Best Jewish Deli ?? (warning mods...flame bait- lol)

KATZ'S DELI....LOWER EAST SIDE.

between Park and Madison. But you're right - Katz's is the BEST.

We don't have those in Oklahoma!!! :( I get Jewish food when I go home. There is a good one in Atlanta, but I don't remember the name!

I can't even imagine. I have only lived in New York and Tempe, AZ. And forgive my ignorance but are there many Jews in Oklahoma?

Actually, Tulsa has a fairly large Jewish population. And, OKC, has a few. There are only 8 synagogues statewide! The town I live in doesn't have one. The nearest one is in Tulsa, about 60 miles south of us.

Along with the large Jewish population in Tulsa, there is also a VERY active Neo-Nazi population and they make themselves known. The last attack was on a synagogue (typical bullshit of spray paintings). I understand there is also a new (almost a year old) Holocaust museum in Tulsa. I haven't been there yet.

It is rare to find other Jews outside of the two major cities. I used to work in Stillwater, at Oklahoma State University, and there was a Jewish student group, but it was about to fold because so few people came. I don't know how it is doing now.

Now, Baptists...we got us some Baptists here!!! :)

even here in New York.

I remember when I went to Arizona State (in all of my 19 years of ignorance), I thought I'd be the only Jew. I joined the Hillel and come the Holy days, was astonished they had to rent out a hall to acccommodate all the people who attended. The major holidays were always very well attended. So I guess we really are everywhere.

but, unlike the now closed Weissel's that used to be around the corner from Monument Circle, it is not strictly kosher.

Famous 4th Street Deli in Philadelphia. It's always good to go back home to Philly and stop at Famous for some whitefish salad or latkes (sour cream, please! No apple sauce).

L.A., where I live now, IMHO is a deli wasteland. We have them, but they are abominable.

We had reason to search for a deli in Philly to send a platter for a shiva call and two different people recommended Famous.

It's very delicious...

And if you wish for deli wasteland, try the South - particularly Texas.

L-

we have many delis from the sublime to the absurdly expensive...............Oh for a real deli without valet parking or a line for 3 hours.

Corned beef to die for. My in-laws from Boston are crazy about this place. Jewish cooking like they can't get in Boston any more.

Now my mouth is watering for a corned beef sandwich. Yummmmm. We have NO deli's where we live. :cry: We have to go to Chicago. There use to be a GREAT Deli in Olympia Fields, Al's, but it closed a few years back. They had excellent food too. The nearest deli now...Chicago.

GOOD stuff. Even though my imeediate family lives in the south now (New Orleans & Mississippi), my dad grew up in Chicago. I've been back there every so often for weddings and bar mitzvoh's, and NEVER miss a chance to hit my (and my dad's) favorite Chicago institution -- that and the origional Duo's.

near Fuller Street. They were the only ones I knew of that had real pastrami and sour pickles. The counterman said Boston is a half-sour town. :-)

LOL, I live in podunksville, louisiana.

Sunday, I make bagels and maybe salt beef. I also make a killer chicken soup.
I would kill to be able to pop down a deli and just buy some good Jewish food though!

I don't think I've even seen a recipe for them. Kudos!!!

My mother used to make them every sunday when I was growing up. The recipe is just a challah recipe, with a little more flour. Once the dough has risen you just shape it into bagels, let them rise again, then pop them in boiling water for a minute and then dry them and then bake. Easy. Homemade bagels are way more yummy than store bought.

Oh and I thoroughly recommend 'the complete international jewish cookbook' by Evelyn Rose. Heck I was given a copy for my Bat Chayil (but we won't go into the fuss I made that the boys didn't get a copy for their bar mitzvahs - even at 12 I was a right little liberal ;-)). Still, glad to have it now I'm the one cooking!

Could you sort of fill in for Alton Brown and tell me (if you know) what effect boiling has on the cooking process here?

L-

althugh I've often heard it's the water that bagels are boiled in in New York that make our bagels so good.

If you know some measurements I can use, I'd love to try it.

Oh but before that, I assume the boiling helps the give that characteristic texture. If you baked these as rolls, without boiling, since the recipe is very similar challah, I guess thats how it would turn out.

