Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen

Save the Deli starts off with the perfect introduction - a day in the life of Katz's on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Sax spends the next part of the book going over the other major delicatessans around new york city, the history of the deli and some deli basics - like what pastrami is and how it differs from corned beef. The rest of the book goes on to pick apart deli's nationwide during a coast-to-coast meat spree and finally those abroad. The best thing about the book is how it manages to be casual, informative and interesting. If you salivate at the mention of "deli" or have first-hand (or secondhand) experience with a tongue sandwich, this is sure to please. Though you might want to make this a quick read, because you'll be lusting after pastrami on rye every day until you do. My only disappointment with Save the Deli is that Harold's in Edison, NJ was skipped over. The author mentions this and a few others that couldn't be included at the beginning of the book. Still, it seems unusual that he would skip such a well-known place that is also so close to NYC. The book concludes with a handy appendix featuring popular deli food and yiddish phrases as well as an appendix of all the delis mentioned in the book. I would have liked to see a little info on each deli in the appendix as to why it warranted inclusion in the book or at least what to order if you go there. Of course, it would be silly to see "Pastrami on rye and kasha knish if you wish" below every entry, but maybe it's worth ordering the brisket or stuffed cabbage instead at some these places? Overall, this was a quick, informative read with a little chutzpah. I hope people buy this book and try out the deli's mentioned within. We all could use a little deli in our belly. Let's not let these ancient mammoths die off like...well, mammoths.

David Sax has produced a book that induced hunger pangs every time I sat down to read a chapter. His primary mission is to identify the surviving (and hopefully thriving) Jewish deli today, both in the epicenter of the Deli Universe - New York - but also in select cities around the US, and even some in Europe. However, Sax also sets the historical context, describing the rise of Deli culture to the peek of the golden age in the 40s and 50s and then the inevitable decline. Alternately, Sax is mourning the disappearance of the Jewish deli and celebrating islands of thriving deli culture that he finds in both expected (Los Angeles) and unexpected (Boulder) cities. There is much description of the different pickling processes to produce pastrami and corned beef, comparisons of matzoh ball soup, and the Pavlovian descriptions of the less well-known, but more arterial clogging speck (pickled brisket fat), kishke (schmaltz-stuffed intestine) and grine (chicken skin cracklings). To help out, Sax includes both a glossary, and a listing of all the delis he visited. Although there is much to mourn in the passing of so many delis, there is reason to snap on your bib and head out to find the still-surviving and newly inaugurated delis that are true to the time-tested techniques of food preparation that produce sandwiches to die for.

If you are a fan of real New York style delis you will like this book. It has a history of New York delis, how they developed from pushcarts that sold foods, information on the foods sold and where they are originally from. I enjoyed his discussion about New York delis the most and especially his discussion of my favorite NY deli - Katz, and my wife's - Stage Deli. More seriously he also talks about the demise of the New York deli, how high rents, health concerns (eating low fat) and changing tastes are leading to the demise of the NY deli. Even the current popularity of BBQ meats has affected delis - brisket is far more expensive than it once was. That is sad but be also talks about another deli that closed and has since re-opened (2nd Ave Deli). He travels around some parts of the US, Canada and Europe to sample delis in those areas. Not all of the US is included, unfortunately. I was sad to see there are no delis reviewed in New England. I think the book would have been better if he could have taken the time to travel all of the US but the author seemed to have time constraints that precluded this. The information on Europe was quite interesting, especially his discussion of delis in Paris and Poland. Parisian deli meats are very carefully done and excellent, as one would expect in France. The discussion of delis in Poland was very sad. In the absence of Jews delis seemed more like a museum or theme park where people tried to show what delis were like but it was disconnected from reality. For example the gift shop at the deli sold stereotypical jewish character figurines with gold coins and also had a band that played traditional songs but none of it was real or personal to the players. (The lack of Jews in Poland is a result of the Holocaust and prejudice driving most of the survivors away) (I am a gentile and I apologize if I have given offense. It is unintentional.) If you enjoy delis you will find this book very interesting. If you are traveling to New York city you will get tips on delis to try. I know I'll be trying 2nd Ave Deli next time I am in the city.

When I selected this title I was expecting it to be somewhat like a cookbook based on a big road trip. It is not quite what I thought it would be but it is still a very enjoyable read. The author describes throughout this title the various aspects of different forms of Jewish delis, including a description of the different types of "kosher" - I didn't know there were distinctions between kosher forms. He explains quite a bit about the history of the deli, its rise and fall in relation to history and the direction in which delis are headed these days. He connects the dots with different trends and makes the whole topic much more interesting. One of the most enjoyable parts of the book for me was in the beginning pages where he describes working in a deli for a day as part of his research. I got sucked into the scene and thoroughly enjoyed his descriptions of interactions not only with customers but also with other people working in the deli that day. The author put a tremendous amount of time and research into this book. Save the Deli is not a cookbook, but rather it is more of a lighthearted history book filled with unusual nuggets of knowledge about a topic most people take for granted. If you enjoy books about food topics and like lighter reading, you will very likely find this book to be a pleasure to read.