In the interests of full disclosure: I know next to nothing about Jewish cuisine. I believe there are restaurants that serve meat dishes, and those that serve exclusively dairy. When I was in California, near San Diego, there was a restaurant I used to regularly patronize with my friends (the name escapes me unfortunately, all these years later) that served delicious, overly-abundant pastrami sandwiches. That's where I first had Kasha Varnishkes (buckwheat groats, bowtie pasta and fried onions), which I came to love. It was there in San Diego that I also acquired a love for Matzoh Ball Soup.
Back East, I ate once at deli-style Harold's in Parsippany, and so much food was served...which, of course, I tried to eat in 1 sitting...that I was almost physically ill on the drive home.
My other experiences with Jewish cuisine were through my late friend Sam, an Orthodox Jew. We worked together, and he was a lot older than me, but we both loved old movies. When he learned of my love for The Godfather, he casually mentioned to me that the late Richard Castellano, the character actor who played Clemenza, had been his best friend since childhood. I responded, "Yeah...sure. And Cagney's my great uncle." Sam then showed me a snapshot of the 2 of them on a vacation in the Bahamas--- a bathing suited Castellano lolling poolside with Sam sitting a few feet away from him, peering intently into the camera.
Ok, I was convinced.
When Sam retired, we would meet regularly at a Kosher restaurant in Teaneck (a town where I spent the first 3 years of my life). I believe it was a dairy restaurant on Cedar Lane. On entering, and observing the Orthodox clientele, I hesitantly asked Sam, "Should I be wearing a Yarmulke in here?" Sam replied, "I should probably be wearing one," which really didn't answer my question, or reassure me. All I can remember of the cuisine is that they served meatless pizza, tuna fish (which beat the gefilte fish that Sam had once recommended to me), and I was heartened by the fact that they had Bosco chocolate syrup soda, which I had loved as a kid. I ate the food readily enough...I guess it was ok...but it was disappointing, considering my memories of the place outside San Diego.
(As an aside within an aside, Sam said that Castellano didn't appear in Godfather II because his working relationship with Francis Coppola had been less than positive. I obviously can't say; Coppola has said things publicly that make Castellano sound like a nut. When Sam died of terminal cancer, hours after I had visited him in the hospital, Ardell Sheridan, Castellano's widow...she played Clemenza's wife in the movie...was the one who called me to let me know. I have an autographed copy of her book "Divine Intervention and a Dash of Magic," which is dedicated to several people, but first and foremost to my friend Sam. Anyway...)
Since my good memories of Jewish cuisine outweigh my bad, I decided to give Goodman's a try. I ordered on-line, a process which was fairly easy, although I was a bit alarmed that you had to click a specific amount for the tip or click to leave a "No Tip." I'm not up on tipping etiquette (I think I'm in agreement with what Mr. Pink had to say about it in Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs"), but I didn't feel comfortable having someone handle my sandwich knowing I had decided on the "No Tip" option.
So, being something of a coward, I clicked on a substantial tip.
When I arrived, the food was ready. Although the place was busy, the woman at the counter was friendly, efficient, attentive. Prices were fair, given the amount of food I ordered. Not so much food that I would become physically ill trying to consume it all in one sitting (although with the belated "wisdom" of old age, I probably would have just put some aside for another meal the next day), but certainly more than enough. A turkey sandwich on rye (very good), French fries (there were too many of these, and I didn't finish), a potato Knish (I recently had a knish someone brought to my job that tasted like a damp, bland potato pillow; Goodman's Knish, by contrast, was very flavorful, although I'm still not sure I'm a fan of the Knish), a pickle, and a Brownie (good, but not great).
They close mid-afternoon, so this isn't a place for dinner. But there are booths for those interested in lunch, and they seem to be doing a thriving business.
Probably it's unfair to rate a place based on 1 visit (although I've left plenty of reviews, positive and negative, based on 1 visit; if it's a positive review, it means I'll be back...negative? It's one and done), but their menu is actually pretty extensive, and I'm definitely planning to order from here again. I'd actually like to come at lunchtime, sit down in a booth, and order the Matzoh Ball Soup. There are a ton of sandwich options, salads, sides, soups, burgers, blintzes, omelettes, pancakes, bagels, etc.
And sitting down in a booth, I'll feel better in my own mind about leaving that "substantial tip." read more