By the time I came along in the 1960s, most of my big Jewish family had made it. They started out at the turn of the century as junk dealers, but now they had money, they had leisure, they had enough taste not to seem all that Jewish. But my Aunt Esther and Uncle Abe were different--people of modest means and modest tastes. While my grandmother lived in a beautiful home on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, her sister Esther lived in a rented apartment on California Avenue in Chicago. Esther would call my grandmother every day--one ring, then hang up. My grandmother would call back so her sister did not incur the toll charges to call the suburbs.
Esther and Abe's living room furniture was wrapped in clear plastic for as long as I can remember. For many years, I assumed it was so beautiful that they just didn't want to unwrap it. Es was not much of a cook; she always brought the same thing to family gatherings: mandel bread, a kind of Ashkenazi Jewish biscotti popular at Passover. Esther would make it year-round. They would come in repurposed Fannie May candy boxes, kept closed with a rubber band. This was pre-biscotti in the Midwest, and I just assumed her cookies were stale.
I thought of Esther last Friday night when I visited Mort's Deli, this decade's attempt to make a Jewish deli stick in the west metro. It feels like a repurposed sports bar, not a grimy yellowing deli. Esther would say, "Oh, it's nice, look at it." And it's my people's food, up and down the big menu: There's everything from kasha to kishke (and plenty of burgers and strawberry salads in between), there's the takeout counter, there's the Carnegie Deli meats and cheesecake (not bad) . . .
Mort's best asset may be that it is on the periphery of one of the seediest-looking strip malls in the area--trimmed out in corrugated metal with peeling white paint. That's good deli environs. Ponder the recent west metro Jewish deli ventures: Sasha's, Louie's Habit, Zaroff's--all good-to-excellent, all freshly scrubbed and clean and upscale, all out of business. (Cecil's molders on in Highland Park.)
But there were signs of those ventures and their bete noirs: the eager-beaver teenage servers who wouldn't know kugel from kreplach with a sign posted on them. There were criminally dense matzo balls, dry pastrami and brisket, bland salmon cakes covered in a sweet sauce. And then there was the microwave oven getting such a workout in the kitchen--not good.
Mort's is a week old, and I don't want to prejudice anyone against going there. But early signs are it needs better recipes, more respect for the integrity of its ingredients, and a staff who can play the part. But then again, I'm not sure what the Minnesota Jews (an assimilated bunch if there ever was one) and all the goyim in Minneapolis and the 'burbs want. Authenticity is not necessarily on top of the list if it's not even food you ate as kids.
My friends Alex and Nina, raised in NYC, joined me at Mort's and wondered if I intended to order gefilte fish, some kreplach, a knish, or some kishke. Truth be told, us Chicago Jews gave that stuff up a long time ago. It was the food of our ancestors: leaden, bland, ethnic. Bagels, pastrami, and my grandma's chopped chicken liver were the limits of my Hebrew culinary explorations. Today, most of Chicago's great delis have closed, too. The Midwest is an inhospitable place for Jewish food.
I hope Mort's makes it. I hope it improves and folks embrace some of the Yid fare. But if history is any guide, Mort's will be a sports bar in two years. And in the end, I think that has less to say about our delis than it does about us.
Now go call your grandma. She's thinking of you.
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One of my grandmothers also lived in an apt around California Ave. I miss the Unique Deli on the South Side and Davidson's Bakeries. We are now not only so assimilated but also so worried about cholestrerol and calories that true delis can't make it. But I do miss kasha varnishkes,knishes,the occasional kishke and all varieties of kugel. Bernie's in St. Louis Park was the traditional old-fashioned deli with good Danish (can't even get a good Danish in NY anymore) and great rye bread. As my wife's uncle said when he went into the Lincoln Del "this is a goyishe del". The next night we took him to Bernie's. "Now, this is a del", he said. But the Brothers still has great pastrami, brisket, conred beef and hard salami. Sounds like Mort's doesn't quite cut it.
