#11: Pastrami

One thing I know about New York residents: we tend to avoid places that are famous, because famous often equals touristy, mediocre and overpriced. For this reason, you won’t find me perusing dining options in Times Square anytime soon. An exception needs to be made for Katz’s.

Katz’s Deli is very famous, and often a crowded hot mess. When you walk in, the turnstile and man behind a glass pane may confuse you. No, you are not entering the subway, especially since in that case, if you lose your ticket you can still exit. At Katz’s, the ticket you receive upon entering is necessary to pay and leave. I believe they have hidden rooms in the back where all those who fail at this are pelted with matzo balls and accept the punishment of forever living in a deli. Getting back to the point though, the pastrami is delicious. Get it on a Rueben style sandwich (rye bread, thousand island dressing, swiss cheese, sauerkraut). Get pickles on the side. The sandwich is pricey but enough to feed 2 people. So also try to avoid devouring the entire thing, especially when you’re on a date and the other person barely manages to finish half. I know a girl who did that once…

p.s. I feel a little guilty about featuring this giant meaty sandwich. Not only have my best friend and her towering basketball playing fiancé turned vegetarian, but my mother, the woman who eats pig’s knuckle willingly, has just informed me of her new found distaste for meat. Turns out she took me up on my recommendation to read Jonathan Safran Foer, but instead of reading the one about the crazy road trip through eastern Europe, she read about how you should not eat animals (I think the phrase "cause of your generation" might have been uttered). Faced with a new meatless world, she didn't really know what to eat. I think it was muffins, ice cream and sun chips for day one. Anyway, I don’t think its possible for this blog to be veg, but I’ll try to include more delicious meatless “things”.