Bandpal, I need advice on schmaltz et.al.

[Foofy 0]

Bandpal!

Next week I am going to New York for work and they are taking me (and some other managers) out to Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse. It's supposed to be like going to a fabulous party in your grandparent's basement (if your grandparents are Jewish).

I get to try knishes, kasha varneshki (sorry if I am butchering spelling), schmaltz, chopped liver, egg creams, and ruggelach. Plus, they bring a bottle of vodka frozen in a block of ice to your table. Oy! I suppose it's a good thing that my band is a bit loose right now, because I would hate to miss out on the experience. Even with just a bite or two of each, I get the feeling I will be paying a high-caloric price on this one. :thumbup:

I am very much looking forward to this ethnic experience. It's not something I ever get to do in Montana. Have you been to Sammy's? Any suggestions to enhance my experience?

[bandpal 7]

Foofy, you're killing me, here. Just looking at Sammy's online menu is enough to cause a small puddle of drool to collect at the base of my keyboard. I'd hold off on the egg cream, knishes and ruggelach - you can get them better at different places while you're in town, and the latter two are very filling. Here are my dining suggestions:

Appetizers:

• Chopped Liver
  
• Kishka - also called stuffed derma, a spicy (garicky/peppery) sausage concoction loaded with small chunks of fatty unknown meat products.
  
• If you want to try something really exotic, go for the Ptcha, a calf's foot jelly.
  

Soup:

• chicken Soup with Kreplach (Kreplach are Jewish Ravioli). My family served this Soup with Thanksgiving dinner. When my fourth grade teacher asked in class what the Pilgrims ate, I said, "kreplach". I got a note home.
  

Entrees:

• Flanken is a cut of meat taken from the short ribs of beef. It is either boiled or stewed and should melt in your mouth. This would be my first choice, except I can't imagine they do it better than my mom's.
  
• Stuffed Cabbage (If Sammy is really Romanian, this should be good) would be my second choice.
  
• If I had to go for a steak, I'd take the romanian tenderloin, which is basically a skirt steak.
  

Side dishes:

• Definitely the Kasha Varnishkes, fried buckwheat groats with bow tie egg noodles. Latkes, or potato pancakes, are always nice.
  

Drinks:

• Seltzer, or Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray Tonic if they carry it.
  

This is very filling, heavy food. Share portions or order mixed platters so that you can get all your tastes in. Easy on the vodka, you, and have a great time in the Big Apple.

- Disclaimer: Let me note that this is Jewish Eastern European Cuisine and not "Israeli" cooking, which has a much lighter, Mediterranean style and flavor. And I certainly don't want to present myself as an authority on this subject - anyone who wants to, chip in.

Edited October 28, 2008 by bandpal

[Foofy 0]

Fabulous! I'll have to twist the arms of my dining companians so that I have these dishes available to me to taste without having to eat the whole thing. I'm really looking forward to it.

Is calf's foot jelly like an aspic or headcheese (jellied meat product)? I'll have to think about that one. At the very least, I think that will require a shot of vodka. The vodka will also be necessary if I am to dance the hora in the aisles between the tables.

I think I can sing/mumble a good bit of Hava Nigila and I also have some vague recollection of a folk song ("Lo Isa Goy???") from my days in the Montan Women's Chorus singing "songs of justice and freedom."

I am sure it will be a blast! Thanks for the menu suggestions! I'll give feedback.

[cindyg1212 0]

Foofy, that sounds like a lot of fun! I only live an hour from NYC so will have to try that restaurant if you give it a good review. What else are you doing in the city?

[Foofy 0]

Cindy - I will give you a full review.

It's a whirlwind trip for me. About all I get to do is sit in meetings. I was going to stay a few days extra, but the standard Manhattan hotel rate (even at the Federal government discount) was way too high for my budget ($368!!! a night). I didn't pay that much to stay in Venice, Italy! The Federal rate for a hotel room in Montana is $70. Quite a difference.

[Foofy 0]

Whoohoo. I'm back from NYC and had a great time. It was a total immersion into eastern Europeon jewish food. Lots of fun!!! Now, I have to drink Slim Fast for at least two weeks to make up for it, but it was worth it. The band saved me from total gluttony.

Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse was a hoot. We had eight people so we ordered a whirlwind of tradiational jewish appetizers - chopped liver with sauteed onions is FABULOUS!!! I was served a "small" Roumanian (yes, that's how they spell it) tenderloin (flanksteak) that flopped off both sides of the plate. It was tender, juicy, and full of garlic. Needless to say, my boss got to take about 90% of mine home with him. I tasted latke, kasha varniskes, chopped liver, kreplack, pickled tomatoes, schmaltz (chicken fat), rye bread, some sort of garlic sausage, ruggelach, and an egg cream. Then, I got all the senior staff to dance the hora in the aisle. The description on the internet of it being like a party in your grandparents basement in the 1970s was pretty acurate. It was a great time.

I also went on a pilgrimage to Katz's Deli (brought back pastrami and corned beef for DH), Russ and Daughters (brought back lox, smoked whitefish, herring, and havlah (sp)) and a Kosher bakery (tasted a knish).

I was quite an experience for a girl from Montana. I behaved myself pretty well (although I did have to hork up a piece of pastrami in Katz's).

That's my review of NYC.

[cindyg1212 0]

Foofy, I'm glad you had so much fun! I've gotta get to Sammy's! Sounds like a blast! You named just about all of my favorite Jewish foods. I haven't had most of them since the banding. I used to looove hot pastrami on rye with mustard. Now the bread won't go down and I know the pastrami would get stuck so I wouldn't even try. I love chopped liver too but never had it with sauteed onions. I need to try that. I grew up having egg creams. I didn't even know that was considered a Jewish drink. I still have one once in a while. I make them at home with skim milk, seltzer, and lite chocolate Syrup. Yum!

[bandpal 7]

Sounds like you lived it up at Sammy's! Glad you enjoyed yourself. It's nice that Katz's is still around - I understand that area has changed considerably.

[Foofy 0]

Foofy, I'm glad you had so much fun! I've gotta get to Sammy's! Sounds like a blast! You named just about all of my favorite Jewish foods. I haven't had most of them since the banding. I used to looove hot pastrami on rye with mustard. Now the bread won't go down and I know the pastrami would get stuck so I wouldn't even try. I love chopped liver too but never had it with sauteed onions. I need to try that. I grew up having egg creams. I didn't even know that was considered a Jewish drink. I still have one once in a while. I make them at home with skim milk, seltzer, and lite chocolate Syrup. Yum!

Cindy - lucky girl. That's some yummy stuff. You would not believe how good that chopped liver was. When I lived in Philly, they had YooHoo chocolate soda, which I never tried because it sounded kind of nuts. Now that I have had the egg cream, I can see where that came from. I may have to get a seltzer bottle. They sell them in the specialty cooking catalogs (like Williams and Sonoma). Fresh seltzer was great. You'll love Sammy's. However, bring friends or family because I get the feeling that it is best with a group. You can all get silly together - especially after the musician comes on at 7.

Sounds like you lived it up at Sammy's! Glad you enjoyed yourself. It's nice that Katz's is still around - I understand that area has changed considerably.

Bandpal, Katz's is definately alive and well. It was packed when I was there around noon. It's even on the NYC map that they give to tourists (with a notation that it is the deli in the When Harry Met Sally movie). I understand that the neighborhood is getting more gentrified. Apparently there used to be a lot of cool shops that are no longer there. But Katz's, Russ and Daughters, and the Kosher bakery are going strong. Thanks for your dinner suggestions!