Harold's in Lyndhurst, NJ

I know I know....Not another Harold's report. But this one is in Lyndhurst, so what the heck.

I was in Jersey today with a sales rep who is also a good friend of mine. I was trying to decide between The Tick Tock Diner(never there) or Harold's(many visits). I left it up to Pat to choose. He liked the idea of enormous portions, Harold's it was.

Harold's is in the Quality Inn across from The Meadowlands.

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Big disappointment right off the bat, no potato knishes. I was heart broken. I usually order the Harold Special. A humongus knish covered with about two pounds of corned beef and pastrami covered in melted swiss cheese.

While my broken heart was mending I visited the "Worlds Largest Pickle Bar"

The pickles were excellent. Dills and garlic dills.

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The claremont or health salad was not like I remembered it. Lacking slices of cucumber and bell peppers and it had way too much oregano.

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We shared some calamari while we gazed over the menu. Sorry the pic didn't come out. It was okay at best.

I settled on the corned beef and cabbage, $30.95. I would estimate they used a whole head of cabbage and about two pounds of corned beef. The corned beef was lean, tender and tasty.

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Here's a look at the inside. The corned beef layers were about 5-6 slices deep.

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Pat ordered the Texas wrap special, $14.95. I told him he was crazy. You don't come to a Jewish Deli and order a Texas wrap. Chichen and veggies and enormous. This is only half the wrap.

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It was good, but he was kicking himself in the rear saying " I should have listened. Of course, that was after he saw my meal.

My meal also came with boilded potatoes which I substituted for potato pancakes.(Normally $4.00 extra. He let me slide since I was soooo upset over the knishes) The pancakes were heavy but addicting. There was just something about them, we couldn't stop eating them. look at these things. That's a regular size plate that they are on.

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Oh yeah, our meal also came with a salad. Half a head of iceberg lettuce surrounded by tomatoes, onions and carrots. Just what we needed.

Now after a meal like this for lunch, you don't even think about desert. But I took a pic of the desert case anyway.

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Now I'm not big on desert, but holy cow. Can you just picture a certain Roadfooder(who loves desert) sitting in the case with a fork and a smile.[/img][/img][/img][/img][/img][/img][/img][/img]

OMG, I think he might need a REALLY BIG FORK!!!!

Yeah, they might have to order something for the ninth man from there.

Harold's it is!!

I love this place...I have always gone to the Edison Harolds & will be heading there for lunch next week while in NJ on business. Cant wait!
Nice report!

quote:

Originally posted by Nancypalooza

Yeah, they might have to order something for the ninth man from there.

Funny stuff!!!

joerogo-
Really nice pictures and report, especially since I have never been here. The size of the meals are just staggering to look at. Whomever that certain Roadfooder is you mentioned, I may just crawl in the dessert case with him/her!

Are you sure that this location is actually run by Harold Jaffe? Harold's M.O. is to build up a location for several years and then to sell it and move on to a new location. When the new East Brunswick location opened a few months ago, I wondered whether Harold was still associated with the Edison location, but I found out that he was apparently running both of these locations.

For him to also be running a third location in Lyndhurst would not be characteristic of him, so I am wondering if the difference in the Claremont Salad and some of the other minor disappointments might be a sign that Harold isn't actually involved in running this location. Does anyone know for sure?


ADDENDUM: I just checked the website for Harold's, and there is no mention whatsoever of the Lyndhurt location--or for the Parsippany location for that matter. He used to run the Parsippany restaurant many years ago, and left that one to open the Edison location. There is a separate website for the Parsippany restaurant, but it has no mention of Harold, other than the use of his name in the name of the business.

So--as with Parsippany, I believe that the Harold's in Lyndhurst is not connected presently with Harold Jaffe. That does not make it a bad restaurant by any means, but it does mean that there will be certain differences--as noted by the OP. As for me, I will stick to Edison and East Brunswick, as they are located fairly close to my home.

did you really mean 30.95 for the corned beef and cabbage? thats a lot of cabbage!!

To me, corned beef and pastrami is like eating baloney.

Tastes the same. Save your sheckels and buy some Oscar Meyer.

Is the place right across the street from the Novotel? I used to stay at the Novotel and several times I went in to this restaurant and the portions were so HUGE that the waitress would basically talk me out of ordering anything since it would always be too much. Very odd place.

Amazing desserts..Does Harold still own this one? I do not think so...If not, whomever does seems to be doing a very good job..

quote:

Originally posted by JAKE91



To me, corned beef and pastrami is like eating baloney.

Tastes the same. Save your sheckels and buy some Oscar Meyer.

Oy gevalt! Such blasphemy. I bet you'll have that on whitebread with mayo, lettuce and tomato.

quote:

Originally posted by JAKE91



To me, corned beef and pastrami is like eating baloney.

Tastes the same. Save your sheckels and buy some Oscar Meyer.

Oh yeah...now THAT IS a lot of baloney!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by JAKE91



To me, corned beef and pastrami is like eating baloney.

Tastes the same. Save your sheckels and buy some Oscar Meyer.

If the corned beef and pastrami being sold in your area really do taste like bologna, this merely indicates that the purveyors of corned beef and pastrami in your area are selling truly inferior products. Try coming to NYC for some of the great stuff sold by Katz's, Sarge's or some of the other good places in the city. I can assure you that the pastrami and corned beef from those places (and from Harold's) do not taste anything like bologna.

