pastrami in Philly (succulent pics!)

I made a return visit today. The service was much better. So was the bread. I had a corned beef special. It was excellent. The corned beef was hand sliced nice and thick and was very tasty. I talked to the owner(?) who told me all meats were home cured and were supplied by different beef houses- not prepared like from Ginsberg. He gave me a few slices of pastrami that were excellent-unlike my first visit.

quote:

Originally posted by acer2x

I made a return visit today. I had a corned beef special. It was excellent. The corned beef was hand sliced nice and thick and was very tasty.

So glad to hear you enjoyed your return visit !
(good thing you gave it another shot!)
I had a corned beef reuben on a follow up visit there, and I loved it!

Guess they got the kinks out!

p.s. It was neat to see my Trip Report revived from a year a half ago.
Thanks for refreshing my memory!

As an aside, a tourista(the Convention Center is near the Reading Terminal Market) ahead of me in line ordered a corned beef on wheat with lettuce and tomato!!! The counterman said, "Are you sure about that?"
I didn't hear if he had mayo or mustard.
This was a first for me.

quote:

Originally posted by acer2x

As an aside, a tourista(the Convention Center is near the Reading Terminal Market) ahead of me in line ordered a corned beef on wheat with lettuce and tomato!!! The counterman said, "Are you sure about that?"

Great quip back from the counterman!! I love it!
Of course, the tourista won't even "get" that quip, but at least the counterman felt good about "questioning" the order!!

yeah, that sounds pretty disgusting! (for us NY/NJ/Philly Roadfooders!!) I'm surprised the tourista did'nt order some alfalfa sprouts to go on that sandwich, as well!

Hey, back in the '60s I was stuck having lunch at a Holiday Inn in Charleston, West Virginia. There was a "Kosher New York Corned Beef Sandwich" on the menu so I ordered it. Out came this sandwich of corned beef, lettuce, tomato and American cheese on white bread with mayonnaise and catsup.

Of course, this was the same Holiday Inn where one night I was told by the waitress that the CHAB-liss wine was pretty good, but it was cold.

Ellen, I love your pics and travelogues! They are great!
One question about what I've noticed when you order corned beef or pastrami sandwiches; you always get a side of what looks like thousand island.
I love the stuff, but I was always under the impression that it was only really "kosher" to use it on a reuben (and yes, I imagine that a swiss cheese/meat combo wouldn't be kosher anyway). I was also told by my deli die-hard friends that the only condiment one should be using on a straight-up pastrami or corned beef on rye is mustard.

I think some of these deli "purists" maintain that thousand island is nothing but catsup and mayo with some relish thrown in, and since you wouldn't order catsup or mayo on your pastrami or corned beef on rye, why do the thousand island?

I, however, am with you on the thousand island dressing...I love that stuff on plain corned beef or pastrami!

quote:

Originally posted by acer2x

As an aside, a tourista(the Convention Center is near the Reading Terminal Market) ahead of me in line ordered a corned beef on wheat with lettuce and tomato!!! The counterman said, "Are you sure about that?"
I didn't hear if he had mayo or mustard.
This was a first for me.

I live a couple blocks from the Terminal. Seeing this thread may drive me to go there for a corned beef sandwich tomorrow.

Your story reminds me of a incident I had in the Terminal a few years ago. A supposedly Jewish/NY style deli counter called Groucho's opened there (they had a couple signs claiming they had New York style pastrami and corned beef). Well I was excited about having a Jewish deli in the Terminal, so I went as soon as they opened and ordered a corned beef sandwich. The counterman took a bagged rye bread that looked like it came from a supermarket off of the shelf and asked me if I wanted mustard or mayo on my corned beef sandwich. I just said "never mind" and walked away. I think they lasted about two weeks. It turned out they were run by the people who also ran the Italian hoagie stand a few aisles over.

I'm glad we've got the real thing now.

Damn that looked good.... I'm drooling.


