Baah Ben, joerogo and Harold

Harold is the owner of Harold's Famous Deli in Edison, NJ.
 
My Buddy Baah Ben is visiting family in North Jersey, perfect time for a Harold's meet-up.  Baah Ben and I will both provide text for this trip report.
 
Baah Ben: We met in Edison at Harold's ONLY place right now. Yes, Harold was there in all his glory. The place was not crowded at 1:00 PM. Service was excellent. The place was very, very clean. The salad bar with its excellent slaw, pickles (half sours and sours), rye bread slices, health salad and kraut was a sight to behold. 
 
joerogo: What a pleasure it was to finally meet Baah Ben in person. Baah Ben and Harold knew each other from past business dealings. BB's business was designing and installing commercial kitchens. Here is BB and Harold getting reacquainted.

Here are some shots at the salad/pickle bar. Loads of rye bread.
 

 
The health or claremont salad was my favorite.
 

 
The pickles were excellent.
 

 
Baah Ben: I ordered a rather mundane pastrami ($15 - 13 oz) on rye.
 


 
Baah Ben: But Joe....Joe, had a problem...He just loved potato knishes; something not available in the hills of Pennsylvania. He loved pastrami..He also loved corned beef..So, what's a guy to do? Oh, he also liked a little swiss cheese...

Leave it to Harold to solve Joe's problem. He had a menu item to fulfill Joe's desire even though it was $45! Harold sent over a bottle of wine as a thank you to Joe..(Just kidding) It was a mountain of meat (had to be 3 lbs of meat) sitting on top of G-D knows how many potato knishes and covered in melted swiss. I've never seen anything like it. Joe stepped up to the plate and actually made a dent in this massive menu offering! 
 
joerogo: Now in my own defense, I ordered this before at Harold's in Lyndhurst and it was half the size of this monstrosity.

Here it is, billed as Harold's Favorite. Corned beef and pastrami on potato knish with melted swiss cheese.
 

 
The meat was excellent, juicy and tender. And the knish was fabulous.
 

 
This is as far as I got. The rest will be tonights dinner, and maybe tomorrows lunch also.
 

 
Baah Ben: The meats were all very,very good. I literally made 4 sandwiches from my one. I have no idea how many people Joe fed in his town when he returned. Joe, how many people ate from your left overs? 
 
joerogo: No bread for me please, I'm watching what I eat. I'll let you know is the leftovers make it past tonights supper.

Here are our final pictures, me and the take home bags.
 


 
RogFood: BB and I had a great time. He spent some time in NYC with Billyboy and is heading to Philly for his first authentic cheesesteak.

Have a safe trip back to Florida BB.

Jiminy christmas Joe.  You'll be eating that thing for a week.  So are the half-sours greener because they're less pickled?

Looks like Harold's Favorite could feed a family of 4...the only possible improvement I can think of is to put the whole thing between some big slices of rye!

Brad

I can't believe I've never been to Harold's. Those pictures are incredible! I'm definately going!

WOW!  I've never seen anything like that.

Using a potato knish as a base for a mountain?

All I can eat half (new) done pickles?

I couldn eat those with no problem!

Except bloating.

I really like the use of the knish!  I'll have to incorporate it sometime into my cookin.

Thanks!

Nancypalooza


So are the half-sours greener because they're less pickled?

Yes.  The less pickled they are the more they look like cucumbers.  Over time they take on an army-green hue.  The color helps you to pick out the pickles with the level of pickling you prefer.

great report guys
Baah Ben, bring home about 10 lbs of that pastrami.

What a fun report.My Lord the food looks fantastic.....

Man vs Food needs to go there and try to finish that thing!

I dub that dish Mount Sinai

WOW that was a massive dish, and oh how tasty it looked. 
 
Great report gentleman.

SK - Eat your heart out!  Let me just say this about that......It tasted even better than it looked!!!  Why bring some home though?  We have tons of places to get this type of pastrami in Daytona Beach....

SO glad to hear that you enjoyed your pastrami sandwiches, and the "Mt. Sinai" concoction!
And also it was VERY nice to hear that you got to "meat' THE Harold himself !!!
(now that his short lived East Brunswick location closed, he's gone back to being at his one and only "Harold owned" Harold's Deli , Edison, NJ !)  
...and he's there practically all the time..

Coincidently, I went to Harold's on Monday, April 27th, in the early afternoon...
and that would've REALLY been a coincidence if I happened to run into you guys there!
I was with my bf,  on the way back from sis's in north Jersey...
He'd never been to Harold's, and did'nt know just how good pastrami could be..
I made a surprise stop there, and took out 2 pastrami sandwiches...
one for me, and one that he ended up sharing with his parents, ages 86 and 90.
(they all loved it!!)