Great report!

But I really think the outrageous prices/portion sizes is disgusting. The sheer amount of uneaten food that is thrown away is criminal.

By the looks of that tub of lard leaving in the first photo, it looks like he just finished the $30.95 corned beef platter AND a $19.95 pastrami sandwich!


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quote:

Originally posted by Kaczmark

Great report!

But I really think the outrageous prices/portion sizes is disgusting. The sheer amount of uneaten food that is thrown away is criminal.

By the looks of that tub of lard leaving in the first photo, it looks like he just finished the $30.95 corned beef platter AND a $19.95 pastrami sandwich!


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In reality, it appears that everyone who goes to Harold's requests take-home containers for their left-overs. I have brought home enough food from a "portion for one" to have two additional meals afterward, and I am definitely not unique in that respect. Once you factor the additional meals into the menu prices, the prices are actually not unreasonable, especially in light of the good quality of the food.

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

Thanks for your advice Ted, but a) I won't be setting foot in NYC anytime soon...or later in the far out future. b) I still say they taste like baloney...YUK!

For $31.00 clams, I could feast on a nice Steak platter or Lobster tail, and have some $$$ left over.

quote:

Originally posted by Tedbear

quote:

Originally posted by JAKE91



To me, corned beef and pastrami is like eating baloney.

Tastes the same. Save your sheckels and buy some Oscar Meyer.

If the corned beef and pastrami being sold in your area really do taste like bologna, this merely indicates that the purveyors of corned beef and pastrami in your area are selling truly inferior products. Try coming to NYC for some of the great stuff sold by Katz's, Sarge's or some of the other good places in the city. I can assure you that the pastrami and corned beef from those places (and from Harold's) do not taste anything like bologna.

Well-stated.

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.

Exactly.

Your e-peen is not impressive.

Yep, you're right. One doesn't go to a Jewish delicatessen and order a Texas wrap. Of course, you don't go to a Jewish delicatessen and order corned beef and cabbage, either.

quote:

Originally posted by californyguy

did you really mean 30.95 for the corned beef and cabbage? thats a lot of cabbage!!

Who can afford to pay that?.. I surely cant....I can barely afford to go to the grocery store, much less eat at a place like that?
WOW

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

Yep, you're right. One doesn't go to a Jewish delicatessen and order a Texas wrap. Of course, you don't go to a Jewish delicatessen and order corned beef and cabbage, either.

it's been ten years since we went there, but we used to order chicken in a pot or the corned beef and cabbage dinner for my teenage son and the three of us ate quite well. it didn't seem that expensive.
i would never consider ordering such a meal alone.

My daughter used to work at the Kibitz Room down here in Cherry Hill. It's a New York-style deli, and while the quality was always extremely high, the prices were and still are as well. People who walk in there gladly plunk down x amount of dollars regularly for something the average Joe wouldn't. They just have it to throw around. All of the foods mentioned and pictured are at the Kibitz Room, and they charge just as much, if not even more, maybe. Glad we always had a meal on the house there! And everything was as good as you'd want it to be! So none of the prices on this report shock me.

No way in HELL I'm paying $31.00 for corned beef and cabbage when I can do it at home so much cheaper. Hell, I almost bought a corned beef brisket at Super Wal-Mart today but got to counting my pennies and left it alone.



Dennis in Cary

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...

Like Tedbear said, it's really not that expensive, when you figure in the quanitity you get for the $$
It's really enough for two meals.
I love taking some of the pastrami home , and enjoying it for breakfast the next day before work.
I live 2 hours away from Harolds in Edison, but thanks to a good cooler, the pastrami holds up nicely.

ellen in AC area.

p.s. A bad value to me is when I decide to go for an $8.00 baked potato at a Ruth Chris (or the like) steakhouse.
A huge pastrami sandwich at Harolds for $15.50 is really a GOOD value
(IMO) ...and it sure does'nt taste like BOLOGNA !

Since posting this report I have been traveling and way away from my computer. Thank you all for your response. let me try to answer your posts.

AHI MPLS Stunning isn't it.

buffetbuster, You know I was thinkin of you.

Tedbear I would say that is was not as good as my last trip there about 2 years ago.

californyguy, You got that right. This is not something you do everyday. It's ok to slurge once in awhile.

JAKE91, Jake, Jake, This corned beef is soooo good it will bring a tear to your eye.

Wistah, I never saw a Novatel nearby.

Baah Ben, I don'e believe it is the same Harold. I have eaten here several times over about 20 years. It is not as good as it was, but it is still awesome.

Kaczmark, Come on now, that was not nice. Also no food was wasted. Pat and I will eat very well at home from the leftovers. Please remember, going into this type of restaurant you know what the portion size is. We could of ordered smaller size dinners but we wanted the take-outs.

Michael Hoffman, My first choice was unavailable, I was under pressure But I just love corned beef and cabbage.

roossy90, All totaled our lunch for two was $62.00 without tip. Agreed, that's a lot of cabbage. Bt it's not something you do everyday and we had a ton of take-outs and I ddn't eat again until the next day. If this was a night out for dinner, no one would blink an ey at $62.00.

DLnWPBrown, Yeah but you don't have the "Worlds Largest Pickle Bar" at your house.

Ok, it's a famous Jewish Deli within a stones throw of NYC. Pricey, yes. Excellent, you better believe it. Roadfood, I think so.