The Great NJ Deli Turkey Sandwich Chase

  I like food. I like to admire it. I like to cook it. And I love to eat food. 

Wait—you’re thinking this is a sports blog, right? By and large, it is. Yet there is the world of competitive eating—we’ve all seen a clip of contestants—both male and female—disgustingly downing hot dog after hot dog on July 4th on Coney Island. I guess to those who participate and the throngs who watch, it is considered to be their sport. 

Having made many trips to see my grandfather who lived in the Sea Gate section of Brooklyn, my father and I did not miss a stop at Nathan’s before boarding the ferry across the Narrows prior to the building of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Mustard and sauerkraut were set requirements along with the French fries with some skin on them, and a Coke. None of the sloshing through water to get the buns down the throat. Yuck!!

We have all gorged on food at some time. Buffets come immediately to mind. I have been to many a good one in Las Vegas, along with some pretty mediocre ones. In New Jersey, there was the Sunday brunch buffet at the Hilton in Short Hills where I forced myself to eat desserts although I was already stuffed. And the lobster buffet in the now-defunct catering hall called The Manor in West Orange. Pricey but great. Antacids were a must after each of these adventures. 

Surprisingly, I abhor cooking shows. Nor do I avail myself of cooking classes. Simply not my cup of tea. I like to putter, invent and sometimes improvise with the recipes I do use. I make a mean mushroom and onion lasagna and a not-too-shabby chicken in peach sauce. 

My favorite foods—Chinese, pizza, smoked salmon/lox and prune danish head the list, with a lot of contenders for prime spots right behind those four. For years, I had breaded veal chops, with french fries and Brussels sprouts for my birthday meal. Most of it is not that healthy and somewhat cost prohibitive (and the veal looks horrible, too).

Mention deli and there is only one place which resonates—Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, located at the corner of East Houston (pronounced House-ton) and Ludlow Streets. Both my grandfather and father worked there. The atmosphere reeks of tradition and the smells are divine. It is one of my happy places. 

I have had food from great delis in New York City—The Carnegie, The Stage, 2nd Avenue. All phenomenal establishments. However, they take a back seat to my corned beef on club bread, slathered with deli mustard and Diet Dr. Brown’s Soda at Katz’s. Talk about Nirvana!!

So when The Star-Ledger, our local paper for New Jerseyans, came out with a list of the fifteen best Jewish-style delis in the Garden State, I was intrigued. So was my wife. 

We decided we would visit the places on the list and rate them ourselves, comparing them to the paper’s order. But how would we do this given my belief that any other corned beef would never be as good as Katz’s? 

Easy—by setting a simple standard—each sandwich would consist of turkey, lettuce, tomato and onion with mayonnaise on rye. No deviations. Which is what we did. We did not care about cost. We did not care about the weather—it seemed to work out fine for us in the winter anyway. And we invited some guests to join us periodically. 

In conduction with “Travels with Toby” on Facebook, here is the product of our scientifically un-scientific labors. In the end, this felt like sport in the way it came about and how athletic we needed to be to remain in shape after eating so much food. Without further ado, here it is (Star-Ledger ranking in parentheses): 

#1 The Pickled Herring, Englishtown (#14)

The Star-Ledger had this deli ranked at #14. I honestly don’t know why. Located in a shopping center (how New Jersey!) on Route 9 in Monmouth County, it was a little bit of a trip. That angst was enhanced by the car GPS putting us 4 miles down the road from the destination in the Marlboro Plaza. 

So I wasn’t expecting anything great from the place based on its ranking. And I was a bit agitated from the GPS error. 

Walking in, the decor reminded me of a combination of deli & diner chic. Booths and tables away from a full display case housing so many Jewish staples. Breads and baked goods everywhere. Signs on the wall announcing the delicacies. It reeked of Jewishness. 

The menu had its specialties. Along with the staples. The sandwiches were gigantic. 

This was turkey as if you were having a sandwich from a Thanksgiving bird. Right off the bone and full of flavor. The rye bread was so fresh—surprisingly TPH was the only deli which served it with seeds; that was a staple of our youth. It was stunning how good the sandwich tasted. We knew we had found our winner—certainly our measuring stick for the best turkey sandwich in NJ. 

#2 Eppes Essen, Livingston (#3)

Coming in at number 3 in the Ledger ranking, Eppes Essen exceeded expectations. My wife has had previous disappointments at this venue and was wary going in. When she left, she was convinced that she would return to Eppes Essen again—at least for the turkey sandwich. Everything was fresh and mouth-watering. 

