Sep
24
2010A friend turned me on to this one. Not for those that get nose-bleeds easily – but the Tollway can deliver you to Prosper, TX swiftly and with style.
Look – it's all wind-swept and stuff. Koster's Famous New York Delicatessen is on 380, about three miles East of the Tollway. They have a website – kind of (navigate with the "Go to…" box at the upper right.)
Inside there is an ice cream parlor, deli counter featuring Boar's Head meats, and grass-fed beef from Koster Cattle Co.'s own Prosper raised and locally processed Wagyu steers.
I am here for the "Kosters Famous Kobe Burger – Prime Kobe Beef, Leaf Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Choice of Cheese."
The bun is from La Spiga Bakery in Addison. The meat was delicious – really good. It was fun to trek out there and the burger was worthy of the trip.
Sep
08
2009Feh with all the kibitz… I like it.
You can find lively debate on deli authenticity, recipes, purveyors, etc. on the local intertubes. Zinsky's is what it is. Stylish, clean, welcoming… and satisfying. Enjoy some snaps from a couple recent visits:
Liz and Jim Baron (Blue Mesa) and Mark Brezinski (Bengal Coast) were bold enough to do a deli their way, and I am happier for it. But I'm easy: they provide condiments in squeeze bottles, table side…
^ OMG. Russian Dressing on tap – and both Yellow and Deli Mustards; and the excellent Pickles.
In varied dining circumstances, often the "food" at hand is merely a delivery mechanism for my true love – condiments. So… nice. We will need fries, and things with bread.
^ Not so fast: the delicious Matzo Ball Soup; Zinsky’s Grilled Cheese: American and Cheddar layered with Baked Ham and sliced fresh Tomato on White Bread. Potato Salad.
^ The P.R.S.C. Special: Corned Beef, Salami and Muenster with Russian dressing downstairs, Chopped Liver and shaved Red Onion upstairs on Pumpernickel; The Big Ben: Corned Beef, Pastrami and Swiss downstairs, Roasted Turkey and Cole Slaw upstairs, with Russian Dressing on Rye… and more Russian Dressing, thank you very much. And some more for the fries.
…and thennnnn:
^ The Zinsky. A sandwich for a cause. "A triple-decker lollapalooza with three breads, Roast Beef, Pastrami and Turkey, Muenster, American Cheese and Pepper Jack, Cole Slaw and our Special Dressing. $2 of every Zinsky sold is donated to Jewish Family Service of Dallas."
I'm not sure if you can grasp the scale here, but it's about a foot long. Any "foodie" (hate that term) outta try it for fun, and the cause… at least once. I will hit the rest of the menu, then get back to this one.
The debate rages on. View these pics, and I defy sammich lovers not to cave to temptation.
Jul
31
2009Destination: Molinari Deli, San Francisco
Charcuterie / Deli / Exceptional / Food and Drink / Sammiches / Travel Posted by TheBrad
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4 comments
Glossary: salami is the plural form of the Italian word salame, referring to traditional cured meats – specifically, ground salted and spiced meat forced into animal gut with an elongated and thin shape, then left to undergo some kind of fermentation process. Salumi refers to prepared meat products generally. Let's see if I use these terms correctly here. (Ruhlman is always lurking.)
I recently posted a comment referring to my love of Molinari Salame as a favorite comfort food. My Italian immigrant grandfather got me hooked on sliced salame as a snack at an early age. Back then, he had Boun Gusto salami shipped in from San Francisco. Years passed, my family moved around, and it became very rare to get ahold of this specific type of dry cured salame. It bore no resemblance to anything found in the cold cut isle, or even a meat counter, not to mention a Jewish deli. Of course, these days artisan salumi can be readily found at specialty markets, and locally produced charcuterie is available if you seek it out… look for posts on these subjects in future.)
When I was a teenager, my dad took me along on a business trip to San Francisco and we went on a search for Boun Gusto Salami. Soon enough we ended up here:
(Located at 373 Columbus Avenue, Molinari Delicatessen in North Beach is now the last of it's breed. Open for over 100 years, the family deli is also a market featuring imported Italian staples, house-made pastas and sauces, and P. G. Molinari & Sons' famous salumi: Dry Coppa, Mortadella, Pancetta, Sopressata, and varieties of Salame, among others.)
Still wet behind the ears, I enthusiastically asked about my beloved Boun Gusto Salame… and was summarily kicked out into the street. From the doorway, I was subjected to a tirade ending in "This is Molinari. You want salami – ask me again!" Wow. Well, what a find. This was the stuff. Molinari Milanese style pork and beef salame in easy peel casings, dry cured for 4 weeks. Heaven.
Upon returning home, we would have the 3lb salumi shipped to us a couple times a year. Back then they had a minimum order of 10 pieces, I believe, so – lucky friends got to partake. I continued to order directly from the deli over the years and they finally gave me a break – I could now order as few as three at a time.
These days, their products are available locally at Central Market and other specialty grocers… but it's not the same. I still order directly from them once in awhile. It's kind of a pain – C.O.D. only – but I swear it's a different product right from the source.
And whenever I'm in San Francisco I drop by, have a sandwich out front and grab a couple 3 pound salami for the trip home.
Addendum: I did find Boun Gusto again. Last year. Surprisingly at that hidden bastion of goodness, the Gourmet Market at Sigel's Addison.
I damn near fell over when I spotted it in the chilled display.
I understand that Boun Gusto was bought out by another producer – but I do not have all the facts. The wrapper alone flooded me with fond memories (it is EXACTLY the same!) And the flavor was specific – I remembered it, and just wonderful. Talk about food being a time machine. I may now prefer Molinari, but I got a glimpse of my childhood while savoring this long lost contender. Anyway, if in the area, check out the Market at Sigel's Addison:
Jun
02
2009Yeah, yeah… I've been here, I've been there. NYC's greatest hits, even LA haunts … I get deli. Dallasites bicker back and forth – feh! We don't have it here, so let's have fun with what we do have. I, personally, was enamored of Gilbert's, sadly missed these last few years.
Enter Roaster's (in the former Ed's Deli space).
It comes with the familiar trappings:
Yep, yep… triggering happy memories…
^ My guests enjoyed these selections.
^ National Deli Beef Salamies hanging to dry; I opted for the Hard Salami Sandwich - Carnegie Style (sliced from these hanging beauties, once enough moisture has evaporated – this takes at least a month). For scale: that's not a lemon wedge on the plate, it's an orange slice.
It's just a big mess. Once slathered in mustard, it's two meals of goodness. Debate is passionate about this establishment's pastrami purveyor, and other issues – but this sandwich made me happy. So there.
Meanwhile the Zinsky’s people think they will make everybody happy… Mazal tov!
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