Second Avenue Deli and Jewish Soul Food

2^nd Avenue Deli serves what I believe is overall, the finest Jewish soul food in New York City, and that’s saying a lot. Of course, there are some things that I prefer at Katz’s (hot dogs, knishes) and at Carnegie (cheesecake), but 2^nd Avenue does it overall the best, and in a better setting. Except that it’s always hot and stuffy inside, no matter when I’ve been. When they closed down for a few years after the Lebenwohls lost their Lower East Side lease, I mourned the loss of my childhood, a NYC institution, and some of the best pastrami I’ve ever had. Fortunately, they returned a bit over a year ago, and while they’re not on 2^nd Avenue anymore, the food’s just as good. It’s also now a generation cleaner than its old digs, and Katz’s (shabby but loved) for that matter. I’ve ordered the same exact items for the past 30 or so years…

As always, the amuse bouche is some pickles, cucumber and tomato. Some garlic and dill sours, along with some sauerkraut. New in this incarnation is the offering of gribenes, which are like Jewish pork rinds. Being Jewish, however, they're made from chicken, as opposed to pig.

Next follows some of the best matzoh ball soup in the City, which is poured into the bowl at the table. 2^nd Avenue goes the ‘monster ball’ route, which I would normally advise against, but they somehow dodge the overly-dense belly bomber consequences.

What’s next? Knish time. Not as good as Yonah Schimmel’s, but ALWAYS round, NEVER square. Square knishes (like Gabila’s) are for baseball games.

Ahh, the stuffed derma. Most people of my generation are disgusted stuffed derma (or, kishka), but I praise it (and devour it) as one of the shining examples of the Jews taking what was around (usually the less-desired parts of the animal) and making it delicious, in accordance with some sort of ritual. Derma is made to cook for a long time, so it doesn’t have to be messed around with on the Sabbath. I love it.

And now for the Main Event:

Pastrami on Rye. None of that ‘lean cut’, thank you. That’s like stripping the fat ribbon off of prosciutto.

Oh, and I always have a Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda. I don’t like soda, and I never drink soda, aside from this yummy stuff.