Harold’s is our favorite New York deli, and has been for years. But we were struck during this meal by just how much corned beef and pastrami can vary at almost all good Jewish delis from visit to visit. When you go to Katz’s in New York, the counterman gives you a piece to taste when he begins to carve your sandwich. Sure, he does this because it’s tradition, and it encourages tips, but the idea is for you to decide if you like that particular piece of meat. The implication, of course, is that they vary enough to make a difference.
This large corned beef sandwich was requested lean. As the waiters are trained to do, we were warned that it will be dry. Sue likes it that way. Go figure!
At Harold’s, not only do the cured meats vary, but so does much of the other food. The recipes seem to change and we don’t know why. Does Harold tinker with the recipes to improve them? Because he’s restless? Is it because he changes suppliers?
Harold’s calls this the world’s largest pickle bar, and it probably is. The sour pickles are great, but even better is the health salad, a pickly slaw that is better here than anywhere else. Also at the pickle bar you’ll find stacks of Harold’s good sliced chewy-crusted rye.
At Harold’s, we find the pastrami varies the most, although it’s rarely less than very good. The levels of salt, smoke, fat, and garlic are always changing, as is the texture of the meat. Today the salt level was just right, the garlic was sharp and pungent, and the smoke levels were low (we think the pastrami is at its best quite smoky). The texture was just a smidge tight and dense, which we can only guess has to do with how long it’s been steamed (but perhaps there’s more to it). Sometimes the meat seems to have almost been dunked in a vat of liquid pastrami fat (it sounds awful but we like that). Other times, like today, the meat is less “glistening.”
We highly recommend a side dish of farfel, although you won’t see it listed as such on the menu, where it’s called “Mushroom – Egg and Barley.” It is made with something called “egg barley” which is really little pasta nuggets, something like pastina. It’s fortified with mushrooms, onions, and plenty of chicken fat. Jewish stuffing!
Sue will tell you that the only cheesecake worth ordering is the plain, but Bruce is fond of the rugelach cheesecake. At least, he used to be. Here’s another example of a totally different recipe. We assume Harold gets these brought in from somewhere, and he changed his supplier. It LOOKS more impressive, especially with the new, thick layer of rugelach filling running through the middle. Unfortunately, the texture of the cheesecake itself has suffered. It’s now thick and buttery textured, not far from cold cream cheese, and the flavor is lacking too. We do like the habit the waiters have of tossing a handful of Harold’s good rugelach in the take-out box along with the massive slice of cheesecake. We hope the regular cheesecake hasn’t changed in the same way, but over the years it has often changed, for better and for worse. We’ll find out next time.
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