I have heard complaints about how overpriced this restaurant is. For the quality we observed during our ratings, the value was there. 

#3 Hobby’s, Newark (#1)

Forget about the parking. It is non-existent. Which is a bit of a deterrent. We ordered and took the sandwiches home. The taste was there. The bread was perhaps the freshest of all. It was just that the sandwich fell apart while eating it, leaving us to pick up different parts to put it together again. Ranked #1—our daughter had the pastrami and said it was outstanding and that is their signature meat—finishing in the Top 3 is why Hobby’s is an institution. 

#4 Deli King, Clark (#4)

The closest site to Springfield, it was easily the best kosher restaurant and the quality of the turkey sandwich was right there with the non-rabbinically supervised operations. I have never had a bad meal at this place, and the turkey sandwich was certainly delicious. 

#5 The Kiddish Room, Cherry Hill (#2)

Easily the most distant deli on the list, we happened to be in Philadelphia and made a stop there en route to returning home. The sandwich weathered the trip home, which saw snow on the ground in North Jersey in early January. 

We had previously been to TKR and liked the place. A bit schmaltzy and replete with older Jewish guys doing exactly what the store’s title implies, the solid quality of their food would be reason enough for there to be a brisk business on a Sunday morning with obvious repeat customers. Kinda like us. 

#6 The Kosher Nosh, Glen Rock (#7)

This was our last stop, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Just a tad better than the newspaper rating. The sandwich was tasty, largish and the bread was fresh. It came with a little coleslaw, potato salad and kosher dill and half sour pickles. The only negative was that to eat the sandwich you had to hold it firm or the body could slip from the bread. We visited on a Sunday for lunch and the seating area filled up with obviously satisfied returnees. 

#7 Harold’s, Edison (#6)

Either you’re a fan of eating large or you don’t belong at Harold’s. Supersizing isn’t even close to describing the girth of the sandwich we ate. We ate there on Sunday. We had it again on Monday with more of the rye bread that came to our table with this and other huge orders. We finished the turkey in a salad on Tuesday and we needed more than ten days away from the bird to reacquire a desire to have another sandwich. The quality and quantity were ample. 

#8 Foster Village Kosher Deli, Bergenfield (#5)

The place was a small storefront in a cluster of stores. The counter was small and in the rear. We had no great problems with the sandwich. It was the extra item we had, courtesy of the Ledger’s recommendation—the baked potato knish—which stole the show. We would consider a return visit for a repeat performance of the duo.

#9 Richard’s, Long Branch (#10)

A couple of blocks away from the beach, the outside decor looked more like a Jersey Shore bar. Which it is. Yet the place had every vibe of being a low key Jewish-style deli. Coming in at #10 in the Ledger, the sandwich was better than expected. Very likable. 

#10 Goodman’s, Berkeley Heights (#13)

Another one fairly close by, this incarnation is a survivor of its earlier days in Elizabeth. It wasn’t full near noontime when I entered. The sandwich was fine. Nothing to run back for if looking to eat in.

#11 Irv & Karen’s, Brick (#12)

Far from posh like some of the others, you felt you were getting homestyle food. Which isn’t a bad thing. My wife liked the place a smidgen more than I did—probably because it had a New York vibe in Ocean County. They seemed to do a decent visit on a nondescript midweek winter day.

#12 Fred & Murry’s Kosher Deli, Freehold (#8)

I had heard so many wonderful things from a law school friend about this place. Of course, that was many, many years ago. While the sandwich was sizable and the rye bread was fresh, any time I know it is an Empire meat product, the sandwich wasn’t going to measure up with those at the top. And it didn’t. There wasn’t anyone else in the place when we went for dinner; the potato knish was only fair, but the pickles weren’t bad. 

#13 Tenafly Kosher Deli (#11)

It’s a schlep to Tenafly. At least parking was free. Entering, you are underwhelmed by the size of the establishment. It is so small that there is a row of 5-6 stools beneath a counter facing a wall (it was a nice day so we ate outside in a park). The other side of the store had the food case and work stations. The rotisserie chickens were in the window; the only patron to enter the store while we were there ordered two. The turkey meat was cut from a small, wrapped wedge. The rye bread wasn’t too bad. My wife succinctly summed up our meal—“it’s a sandwich.”

#14 Orchid Kosher, Metuchen (#9)

A small, homey restaurant in downtown Metuchen, the service was friendly. It seemed to be a notch off in quality from others on the list. The portions were average size. 

