so much at that I felt like I was going to vomit.