Established in 1888, Katz’s Delicatessen was already a New York institution when it rocketed to international fame in the rom-com When Harry Met Sally. We probably don’t even have to describe the scene where Meg Ryan, as Sally, fakes an orgasm at a table in the back of the deli. She was eating a roasted turkey sandwich. We can’t imagine the volume of her pleasure had she ordered Katz’s famous pastrami.
We’ve learned that it’s best to be flexible about eating hours if you want to avoid the biggest crowds at New York’s iconic eateries. We stopped at Katz’s early one morning and the guy at the door told us that we would be able to walk right in if we returned for lunch by 11 a.m. We did, in fact, march right in at that early hour — right into a jam-packed scene of people carrying trays of food as they searched for a table.
We opted for the cavernous main room with self-service counters. Here’s the drill: You take a ticket at the door and join a line at the long counter to order your food. Just be careful, for example, that you don’t join the grill line for frankfurters when you really should be in one of the the much longer lines for pastrami on rye with a pickle. Once your tray is piled high with food, you wander the room until you find seats at one of the tables.
The wait in line is not so bad. It’s a good chance to watch the counter staff in action. As many as a half dozen cutters work the pastrami and corned beef lines. Each one has his own angle on the knife and patter for the customers. “People worry about my health,” one cutter joked to another. “But I’m not the one eating fatty meat at 11 a.m.”
Putting the pastrami to the taste test
That pastrami is worth whatever minor health risk it poses. For one thing, Katz’s pastrami is far leaner and less salty than run-of-the-mill deli pastrami. It’s brined for three weeks without additives or preservatives and lightly peppered and spiced before smoking for three days. It’s then boiled in the kicthen and lightly steamed before slicing. The Katz slices are thicker than some, and the meat falls apart in your mouth. This is about as good as pastrami gets. The mix of new pickle and half-sour (on the side, which is certainly how Meg Ryan would have preferred it) provides the perfect tangy counterpart to the sweet and salty beef.
We were back on the street before noon. Sure enough, a line snaked down the sidewalk for the length of the building….
Katz’s Delicatessen, 205 East Houston Street, New York, 212-254-2246, katzsdelicatessen.com