#15 Noah’s Ark, Teaneck (#15)

The place was big. The sandwiches weren’t. By far, the most disappointing place in  comparison to the others. It was kosher turkey and not much to our liking. Someone had to finish last—in both polls. 

 

There you have it. The most unscientific survey of food you may ever see. I don’t challenge you to try the turkey sandwiches at any of the aforementioned locations. Or for that matter, any of the many items these establishments offer. At the risk of your own heartburn. 

This made up experience was fun. Which was the name of the game: The Great NJ Deli Turkey Sandwich Chase.

Can It Be August? Wow.

  The Olympics are in full swing. Somehow, the French made the Seine just passable to allow for the triathlon to be completed. Let’s see how many athletes get sick from that epic disaster. And how many participants get COVID post games. 

But the big story has been Simone Biles and the US women’s gymnastics team. Biles led the team to victory in the team competition, then won the gold for the All-around competition plus on Saturday took gold in the vault. Although diminutive in height, she stood tallest among her peers, and maybe all of the Olympians thus far. The vaunted US men’s basketball showed up en force to watch her perform. Taylor Swift has made an appearance in Paris to see Biles. She is simply the biggest name on the biggest stage. 

Yet Biles isn’t done. She still can garner up to more medals in the remaining individual events. Which will make her legacy that much more impressive. After all, at age 27, which is old by gymnastics standards, she is the first person to win the overall title since 1952.

She is beloved by her teammates. Nonetheless some shade is thrown at her because of her success. Even Republican Senator and Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance felt the need to detract from her awesome accomplishments and overcoming a troubling mental issue which forced Biles from competition in the last Olympics. 

Vance and the detractors are in the minority. The TV ratings for the live broadcast of the All-Around competition was off the charts for afternoon television. Americans were searching for something good and happy to happen—and that emerged early in the Paris Olympics in the form and grace of Biles. 

Kudos to American Sunni Lee, who captured the bronze medal. Lee courageously fought back from major kidney ailments to get back to the world stage. 

Let’s not forget the men’s team. Winning the bronze medal was a major achievement. 

Biles isn’t the only person to attain a level of notoriety. Swimmer Katie Ledecky has placed in a number of races. With the medals she has won thus far, which a fourth gold in the 800 meters, Ledecky is the most decorated female swimmer ever. 

The US men’s and women’s basketball teams are moving forward as expected. America would want nothing more. 

The men have run over Serbia and South Sudan and trounced Puerto Rico on Saturday  reaching the next stage as the top seed. Lebron James has been super, leading the team. Bam Adebayo has led the team in scoring and rebounding. Anthony Edwards has been shining. And Kevin Durant has returned from his questionable calf injury to be the most dominant player in the games. 

Canada and Germany have remained unbeaten in the preliminary round. Australia, Greece, France, Brazil and Serbia joined the unbeaten in the quarterfinals. 

One thing I have noticed. My personal favorite, Steph Curry, has struggled mightily in the first two games and well as in the exhibition games prior to playing for real. Although I know better, I almost feel that the years of play at the highest level in the NBA have caught up with the Golden State superstar. If so, then his decline will be sad to watch. 

As for the women, they handled Belgium on Thursday, maintaining a lead the team built in the send quarter. Next up is Germany, also sporting a 2-0 record, before the team advances to the next round. 

What the US has failed at miserably is 3 on 3 basketball. For whatever reason, our teams have already been eliminated. This is highly unusual, given that we have the best players on the full squads. Then again, we emphasize those teams and USA Basketball hasn’t given that event as much importance as it is evidently needed. 

Perhaps we should get players from the Kentucky and Louisville teams which brawled after a tournament game at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Then again, beating the other is possibly more important in their lives than winning the Olympics. 

Turning to soccer, the US women went 3-0 in their group, outscoring the opposition by a 9-2 margin. World #1 Spain is in the semi-finals, facing Brazil, while the American women face Germany on Tuesday. 

I love that beach volleyball is being held in a stadium made for the event in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The American women are in good standing thus far. Our men’s team is in a place where it can advance, too. 

That men’s team is led by Chase Budinger, who is teamed with Miles Evans. Basketball fans may remember Budinger for his college career at Arizona, which led to a NBA career with Houston, Minnesota, Indiana and Phoenix before he seriously entered the realm of beach volleyball. It was hilarious that Lebron James was walking through the Olympic village when he spotted Budinger and wondered why another NBA contemporary was at the games. 