Hey guys ! No ROOM for DESSERT at the deli?!?  (I can't blame you after "Mt Sinai" !)
I also took out a surprise dessert for the bf and his parents...
when we got back to my place, we opened it up...

My bf with CHOCOLATE ECLAIR ($15.95) from HAROLD'S DELI
 
ECLAIR close up ..... from Harold's Deli

  I cut off a chunk of ECLAIR (yummy!) for myself before we said our goodbyes...
So I ended up providing a succulent meal for 3 people; they all raved about the pastrami and washed it down with the eclair..they could'nt believe the size of the pastrami... (and it was only supposed to be the 13 ounce one..........!!  )
 
Harold was there when I took out the sandwiches/eclair, so I said my hellos, and introduced him to my bf..
Harold is a real "mench".... he always makes you feel like you're old friends catching up....
he's full of smiles, and just really wants people to have a good time and enjoy their meals..
After I told him I just wanted to show my bf the famous "pickle bar",  it was cute when he said "Have a pickle!"

show me the places BB. I need that pastrami

sk bob


show me the places BB. I need that pastrami

You've gotta realize that BB is just joking about Daytona Beach pastrami...!
Sometimes one just has to leave Daytona Beach, and this is one of those times! (to go get that yummy Harold's pastrami, plus  Philly/NYC city food !!)
 
Your nearest succulent pastrami is at the Pastrami Queen in Boca Raton .... (homemade pastrami, former owners of the famed NYC Pastrami Queen)

Nancypalooza , I don't know nutttin' about picklin'.  But I was eating the half sours, they were excellent.
 
Brad_Olson, I took my leftover piece of that Monster home and weighed it.  The leftovers were 3.8 pounds.  That puppy had to weigh in at about 8 pounds, oy vey.
 
agnesrob, It's a great experience.  Take pictures!!!!
 
sk bob, I can't believe your buddy Baah Ben isn't bringing you anything home
 
mar52 , Great name, I think we should run it by Harold!
 
CajunKing, I hate to tell you this, it was as good as it looked.  Sorry buddy
 
 

hey, I told him to bring an extra empty suitcase.
I was willing to pay for the extra bag.

Ellen,

I like the chocolate eclair. I bought the apple strudel at Harold's once to take home. It weighed about 5 pounds. I think it cost $18. It's another good choice.

Harold doesn't know small..everything he makes is to excess.  He gets people talking and that's his schtick......He's his own marketing machine..he really is.  

Ellen - Sorry we missed you and your BF.  Talk about a small world.        

I could live and die with that eclair!

Please tell me that it was filled with custard.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

acer2x


Ellen,

I like the chocolate eclair. I bought the apple strudel at Harold's once to take home. It weighed about 5 pounds. I think it cost $18. It's another good choice.

Thanks Steve for the hot tip! I love a good apple struedel, (as much as the next gal!) and will put it on my list for next time!  You've just brought to my attention that I've had'nt had an apple streudel in awhile, and now you've got me jonesing for one!
 
I liked the whipped fillling inside Harold's Eclair... (although the bf preferred the Boston Creme filling inside the
Eclair we had at Wegman's. Supermarket..)

 
Hey, no slice of Harold's Cheesecake or Seven Layer Cake for JR and BB?!?
It would be safe to say they were too full for dessert,  but those are always nice items to take out!
They last for a bunch of days!
 

You two did it up right, that's for sure.

That's it. I'm headed to New Jersey. Seriously, we are making a Jersey roadtrip before the summer is out to get me one of those sandwiches!

Wow, Ellen, thats one heck of an eclair.One of the only sweets I still indulge in..Between that and the pastrami, I would have been in food heaven!

<<Between that and the pastrami, I would have been in food heaven>>


I'd be afraid if I ate one of Joe's Pastrami/Swiss Cheese/Knish things I might wind up in real heaven...

TT IN CT..I'd make the drive.  I really would.  The only regret of our first experience was we missed getting Joe a dessert.  He should have ordered one of those eclairs.

Ggeeezzz & Crackers !!!!!!   These pictures have just started a serious quest for me. The search for the real NY deli exp. Seriously those pics. look so good! I'm a newbie here & have looked at the post for Katz,Harold,Irving,Kibitz,Famous & Hershel. Those pics. have awaken something in me & I GOTTA HAVE IT!!!! Thank You Ellen,Baah Ben,Joe for the great posts.
 
