There is a business at 179 E. Houston Street, in the Lower East Side of New York that almost makes this country fella want to move back to the city. I miss the museums, the shops, the incredible variety of cuisines, and the culture. Most of all, I miss the food.
I’ve spent 30+ years in the food business and nothing rocks my world like good food. A trip to the Lower East Side with its old world feel and history will make your tongue dance. There are wonderful restaurants and specialty food shops. Grab a pletzel at Kossar’s or find amazing cheeses at Saxelby. By all means get a hot Pastrami at Katz’s. Better still, go to Katz’s with a group and share; a bite of this, a chomp of that, and ess gesunt!
A Perfectly Acceptable Gift !!
But for me the place I could live in is Russ and Daughters. I adore smoked fish in general and salmon is nirvana. My father is responsible for my addiction. He forced it on me as a boy and I have been enamored, even enthralled, with it ever since. R&D has so many varieties of such really good salmon I am driven to distraction just writing this. The herring is another slice of heaven. I don’t care what form it comes in, it is a wonderful tongue pleaser. Father was fond of roll mops, as am I, and marinated herring with cream and onions is absolutely ” the bee’s knees “. I have to confess to not having tried the curried herring yet, but it’s on my list. ( Hint, Hint)
You can learn more about the Lower East Side at Wikipedia, the neighborhood guide and the Lower East Side BID, while I have a bagel with cream cheese, lox, and onion for lunch.
1 response so far ↓
1 Ginny // Jan 7, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I would add a slice of tomato to that bagel with lox, cream cheese and onion. I was oblivious to this particular form of pleasure before I had Jewish inlaws from the Bronx (why is it called “THE Bronx”?), but I’m a fast learner: One bite and I was a convert — not to Judaism, but to New York bagels and lox (can’t say the same about gefilte fish, though…).
Leave a Comment