Harold's New York Deli

Angella

Jewish Style Filling Food 26th September 2008

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Huge portions are the hallmark of Harold's. Yes, there really is a Harold. He is recognized by the regular customers.

The branch I visited was half way between New York and Philadelphia and an American friend was sure I would like it. I had visited the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia so it seemed an appropriate stop.

Decor
Black and white photos decorate the lobby, but as you walk through the door your gaze is drawn to a glass fronted cabinet containing the enormous desserts. Cakes are about a foot high. You can order one for a party - and still have leftovers.

Food
We started with soup. Chicken soup with one giant dumpling. Most restaurants make dumplings the size of your thumb-tip bent to touch your index finger. But here the dumplings are bigger than your fist. Touch the thumbs of both hands together and the tips of the index fingers of both hands together and you'll get some idea.

Soup comes up in a big bowl. You don't serve yourself with a spoon but with a cup. You might want rye bread to go with the soup. to get your rye bread waddle over to the pickle bar which has gerkins, pickled tomatoes, and rye bread.

We had enough soup for me to take the leftovers home for supper. I took back soup and half the dumpling. My Comfort hotel suite had a microwave oven.

Main courses are mainly huge sandwiches. I opted for chicken liver. We could have chosen pastrami.

The menu includes meat with cheese on it, which is definitely not kosher. So let's call it Jewish-style.

The American menu includes beef. And pastrami. American menus don't list what we in London call salt beef.

The leftover liver filled a tub which was filling enough for my evening meal - and still three quarters of the tub left over. In fact I had enough liver for three more meals.

Sorry, but we didn't have room for the cheesecake. Instead I bought a wrapped bar of chocolate covered halva.

Guaranteed you won't feel hungry.

I also liked the paper napkin printed with the address and a guide to Yiddish amusingly called 'How to speak deli'. For example, CHUTZPAH: NERVE. 'It takes a lot of chutzpah to think you can finish a sandwich at Harold's'. Other words covered include fresser, big eater, and meshugennah, crazy, 'If you don't love Harold's food, you are meshugennah.'

I am glad I took the napkin home as a souvenir. Only a week later did I notice the joke I missed at the time. Down one side it says, 'Please do not open'! (When you ignore the instruction and open it, you find the Yiddish guide.)