1 lb 2 oz bread flour
2 level tsp salt
3 level tsp caster (superfine) sugar
2 tbsp oil
2 level tsp dried yeast
1 lge egg plus 1 yolk (or 2 medium eggs)
8 floz warm water

If you have a bread machine: add ingredients in the order a bread machine requires (liquids, then solids, yeast on top) and set it going on a bagel cycle. At which point you join the instructions below at shaping the bagels. Although its way better if you do it the traditional way...Use either a kitchen aid style mixer with a dough hook, or the good old fashioned hard labor way ;)

Heat the water until it feels as warm as a baby's bath. Put into the mixer bowl. Add one third of the flour, all the sugar and the yeast. Mix until smooth, cover with a towel and leave for 20 minutes until it looks frothy. Now add all the remaining flour, the salt, oil and egg. Mix with the dough hook at low speed for 3 minutes. Tip the dough on to a floured board, and knead for 30 secs to shape into a ball it should have a scone (biscuit) -like texture.
If you are in for the hard labor version, knead by hand for 5-6 mins until the dough is smooth.

Put this ball of dough into a greased polythene bag - large enough for the dough to double in size, fasten losely.

Put the dough in the bottom of the refrigerator for 12-24 hours, whichever is more convenient.

TO MAKE BAGELS:
Work with the chilled dough directly out of the refrigerator. Divide it into 20 pieces. Shape each piece as follows:
Knead the piece into a ball, then flatten with the palm of your hand and roll into a rope 7" long and 3/8" thick. Wind the rope around the knuckles of your hand and press on the table firmly to seal the joint. Roll gently on the table to seal it firmly, then slip the bagel off the knuckles on to a floured board. Repeat with all the pieces of dough. Leave to rise for 1 hour unil the bagels have increased slightly in size, but are not as puffy as rolls. Have the oven set to gas mark 10, or 500 F and a soup pan of of boiling water ready on the stove. Put 5 or 6 bagels at a time into the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes, turning them over with a slotted spoon as they rise to the top. Drain from teh water and lay on a floured tray and put it in the oven for 1 min to dry the top surface, then turn and bake for a further 15 mins until a rich shiny brown.

The dough freezes extremely well by the way.

Also if you want to make a really nice Challah, make the dough as above, only reduce the flour to 1lb. Also reserve 1 yolk for the glaze. When you come to make the challah, let the dough rest at room temp, for about 30 mins, for it to lose its chill, and then shape into a challah (3 or 6 strands - plait them) - makes one large or two smaller loaves and then put the dough into a greased polythene bag and let them rise again at room temp for about 30 mins. Brush over with the reserved egg, beaten with 1 tsp water and 1 tsp salt. Scatter with poppy seeds.
Bake at Gas mark 7, 425 F for 15 mins, then turn down to Gas mark 5, 375 F for a further 45 mins (large) or 30 mins (smaller size). They are cooked when they are a rich brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Phew! Y'all better have a go, now I've done all that typing!

As you can see, I've been off-line for a while or thanks would have come sooner. I'll let you know when I've tried this - hope it isn't a disaster!!!

Philadelphia - Hymies, Murrays
Pittsburgh - Nothing since Ben Weinstein's closed
SF Bay - Max's, maybe the Cheesecake Factory (a stretch).
Detroit - One on Boardwalk in West Bloomfield

The food is great there!

in San Francisco. I think it must have been there 50 years. But the owner sold it to someone she thought would carry on the long tradition, and after a few months, they rented the space out because it brought in more money. It was so sad to see it close.

People came from miles around to shop there. The pickles were the best. I have yet to find anywhere with Lox as good as they had.

My husband is Irish-Catholic and he was soooooo hooked on all the great Jewish food. It was so cute to turn him on to Lox, gefilte fish, and his favorite matzo balls. It's so sad, we really haven't any good kosher deli out here anymore.

Hello to all of you and best wishes, this is my first post in this forum.

I haven't had really good deli since (I forget the name of the place that used to be on Walnut Street. Long since become a Chinese restaurant.) Any really good deli in Detroit? I'll be there, Nine Mile, at the end of the month.

Yum! :)