Name your "best of" TV show and Katz's very likely is in the top ten. All the positive press is deserved. There are FEW adjectives that can accurately describe this food. A favorite Seinfeld episode of mine is "The Soup Nazi". In the episode, one character describes a soup as being so good that she has to sit down to eat it. I feel the same way about this sandwich. My legs would surely have buckled If I were guilty of believing the foolish notion that I can stand and consume it.
Located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Katz's is also tourist attraction. Much like the Statue of Liberty (which is only 2 years older), you should expect long lines, probably complaints and characters of all shapes and sizes.
Make no mistake...this is exclusively a chowhound experience, and for good reason. The portions are large but manageable. This isn't like Harold's Deli (Edison, NJ) where one sandwich can serve a family of four or a pancake is the size of a small pizza. And while Harold's serves great food too, Katz's serving sizes don't glorify the ridiculous.
I made sure to eat a small, healthy and early breakfast, so by midday the hunger pangs are unbearable. Enough where I can sink my teeth into a sandwich. My sister (in-law) joined me for the excursion as did a close friend who works in the city. I was thrilled to have a copilot to navigate into the city and appreciative that a friend would take a late lunch in the interest of food journalism.
The place was absolutely packed. Throngs of people enveloped the dining room but I was still optimistic to find a table. My sister and I were given tickets and we proceeded to the sandwich line. We ordered three sandwiches: turkey on rye, lettuce, mayo (my friend); brisket on rye with light mustard (me); and corned beef on rye with mustard (sister). As we ordered each, the sandwich virtuoso (no, there isn't a better name) gave us a small sample of the meats for each. And before one erroneously equates this to the grocery store sample of crappy cheese sliced by the high school kid with his mesh hat, just stop it. This is on another level period. The food is taken from the oven at that moment and sliced in front of you. That's right. The briskets and whole turkey breasts last MINUTES before they need a new one. This tiny morsel titillated my taste buds and the agony to have the whole meal engrossed me. We moved on down the cafeteria-style line and ordered drinks and fries.
I didn't take any time to absorb the spectacle that is Katz's Deli and dug into my food. I paid little attention to the photograph covered walls and tiny bathroom doors. Simply, this food was completely unprecedented.
Brisket
My brisket sandwich was exquisite. The meat was juicy, piled high, bursting out of the sandwich and flavorful beyond belief. This is a: "melt in your mouth, can't put it down between bites, I've forgotten I'm on a diet," culinary delight. The meat stood out as the obvious star of the dish with an able supporting cast. The rye bread was soft, warm, and strong enough to absorb the juices but not take away from the focus on the beef. If I had breathed between bites, I would have surely felt the juices dripping down my chin. But I was unable to give it the chance.
Turkey
My friend's turkey sandwich was spectacular. He commented that the turkey was moist throughout which speaks volumes because turkey can very easily become dry. The rye bread, as with all of our sandwiches, was able to stand up to the turkey. He pointed out that the price is partly due to its status as a tourist attraction, but certainly worth it. I agree.
Corned Beef
My sister had her head on straight when she ordered their trademark dish. And for good reason. You could actually smell the succulence as the aromas wafted across the table. The thick slices allow you to actually taste the "bark" or "crust" that is created in a slow oven roast. The gigantic cuts of beef also set it apart from all others. It cures for thirty days and the pickling spices do a tremendous job. It creates an insatiable flavor profile. This was obvious as she had fallen silent when it was being eaten. The food had taken her breath away. My sister said that it was a "belly full of goodness." Indeed.
We were also given a plate full of pickles and a mountain of french fries. The half sour and mild/sweet pickles contributed a fresh but salty component to the meal. I enjoyed the half sour ones much more.
It's perplexing why neither my friend nor I ordered the pastrami. But that just encourages another visit. It will be soon.
When we finished, we proceeded to checkout. Each sandwich was $14.95. The drinks were about $2 each and the fries were $5.00. It brought our grand total (after taxes) to $62. Sure you might wait a few extra minutes on a long line, but a patron should must understand that patience is price for perfection. And yes, you are partly paying for the spectacle. But if you don't like it, go to Subway.
No review of Katz's would be complete without a reference to When Harry Met Sally and Meg Ryan's "inspired" reaction to the food. I don't feel like making any erotic analogies, (particularly after my Chart House experience), but I can certainly say that this food is stimulating to your taste buds. Inexplicably however, there was a cane laying across the table where the actors sat, I guess so some guy could sit there under the threat of assault.
Katz's is also renowned for it's slogan "send a salami to your boy in the army" (pronounced 'ah-mee' to make it rhyme), a program that began during World War 2 so that the owners could send food to their three sons fighting overseas. This program is still alive and well today. Any place that supports our armed forces earns points in my book.
I challenge you to find a better deli. Seriously. I'll go there. But save yourself the trouble and go to Katz's instead. Because I can guarantee that yours will be outclassed.
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