Golf has also begun. Xander Schuffele of the United States is positioned well after three rounds, tied with Jon Rahm of Spain. Should the American win, he will be the first to defend his medal in golf.

In tennis, a second round match for the ages brought Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to the clay of Roland Garros. Nadal is very much nearing the end of his marvelous career, and Djokovic hastened that along in two sets. Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, Spain’s superstar doubles team were also eliminated. However, for one shining moment, even in defeat, the fans showered Nadal with the love he richly deserved on the surface he was most dominant on and in the place of many of his greatest triumphs. 

Djokovic has moved ahead in the tournament, although his surgically-repaired knee is barking. Women’s #1 player Iga Swiatek was eliminated, joining American Coco Gauff on the sidelines. Alcaraz will face Djokovic for the gold in singles, and the US men took sieve and bronze in the men’s doubles semifinals. 

And how about the US women’s rugby team? The US won the bronze medal in the last moments of the match with Australia. Alex Sedrick went the length of the field, utilizing a straight arm out of the NFL to score and convert the extra points, rallying the team from five points down. This was the first medal of any kind in women’s rugby for the United States.

China leads in the gold medal count thus far, with the US ahead in total medals and France, thanks to swimmer Leon Marchand, is in second place, having amassed 41 medals. There seems to be camaraderie among the entirety of Team USA. Basketball player Anthony Edwards has become a big supporter of the table tennis team. 

The accommodations leave plenty to be desired. The athletes’ beds have been likened to sleeping on cardboard. 

Despite a major attack on the French trains, the Olympics has not been derailed as it heads into the second week. There is so much more in the offing, with plenty of drama to boot.

I will close with a few things. The football pre-season began with the annual Hall of Fame game between Chicago and Houston. No starters played. Bring on that 18 game season to rid us of these non-events. 

I went to Camden Yards for the tenth time on Saturday. Outside of the New York stadiums and RFK Stadium in 1971, Baltimore is the place where I have seen the most regular season games. 

San Diego, behind the stellar pitching of ex-Yankee Mike King, rapped the struggling Orioles. With their loaded lineup, the Padres may actually make a run at the first place Dodgers. I still am angry that Yankees GM Brian Cashman had to send King to San Diego in the Juan Soto trade. Being the glutton that I am, I wish NYY still had King to augment Soto. 

The Orioles and Yankees suddenly stopped losing. A half game separates the two. New York is getting healthier, although ace Gerrit Cole missed his last start due to body fatigue. That sounds troubling. The acquisition of Jazz Chisholm, Jr. and placing him at third base is working in the early returns. And what’s with the Red Sox and Phillies becoming so bad at this juncture? 

There’s a lot of baseball left to be played. It will be without the oft-injured Mike Trout, who has suffered a second meniscus injury which ends his season. Trout is a talent who is spending too much time on the sidelines. 

With the Olympics, baseball and football all in action, can it be August? Wow. 

It's The Olympics, Baby!

  I’m not going to talk too long about the Yankees. The slide into oblivion has become too much for even a devout follower to take. I don’t care that the team is only 1.5 games behind the AL East-leading Orioles. That gulf might as well be as wide as the Indian Ocean. 

After getting humiliated by the Mets—a team definitely on an upward swing and with a lineup that has some pop in it —there simply isn’t a cure for the ailments that the Yankees have. Even with Giancarlo Stanton nearing a return from his hamstring injury or last season’s phenom Jason Dominguez readying for a rehab stint in the minors, that’s not going to be enough. The starting pitching is woefully inconsistent, and last year’s Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole was blasted by the Mets for a second time this season. Relief pitching is even worse. 

Whatever trades GM Brian Cashman makes are likely not to be enough to right this ship. Fan Duel might have given the Titanic better odds of not sinking than the Yankees having a meaningful revival. 

Maybe a managerial shakeup is needed. Aaron Boone has tried hard to turn the tide on losing. The team hasn’t gotten his calming message. Even doing that is a shot in the dark which likely won’t help. 

But somebody needs to take the blame for this debacle and it isn’t going to be Cashman at this time. One cannot hide behind injuries and believe that losing Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Jose Trevino and reliever Ian Hamilton among others is simply the root cause of the problems. 

A team which looked like world beaters earlier this season is a shell of that image. No matter how hard Aaron Judge and Juan Soto try by themselves to carry the team, they simply can’t. The Mets pitched around Judge and he looked lost at the plate when they chose to pitch to him. 

