Manny's Deli vs Katz's Deli

First up is Manny's Deli in Chicago



1141 S Jefferson St Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 939-2855
Open Mon-Sat 5am-8pm

With the likely hood of developing triple vessel disease, I continue on my food conquests that do not include any sort of healthy or "fat-free" content. So with that in mind, I took the Deli Challenge. Manny's Deli, a Chicago institution when it comes to spiced, peppered, and mouth watering corned beef and pastrami. Manny's is an old-school Chicago deli and cafeteria established in 1942, and was frequented by none other than Barack Obama and other Chicago politicians that may or may have been corrupt, but I digress.

I had the pastrami on rye, Matzo ball soup, and a Potato pancake



The pastrami was piping hot and fresh from the monster industrial silver meat slicer and piled high between two thin slices of rye bread...derriciousssss (f.o.b. asian accent). I was a little disappointed with the matzo ball soup. It was soft and tender and importantly, the size of a toddler's clenched fist. However, it was a little too salty for me. The potato pancake was tasty. My friend told me to cover that bad boy with some sour cream and a little apple sauce as condiments. Naturally, I gave her a funny look. But as the rookie I learned my lesson. It was crazy good!
Overall, I enjoyed the meal, the company, and the experience.

Now off to NYC...



Katz's Delicatessen
205 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 254-2246

This place has been featured in countless movies, FoodTV shows, Travel Channel. It's a favorite spot for many New Yorkers even though countless tourists frequent the eatery to see what the story is with this classic New York Deli.
The restaurant itself is the classic deli set-up with people lining up cafeteria style to order their artery clogging favorite. Their are a number of "cutters" to line up in front to receive your hand carved sandwich. Ordering by it's own was a little bit intimidating, but just follow the crowd or actually read the signs posted and you'll be okay.



The walls are adorned with photos of celebrities that have come to Katz's Deli. And the whole look of the place has retained it's no frills look. Be prepared as a visitor to get a few looks from locals with the WTF face, but otherwise, the people in the restaurant are friendly.

On to the meal...



After seeing other people order, I had to come to the realization that downing one of the sandwiches by myself would be next to impossible. And of course I was looking at reducing my cholesterol levels...um..yeah right. But I did decide to split the sandwich and fill the rest of the half sandwich space with side orders.
Gladys and I decided to split the Reuben. I love the Reuben and couldn't resist the homemade toppings on that bad boy! They include a huge cut up deli pickle and rounded off the order with potato cakes..again. The Reuben was delicious. The corned beef was moist and seasoned just right. The potato cakes were made to order and came fresh from the fryer which I appreciated. It was a great meal and I will return when I go back to NYC.

In comparison, I hate going against all things Chicago, but I had to tip the scale to Katz's Deli. Granted, I did have two different sandwiches, but at Katz's they do give the opportunity to sample the cured meats. I had to admit it was a tough choice going against the pastrami at Katz's but I was in a Reuben mood. I did like the pastrami better at Katz's than Manny's. The seasoning at Katz's didn't over power the flavor of the meat. The potato cakes at both establishments were great. But I guess seeing the potato cakes coming straight out of the fryer gave me a warm, fuzzy fried feeling and I like that.

Well, it doesn't really matter if I am in Chicago or NYC I will still eat my fill of deli meats in either place. Long live hot, smoked, and salted red meat!!!