2015 Deli Day; A Taste of New York

On Sunday, November 8, 2015, the 2015 Deli Day took place at the Congregation Emanu El at 7011 E Central.

It’s a building I’m familiar with only because that is where I’ve gone to vote in elections year after year. I’ve heard of Deli Day before but have never been. Thanks to a friend of mine, I was able to go this year.

According to their Facebook page, here’s the basic lowdown of their event:

Delicious Jewish cuisine. Full dinners, a la carte, and bakery items. Dine-in or to-go.

DINE-IN and TO-GO MEALS:
Meals (soup, entree – corned beef sandwich or brisket, sides, dessert, drinks) are just $15/person. Dining room and to-go open at 11 AM.

SNACK AND BAKERY PRE- and A-LA-CARTE ORDERS:
You can order a variety of foods in advance and we’ll package your order for you – for pick-up after 11 AM on the day of the event or you can visit “Uncle Manny’s Deli” – on a first come, first served basis, during the event.

You can buy meal tickets and a la carte items in advance by contacting any member of our congregation or our congregation office between 9 AM and 5 PM Tu – Fr at 316.684.5148.

All are welcome.

This is a foodie event I’ve heard great things about from not just friends but family. A couple friends joined me for the event earlier today. When we all arrived, the parking lot was packed. There were volunteers outside guiding people where to park.

Once inside, there was a huge long long of people just waiting to dine inside. The carryout line looked to be much shorter but we figured it’d be fun to dine there and get the full experience.

The dine in line moved at a pretty good pace. There were plenty tables inside that seated around twelve people. If you go, you’ll be seated with random strangers which is ok. We sat next to a nice older couple who were very pleasant to talk to.

There were hundreds of people inside eating. I was amazed at the drawing that turned out.

While you are sitting, many volunteers are going around cleaning tables, taking drink orders, serving meals, taking food order, handing out drinks and desserts, seating people. This is really a big group effort. That’s not even including all the people in the back prepping, cooking and preparing the food.

Between us three, we ordered both the brisket and corned beef sandwiches. Everybody is also given a bowl of Matzoh Soup which I forgot to take a picture of. It smelled so good that it didn’t dawn on me until I had eaten it. Everybody at our table, including the strangers, loved the Matzoh Soup. To quote a friend, “nothing warms your heart like some good broth”.

I had the corned beef sandwich, as did one of my friends. We topped our sandwich off with mustard, relish and pickles and it was amazing; such a great meal to start your Sunday. My friend said, it’s so hard to rate corned beef because it’s all very similar but even with that said, he loved his meal.

The brisket I was told by a couple others was tender and melt in your mouth. A couple diners who sat by me who were leaving as we arrived also said the brisket was tender and very tasty. The knish served with applesauce was an excellent addition to the meal.

We ended our meal with some delicious strudel.

Deli Day is certainly an event my friends and I will be attending again in the future. It’s well worth every penny for a meal cooked by so many volunteers.

Kudos to Congregation Emanu El on a fantastic fundraising event.

I urge you all to go. If you’re reading this still on a Sunday and it’s not 6 pm yet, go get yourself a carryout meal. You’ll be so pleased.

UPDATE: A friend sent me a picture of her Matzoh Soup. So here you go: