skater wrote:I was always a BIG fan of Manny's since the first time I set foot in this venerable deli.
As of yesterday, it had been several years since I had eaten there ( I have moved an hour away from the city); I was very excited about having their hot Pastrami on rye (dreamed about it the night before!), and saying hello to Gino, The Master Manny's Sandwich Maker. Sadly, Gino was not there, and is now "semi-retired" and is manning the meat slicer only on Wednesday through Saturday. Maybe it was best he wasn't there?
Unfortunately, my expectations were not met that day.

The sandwich was generous of the Pastrami, and the rye bread was fresh as a daisy; however, the meat lacked the usual garlicky, peppery, briny flavor; the Kosher pickles, which I have always delighted in, didn't have any of the usual garlic flavor that made them so special. The potato pancake was just ok, though it seemed to almost be an afterthought on their part- rubbery/chewy, without the usual crispy edges.
As a result, I will not go out of my way to visit Manny's anytime soon- I will keep my warm memories of its gloried past intact.

If you're jonesing for an incredible Kosher deli sandwich, I highly recommend Kaufman's Bagel & Delicatessen on Dempster in Skokie. The place sparkles, and there's a fresh snap to all the food products I have sampled there. Sometimes the line for service can be interminably long- but it's worth the wait. I love the fact that you can order your corned beef in three different levels of lean to fatty (fat's where the flavor is!); their pickles are fantastic-redolent of garlic. Though they don't serve a potato pancake with their sandwiches, their varied selection of kettle chips are a worthy accompaniment. Their tongue sandwich is also heavenly.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Sadly, I've been bearish on Manny's for a while now. Maybe it's me, maybe it's them. I don't really know. My last few visits were relatively unsatisfying and I've stopped going as often. The vibe remains largely the same but food seems to have dropped a notch.

=R=

shakes wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Sadly, I've been bearish on Manny's for a while now. Maybe it's me, maybe it's them. I don't really know. My last few visits were relatively unsatisfying and I've stopped going as often. The vibe remains largely the same but food seems to have dropped a notch.

=R=

you gotta keep driving south a bit more till you reach Shapiro's in Indianapolis. Same as Manny's except they literally do everything better.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

shakes wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Sadly, I've been bearish on Manny's for a while now. Maybe it's me, maybe it's them. I don't really know. My last few visits were relatively unsatisfying and I've stopped going as often. The vibe remains largely the same but food seems to have dropped a notch.

=R=

you gotta keep driving south a bit more till you reach Shapiro's in Indianapolis. Same as Manny's except they literally do everything better.

I've joked for years that Shapiro's is the best deli in Chicago.

=R=

skater wrote:If you're jonesing for an incredible Kosher deli sandwich, I highly recommend Kaufman's Bagel & Delicatessen on Dempster in Skokie. The place sparkles, and there's a fresh snap to all the food products I have sampled there. Sometimes the line for service can be interminably long- but it's worth the wait. I love the fact that you can order your corned beef in three different levels of lean to fatty (fat's where the flavor is!); their pickles are fantastic-redolent of garlic. Though they don't serve a potato pancake with their sandwiches, their varied selection of kettle chips are a worthy accompaniment. Their tongue sandwich is also heavenly.