OK. I plan to visit all of them & will report back hopefully with pics.
 
Local first:
Hershel's,Famous 4th st. Deli,Kibitz,Irving,Harold,& Katz in that order. Can't wait. YUM..

Paul - Don't forget the Carnegie...Probably the best of them all.

What's the piece of brisket doing in the center of the eclair?

Baah Ben- Is Carnagie that good? Added to the list. ;)
mar52- That's the first thing I was thinking when I saw that pic. (Is that meat in that eclair? No wonder it's that good.)

Maybe they got pages in the cookbook stuck together, like when they made the trifle on 'Friends' -- 'It tastes like feet!'

Joe & BB:  Wow!  Great pix of some great-looking food.   It was time that we had another Roadfoodie visit to Harold's. 

Paul - I sometimes go back and forth, but the Carnegie is always number one or number two for me.

I finally have come to the realization that I like machine sliced pastrami best and therefore, I'm going Carnegie, Harold's and then Katz's.  Hey, try all three and see what you think...Couldn't hurt.....

Great report, great photos.

joerogo

 
Brad_Olson, I took my leftover piece of that Monster home and weighed it.  The leftovers were 3.8 pounds.  That puppy had to weigh in at about 8 pounds, oy vey.
  
 

Oy, I'm terrible at math, but are you estimating you ate 4.2 pounds in one sitting? Wow.
Shani

Hello all ,

Great report !!
Next trip like that let me know , as long as its after july 20th , my special date !! I can make it

Benzee

Benzee -  We would have loved to have met you there.  

Personally, I think Joe did not want to share that Mt. Etna special  with anyone..I know Joe looked at me real funny when I asked if I could try a slice of that mass of meat.  He told me no way!

MD - We kid about Harold's, but I gotta tell you..The pastrami was right on the $.  I'd never been there before.  I just always went to the Carnegie or Katz's.  Harold's was very, very good and I loved the portion size.....13 oz and his terrific pickle bar.  

I could have gone into Manhattan via mass transit in about the same amount of time as the drive down the NJ Pike to Exit 10, but now that I've been to Harold's, it will be a tougher decision next time.

Harold..U da man!  U really are....

Great report along with some hunger-inducing photographs and commentary.  Thanks for sharing this with us (he says as he plots to find a way to travel back from the next CT trip through NJ - how long a detour could it be?)

Baah Ben


Paul - I sometimes go back and forth, but the Carnegie is always number one or number two for me.
 Carnegie, Harold's and then Katz's.  Hey, try all three and see what you think...Couldn't hurt.....

Make that FOUR places, as you should really get to Irving's in Livingston, NJ , as well , newbie PAUL4FOOD !
(u 2, Baah Ben,  next time )
 
YES, PAUL4FOOD, the CARNEGIE IS really THAT good !!!
(warning: once in a blue moon, I have received a pastrami sandwich that was "off", but most of the time, perfect)
I LOVE the way you've caught right on to the Roadfood SPIRIT, Paul4Food !!
All that deli talk we do has got you salivating, huh?!? (can't blame you!)
Remember, if delis come certified from either Ellen, Baah Ben, or Bruce and Sue, that is like the Good Housekeeping "seal of approval"....   (I'm VERY fussy with my pastrami!!)
 
I was just SO grateful to hear that THE Harold was THERE, as he almost always is, anyway...
it would've just been a REALLY BAD BREAK if he had just stepped out for an hour or so to run to the bank , whatever, and you had just missed him!
(after all that Roadfood talk we've done regarding Harold's Deli, and the legend himself, THE Harold, it sure is nice to see you shaking his hand, Baah Ben...!)
 
and it's real nice to see that your Trip Report got such a nice response...
 
p.s. You're right, Roadfooders, that eclair DOES look like it's got a piece of brisket wedged in !
(and I did'nt even notice that till you pointed it out....  lol)
 
 
 

 

That pastrami with the knish and melted cheese was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo luscious and delicious looking. Something i would share with two more people..way too much food.

Harold's was featured on Man vs Food last night. 
 
The segment highlighted His 10 pound sandwiches.  Harold is a marketing genius.  I can't think of anyone else who can get away with charging $42.00 for a sandwich
 
Now I'm getting hungry!

Reported

joerogo


Harold's was featured on Man vs Food last night. 
 
The segment highlighted His 10 pound sandwiches.  Harold is a marketing genius.  I can't think of anyone else who can get away with charging $42.00 for a sandwich
 
Now I'm getting hungry!

Because it's not really a sandwich!  It's a few pounds of meat to go, displayed between a couple of bread slices for your amusement before being wrapped up.