Hey, let's visit Katz's Delicatessen in New York…something I haven't done in close to two decades. I have a strange feeling nothing has changed there in all that time except the prices.
I remember great food but way too much of it. Half of one of their sandwiches is plenty and then the other half becomes a problem. You don't want to throw it away but you also don't want to carry it around with you the rest of the day. The last time there, I carried it around the rest of the day — even to the other restaurant where I had dinner and then to the Broadway show after — and finally threw it away when I finally got back to my hotel room. That's so much better than just leaving it on the table at Katz's.
I also recall a strong vibe there of being told how I had to eat the foods I wanted to eat: You have to have sauerkraut on your hot dog. You have to have spicy brown mustard on your pastrami or corned beef sandwich or hot dog. You have to put sour cream on your latkes. Those of us with major food allergies don't like that attitude even when it isn't pressing us to eat something we shouldn't.
And I notice that every latke recipe on the 'net seems to call for all-purpose flour. Was my non-Jewish mother the only latke-maker in the world who used matzo meal instead?
But I still liked the place so let's go to Katz's. Make sure you don't lose that ticket they give you on the way in or boy, will you be in trouble…