Forewarning: I am going to trash Katz’s.
I ordered the pastrami reuben after much deliberation and reading threads on Reddit. All the videos of people trying the sample the cutter gives while he works show them going wide-eyed and happy. The only emotion I felt while trying was a preemptive sense of loss for wasting my $33 on poorly cooked meat. I don’t know if it’s because I’m from texas, but the pastrami at Katz’s felt like an utter waste of brisket.
I don’t think melt-in-your-mouth tender should include audible crunches of gristle when you chew the meat, nor the pieces pulling out with your teeth when you try to pull your bite from the sandwich. I’m glad I didn’t just order the pastrami on rye, because without anything else on the sandwich I’d just be chewing on a mountain of meat that needed more hours in the smoker and slobbered-on bread that dissolved before it even left the cutter’s hands, Slicing the pieces thin certainly didn’t hide the fact that the brisket was poorly cooked.
Not only was the cook of the meat not up to par, the pepper crust provided nothing and offered little advantage over the corned beef. Not only do they cut most of it off on the slicing board, but it’s steamed so there’s no crunch and the pepper isn’t coarse enough to do anything for you anyways. The sauerkraut wasn’t sour at all, and the best thing in the sandwich is a toss-up between the grocery store Swiss cheese or the Russian dressing. At least the pickles were good.
I’m just saddened because Katz’s was also one of the things I looked forward to most on my trip. Previously in New York I’d tried Pastrami Queen, and after being similarly disappointed I set my sights on Katz’s which was spoken of as the far-and-away champion of pastrami only to be punched again in the gut by disappointment.
I truly feel sorry for all of the cattle that died for their brisket to turn into Katz’s pastrami instead of something worthwhile. I mean look at that sandwich! The meat isn’t even piled high like everyone praises Katz’s for.
I guess stuff like this still being hyped up makes me remember that I’m lucky to live in my home city that still has great food.
by kmpham2013