As for Soto, despite being bothered by a recurring had/wrist injury, the guy is showing why he will be so valuable when free agency occurs. It’s just a question of whether staying in the Bronx is the answer, no matter how well he gets along with Judge and the rest of the team. Having seen the Mets in four games and knowing that owner Steve Cohen would open the vault to pay him, is it really possible that Soto will remain a Yankee after this disaster?

This Saturday is my annual trip to Baltimore. The Orioles host the San Diego Padres, series winners over AL Central leader Cleveland and a below .500 Washington team on the current road trip. The Padres are virtually tied with St. Louis for the final NL Wild Card slot. I expect some inspired baseball with the O’s mired in a 3-7 slide while the Padres are playing solid ball. At least the Yankees won’t be playing until the 4:05 contest is over on Saturday so that I won’t be scoreboard watching and be angrily distracted. 

No matter that baseball is the summer game. The Summer Olympics return to Paris for the first time in 100 years. These games have the potential to be spectacular. 

Understand that I am not an Olympics zealot. I will not be glued to my TV or seeking constant updates on many of the myriad of events on the docket. It’s just not me.

I have seen the remnants of Summer Olympics venues in Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Rome, London, Atlanta, Montreal and most recently in St. Louis, and I have visited Winter Olympics sites in Lake Placid, Salt Lake City, Vancouver, Calgary and Squaw Valley. Our family has an upcoming trip to Barcelona. I am hardly immune from recognizing the greatness of these Games. A college classmate shared his adventure running on the Olympic turf in Athens—how cool was that!. 

While it is a worldwide spectacle of peaceful competition, politics is always a part of it. Look at the US boycott of the Moscow Games as evidence of how the world’s geo-political forces can disrupt such a majestic event. 

For instance, boxing used to be a staple of the Olympics coverage. We knew who Cassius Clay was or knew about Teofilo Stevenson and Sugar Ray Leonard. I cannot name one boxing hopeful from the US or in the world. That’s how times have changed.

Will I be watching basketball? Of course. Yet with much trepidation given how the US men have flirted with losses in three exhibition games and the women’s team soundly beaten by the WNBA All Stars. 

Are the Americans favorites in these Games? Yes. However, the world has nearly caught up with the US dominance in this sport. Look at the NBA—how many teams are dotted with non-Americans who are the most capable stars? That should have been the first marker of how difficult this and future chances for Olympic gold might be. 

With Lebron James steering the ship, we should be in good hands. The Americans are very talented if lacking a little in size. The wild card to winning is encapsulated in one calf—that of Kevin Durant. If Durant is healthy and plays like himself, the Americans could even dominate. Right now, that is a big if. 

On the women’s side, as long as Diana Taurasi is playing well, the Americans will have a superior team. What she, like Lebron, brings as leadership to a group which is talented but still needs to coalesce, is the greatest intangible. 

Of course, there is women’s gymnastics. There is one performer who should capture gold—Simone Biles. All eyes will be following her as she tries to add more medals to an already full bucket. And will the highly talented Americans with Biles prevail in the team competition? My daughter, my resident gymnastic “wonk,” believes so. 

On betting sites, the United States is heavily favored to win the most medals and take home the most gold. China is expected to finish second, followed by Great Britain. We are heavy favorites in swimming and track and field. The stars are Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel in the water and New Jersey’s own Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on the track.

There are 329 events in 39 sports. Breaking—a.k.a. Break Dancing—makes its Olympics debut. There will be competition in Marseilles and Tahiti, and the triathlon will have swimmers immersed in the bacteria-laden Seine River. Ooh la la. 

Moreover, there is the competitiveness of the sprinting involving the Americans and the Jamaicans. The Chinese receive a pass on doping for their swimmers. Russia will send only a dozen to France amidst its ongoing war in Ukraine. The Canadians were cited for flying a drone over a rival’s practice. A top Japanese female gymnast was sent home for violating the team’s ban on smoking.

There will be protests. There will be potential strikes. This is, after all, France we are talking about. 

NBC has the coverage on its networks and via streaming. Opening ceremony hosts include Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, Mike Tirico and the tireless duo from The Today Show, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. 

Lebron and tennis player Coco Gauff will carry the US flags in the Opening Ceremony. Why Snoop Dogg is in this pageantry baffles me. 

It should be great theater. The Olympics always has its drama. Get ready for some non-baseball excitement. 

This beats watching the Yankees flounder or read about the daily machinations of the Jets, Giants and Travis Kielce in training camp. 

To paraphrase the great Dick Vitale, who once more is locked in a battle with cancer: It’s the Olympics, Baby! Enjoy.