Dennis in Cary

Delicious looking pastrami, Ellen. My, you do get around, don't you.

quote:

Originally posted by tacchino


I think some of these deli "purists" maintain that thousand island is nothing but catsup and mayo with some relish thrown in, and since you wouldn't order catsup or mayo on your pastrami , why do the thousand island?

You've got a good point there, tacchino...
I may never look at thousand island dressing the same way again!
(LOL)
Actually, that is one answer I just can't expain..
all I know is I used to like the mustard on the pastrami in past years, but not so much lately..
I like mustard mostly just on hot dogs now.

I tend to be a bit of a purist myself, as I like to have the first bunch of bites in it's "pure" state, before I put all that gook on it (cole slaw,etc)
Same with hot dogs; I like to taste the meat!!

I'm not Kosher, so I don't personally have an issue with that swiss cheese... (although I won't have straight milk with meat, I WILL have a milkshake!)

The "corned beef/roast beef special" is very popular in the Jewish delis in the Philadelphia area. It's just the meat on rye with cole slaw and Russian dressing,usually served cold. I don't know if this was "invented" before or after the Rueben. I don't think it's very popular elsewhere.

quote:

Originally posted by acer2x

The "corned beef/roast beef special" is very popular in the Jewish delis in the Philadelphia area. It's just the meat on rye with cole slaw and Russian dressing,usually served cold. I don't know if this was "invented" before or after the Rueben. I don't think it's very popular elsewhere

And since most of the delis are just "Kosher style" ones, not Kosher, or Glatt Kosher, they don't have a problem adding swiss cheese alongside the meat("Glatt" means even MORE strictly Kosher for those not in-the-know)........

p.s. for all intent and purposes thousand island = russian
(I gave up asking for Thousand Island, as they seem to just have russian..)

For instance , a Kosher style deli may often still have Hebrew National Kosher pastrami, and other Kosher items, but perhaps their corned beef and/or roast beef , whatever, will not be Kosher

I think it is very easy to find a good Jewish Deli. Only go to the places that Ellen recommends.

I wish we had a place like that closer to my home base. Nothing but "slicer joints" here. See, I'm learning the lingo.

quote:

Originally posted by joerogo

I think it is very easy to find a good Jewish Deli. Only go to the places that Ellen recommends.
I wish we had a place like that closer to my home base. Nothing but "slicer joints" here. See, I'm learning the lingo.

WOW, you're getting real good,Joerogo!
... you've got the lingo down pat and everything!
(I'm very impressed!!!)

So, just keep going to your Abe's (mostly slicer joint)in Scranton when you have to resort to your hometown area.....
and try and save your taste buds for that succulent stuff that Ellen keeps talking about!

I may just organize an "Ellen's deli tour" in the spring!
Perhaps you'll be an early sign-up, Joe!
It's the "eat with ellen" tour!

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

Hey, back in the '60s I was stuck having lunch at a Holiday Inn in Charleston, West Virginia. There was a "Kosher New York Corned Beef Sandwich" on the menu so I ordered it. Out came this sandwich of corned beef, lettuce, tomato and American cheese on white bread with mayonnaise and catsup.

That's a "corned beef sabatage", not a corned beef sandwich!

The only pure kosher Deli's, as well as the best, I've ever been in were when I worked in Far Rockaway back in the 60's. Wonder if they're still pure kosher?

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641

quote:

Originally posted by joerogo

I think it is very easy to find a good Jewish Deli. Only go to the places that Ellen recommends.
I wish we had a place like that closer to my home base. Nothing but "slicer joints" here. See, I'm learning the lingo.

WOW, you're getting real good,Joerogo!
... you've got the lingo down pat and everything!
(I'm very impressed!!!)

So, just keep going to your Abe's (mostly slicer joint)in Scranton when you have to resort to your hometown area.....
and try and save your taste buds for that succulent stuff that Ellen keeps talking about!

I may just organize an "Ellen's deli tour" in the spring!
Perhaps you'll be an early sign-up, Joe!
It's the "eat with ellen" tour!