Posted by: woodcock on November 11, 2008 at 2:32 PM
Inspired by New York's Deli’s, with a flashy interior to match, Mort’s has now introduced traditional big apple favorites to Golden Valley –which is not an easy feat. This economy is not ideal for starting any business, especially a restaurant (I mean look at how many have closed their doors in the last 2 months). But I believe that this could be satisfying a niche market and really become something special.
Located in a newly renovated stand alone building in the parking lot of an old strip mall you are sure to be pleasantly surprised by the vaulted ceilings and bright warm atmosphere.
The only thing harder to find than good deli is a good overstuffed sandwich that doesn't sell itself as "gourmet" and leave you feeling overcharged. The price was just right, considering there was no way I could consume a whole sandwich (and I would like to meet someone who can), the half sandwich is a reasonable 9.99, -which come on folks –doesn’t get much better. I had the Corned beef and Pastrami…
The proportions of meat are stupendous, thick cut, well manicured, and tender. The meat is piled high (about 3 inches) in between two slices of bread of your choice… and they have many choices. Don’t be afraid to ask the waiter to slow down and repeat those options again…. I ordered the New York Rye, which was soft and nutty however after one bite –my bread called it a day and I was left with an open faced sandwich. Not sure if they can cut the bread a bit thicker, but the meat was a bit of an overload.
This monster comes surrounded by house made chips- ideal for a sandwich of this quality. The hefty thick chips had the perfect companion as I ordered the Reuben Dip, which was just right. (ps. The dip and chips is a meal in itself).
I spoke to one of the owners very briefly as he did make it around to every table to give the good ol’ hello. They are new to the restaurant biz, and now they seem to have the swing of things, service was prompt, alert, and friendly and the kinks seemed to be smoothed out considerably. Furthermore there is a lot which is imported… Carnigies, Brooklyn, etc. nothing was spared when trying to create the owners ideal Deli.
They don’t really need to worry about food quality –they have that down. The same way they don’t have to worry about bad chef driven cuisine. What they do have to worry about is keeping things constant, and having everything in stock. With a 21 day ship period for products, supply and demand can be difficult.
Just think about it as ‘catch of the day’ sometimes they may be out of something, but that is the way the cookie crumbles for imported things. I cant tell you how often I have ordered the ‘special’ at a seafood restaurant and they did not have enough stock to accommodate me. Now I know this is not seafood, but it is refreshing to see someone take serious attention to the quality and freshness with something as mundane as sandwich meat.
I am excited to return again and again, and that doesn’t happen often. Next time I will order the sandwich to go, and try one of their kitchen made creations. Im thinking cabbage rolls, stroganoff, or a specialty sandwich.
Word to the restaurant: Deli sandwiches is a volatile business, everyone has a very strong viewpoint as to the perfect sandwich. So those who love the minimal ultra thin cut jimmy johns subs may not understand that they are sub-par. Just watch the service, make sure they take a deep breath… make sure the food comes out right and on time… (apps before meals, etc), and make sure no one has dry meat or bread. I think it will work out fine ☺
-Just for the foodie file, I, like most, have these terrible cravings. They sneak up on me at the oddest times…. However they usually dissipate before I can remedy them. One of these is corned beef. For those who consume this fairly regularly you know how frustrating it can be to find it and Cooking takes around 10 hours to prepare. Now I know, without a doubt I can go to Mort’s and pick up my corned beef and return home piling it high on a plain bagel with boiled buttered cabbage and brown sugar –just like dad used to make! mmmmmmm
Posted by: Ashii on December 4, 2008 at 5:29 PM
Visited Mort's last night. Service was awesome - The waitress was the perfect combination of prompt, sassy, knowledgeable about the menu, attentive, and flirtatious with my daughter.
Food was, IMHO, not quite up to par with others in the area. Sandwich was expensive and not as tasty as I had hoped. Matzo ball soup was also kind of bland, although the matzo ball consistency was good. The whole thing needed flavor.
Cake? Delicious. Who doesn't like chocolate cake?
All in all?? I think I'm going to stick with crossroads.....
Posted by: Michael on March 14, 2009 at 1:23 PM