Photo credit: Megan

A couple weeks ago we traveled up to the Chicago area to visit with family.  Part of our plan was to visit the downtown ice rink, near Millenium Park.  You can skate as much as you want for free, and skate rentals are available for $10.  I hadn’t skated since high school, but I was encouraged to get out on the ice.  We waited nearly an hour in the skate rental line, but ended up spending much more than that on the ice.  It turned out to be a lot of fun for all of us.  Our hearty lunch helped us stay warm despite the very cold temperature and the lack of sun, blocked out by all the tall buildings.

My brother came with us, and was the one who urged us to grab lunch before going skating.  Lucky we did, because we ended up spending way more time skating than we originally expected.

His recommendation was an iconic Chicago deli–Manny’s.  I don’t know all the Chicago area  names, but I’ve read it’s in the South Loop area.  We had a GPS to help us get there.  It opened in 1942 and has been going strong ever since.  According to the Manny’s site, the Zagat review says it’s “[t]he closest thing Chicago has to a New York deli.”  They host various events, and even have a counter inside where you can buy tickets for all sorts of Chicago events.  It’s been reviewed hundreds of times, bolstered in part by President Obama visiting for lunch back when he was just President-elect Obama.

Going in and seeing the long cafeteria-style counter with various menu boards strewn across the wall behind it, I was a little bewildered.  I didn’t really know what to expect, and there wasn’t much sympathy or patience for first-timers like myself.  My brother led the way, since he had been there before, ordering matzo ball soup.  He couldn’t decide between corned beef and pastrami, but was elated when the man behind the counter suggested he get both… mixed.  Off he went with his sandwich, picking up a Green River along the way.

My daughter got a jumbo kosher hot dog (just made that morning, they said), and my wife got a corned beef sandwich.  I got the pastrami sandwich and a side of pasta salad.  All the sandwiches came with a potato pancake.

So, here’s the rundown.  First, Green River soda is just plain wrong.  I tried a sip of my brother’s electric-green beverage and it tasted (as he told me it would) of green “lime” freezer pops.  This is not a bad flavor, per se, but it’s not something I want to consume as an adult.

I tried the matzo ball soup my brother had.  I apologize for not having a photo, but imagine a single large matzo ball (about the size of a racquetball) in a transparent yellowish broth.  I’m not a matzo ball expert.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever had matzo ball soup before, but this couldn’t be a good example.  The matzo ball had very little flavor, though the texture was great, not too dense.  The broth it sat in was even more disappointing, with little flavor to justify the cost.  I think any 89 cent can of broth could compete with this dish.

My pasta salad was boring, tri-color rotini with what tasted like salad dressing.  I should probably take the blame for this one.  Who thinks of a Jewish deli serving good pasta salad?

My pastrami sandwich, on rye, was a disappointment.  The meat was not treated well.  It was fatty and a little stringy, a little dry, but at the same time dripping with greasy juices which ran out and soaked the bread.  This sandwich was all about fulfilling the stereotype of a nearly-impossible-to-fit-in-your-mouth “sandwich” with no attention paid to the inadequate amount of (really delicious, house-baked) rye bread.  It was hard to eat and not that great.  You’d find better at your supermarket.

You can see the potato pancake peeking out on the left behind my sandwich in the above photo.  These could be great, but ours were not.  They weren’t hot enough, were fried at the wrong temperature (too greasy), and held too long (strangely chewy).  The flavor was great, and I could imagine if they were crisp and hot they would be a highlight of the meal.  Instead, they are a pushed $1 add-on to your sandwich.

My wife’s corned beef was the shining star at the table.  It was moist and sliced thin.  It was delicious, and while it was the same height as my overly huge sandwich, it stayed together much better because it wasn’t destroyed by the juices running out and making everything soggy.  If/when I go back, I am getting the corned beef.

It was a satisfying meal, despite the imperfections.  It’s an expensive sandwich ($11.95 each with potato pancake) for us small-town dwellers, but it’s an experience you can’t find down here.  Now, if there were only a way to get great deli meats and artisan breads in C-U.  If you live or eat in the Chicagoland or central Illinois area and can recommend other Jewish delis to experience, please leave a note in the comments.  If you want to try Manny’s, but can’t make it to Chicago, you can order their goods through Tastes of Chicago.

Oh, and if you haven’t already entered the giveaway for some tasty Taza chocolate, go read up on the details and enter!