Sign me up!

Can you actually eat at more than one Deli in one day?

quote:

Originally posted by joerogo
Sign me up!

Can you actually eat at more than one Deli in one day?

It's pretty tough, to be honest with you...
so I'll definitely have my trusted cooler with ice packs in my car.
But at least I'll be eating real good back in A.C. for the next several days after.

The best recommendations I have would be for us to eat just half of the sandwich at each place, and "doggy bag" the rest of it..

It's kind of like a NJ Hot Dog Tour; by the time we got to the 5th hot dog place, it was real tough!!!
That "Dog House" place was my favorite stop; too bad it was the last

I realize this is quite an old thread, but I think I'm going to have to seriously plan a weekend road trip from Ohio to Philly really soon. Gotta try me some of that pastrami then a cheesteak, then an Italian hoagie, some pizza and some pastries, etc, etc.  Hey, at least I'll die of something instead of nothing...

Ellen, I don't often post on your threads. I just let my old dial up pc. download...  and enjoy. Great posts! You always make me hungry!!! :~)
Joe

Ellen, can put some in an envelope and mail it to me? 

Twinwillow


Ellen, can put some in an envelope and mail it to me?

I can probably do even better than that......
Whenever I get to Dallas again, I will buy you a pound of pastrami, and keep it in my cooler. I'll make sure to take a nonstop flight from Philly to Dallas, so that the precious cargo does not get delayed or lost!!!

What a girl!  

Ellen rocks!

Dang, I don't know how I could have missed that last August when I was there???????  I feel cheated!  At least I had the Bassett's.........

Ellen,
Please drop me a line the next time you go to Hershel's. I'm less than a five-minute walk from the Terminal and would love to meet you for a sandwich if I'm not working.

phlmaestro


Ellen,
Please drop me a line the next time you go to Hershel's. I'm less than a five-minute walk from the Terminal and would love to meet you for a sandwich if I'm not working.

You got it, phlmaestro...

juanito_mandujano


Dang, I don't know how I could have missed that last August when I was there???????  I feel cheated!  At least I had the Bassett's.........

I love Bassett's! Choc. choc chip is my favorite flavor!
They even sell a few of the flavors in our WaWa stores ..(they're like 7-11's)

ellen4641,

Your reports and pictures of the food from Harold's and now Herschel's are terrific.
 
Considering your more than passing interest in Pastrami, I thought that you might be interested in an old NJ deli name that moved from its original 1943 location to Berkeley Heights. acer2x posted a link on the first page of this thread that goes to egullet and in post #7 (numbers on the right) the old Goodman’s is mentioned by the OP.
 
Its: Goodman's Deli
 
A newspaper review and explanation of the ownership changes:
 
http://www.nj.com/dining/reviews_ledger.ssf?21397?21397
 
This is Goodman’s video of still pictures that shows their Pastrami, Corned Beef, and Sloppy Joe sandwiches.
 
Goodman's Deli Video
 
I’m curious, in the pictures from both Harold’s and Hershel’s there’s a plate of meat and the rye bread is off to the side. Are they sandwiches or platters?

HI foodfan,
appreciate the pastrami pic compliments!

very interesting info that Goodman's deli has now moved to Berkeley Heights.....I've got to put it on my "to do" list!!
The big question IS "What brand of pastrami do they use?
Could  they possibly make their own?!?!!!"
(in this day and age, that would be a pleasant surprise!)

As far as your bread /meat question, my deli items were sandwiches, not platters...
Harold's has a big "pickle bar" with all you can eat rye bread, health salad , and of course , pickles (half sours, full sours, etc)
So I always take extra rye bread, cause I like a few pieces with butter. Plus I take a few pieces home to go along with my leftovers..

thanks again, food fan for your post!!

I was completely unimpressed with the hot pastrami I had at Hershel's last week and I was equally unimpressed with their corned beef I had a couple of years back. I'll stick with Famous (I'm going tomorrow).