A Disappointing Pickle

I'm glad to see Grand Central Market hopping with an influx of new vendors and was quite excited to see Wexler's Deli arrive. Being a longtime NewYorker I love a good Jewish deli. My first experience with Wexler's was about a week after they opened, I got the Reuben and it was a beautiful example of the deli arts, succulent thick cut corned beef heaven. I tried the O.G. a few days later and was put off by the too powerful campfire smoke (?) flavored pastrami which I couldn't get off my fingers nor breath for the rest of the afternoon. Also, I assume it's Micah who's expediting the orders, he sloppily wrapped my sandwich and hastily handed it to me sans bag. Now who in the hell hands someone a greasy sandwich without a bag especially the proprietor of the joint. Anyway, I was kind of disappointed with that experience but chalked it up to them working out the kinks of their new establishment. A few days ago I thought I'd try the Reuben again as it was so spot on the first time. I got it to go with a side of pickles and slaw. This time I got a bag (unfortunately the bag is too big but hey, at least I got a bag this time). When I got back to my apt to enjoy the sandwich I could tell right away Wexler's had within the time of a couple of weeks was turning out subpar food. The corned beef was completely dry (had it been pre-cut and sat under a heat lamp?), one slice was brown and not red and it wasn't an end slice. They forgot the swiss cheese and the rye was unevenly toasted and perhaps old. I was looking for salvation in the pickles but one look at them said it wasn't to be, both spears were terrible looking, one end was shrunken and dried out, the color uneven throughout. I took a nibble and spit it out, a truly awful pickle that should have been thrown into the garbage instead of served to a customer. The slaw was nothing special too, maybe because the awful pickles had drained into it and tainted the slaw. The funny thing is, I could probably accept a bad pickle & slaw if it was included with the Reuben but at Wexler's you pay for that side and therefore they should pay a bit more attention to it as it reflects on them.

I really do want to see Wexler's succeed though, maybe Micah needs to step away from the expediting of orders and concentrate on his team that is cranking out his namesake food. I think he truly has the chops but I've seen the food slip into forgettable in a few short weeks and Wexler's owes it to themselves and it's customers to be better. Grade: Meh

Nein, danke!

Walked by Schmidt's last night, that new place on Folsom & 20th. I think it's a spin off of Walzwerk’s & is billing itself as a deli (the sit down kind). The crowd inside looked like they were having a pretty good time & the plates of German food looked quite tasty BUT I was on my way to Spork & Schmidt's would have to wait. Well wait it did, that is until the next day for lunch. I popped in around 2pm (open till 3pm for lunch), place was pretty well cleared out except for the few remaining patrons inside (about 50% looked like good Germanic stock). Anyway, order a very fresh Franziskaner Hefe, excellent condition & redolent of those bubblegum aromas some hefeweizen's embody. Unbeknownst to me that was the last thing I would enjoy for lunch as the rest of the meal was a giant zero. Now I know 2pm is not the best time for lunch but if the place is serving till 3pm that shouldn't make a difference but here it did. I ordered the veal schnitzel sandwich & a side of spaetzle (recommended by the very sweet waitress when I inquired if I should try the spaetzel or potato salad). In short order, possibly too short, my food arrived. The spaetzel looked dead on arrival like it had been made hours earlier & had just been warmed over. The taste was pretty much what is looked like, lifeless. The tooth was wrong, it was over overcooked & had sat too long... it was bland, bland, bland. I dread to think what the potato salad tasted like if the spaetzel was recommended over it. Next: The veal schnitzel sandwich looked no better, it had suffered under the same hands that the spaetzel endured. It had obviously been breaded & fried much earlier & was now escaping from the kitchen on a couple of slices of slightly dry dark bread, a big smear of dill source & some onions. It looked like a plank of day old fish & chips. Thank gawd it didn’t taste like a day old fish but it just tasted of nothing. Again, zero, nada, zilch. There is usually nothing more deflating to me than to be excited about a meal & then to be served uninspired plates of reheated crap. I was depressed. So w/ that I looked around the room & failed to see any charm or promise that I saw when I walked by the first night. I should have just kept right on walking. Grade: Auf Wiedersehen

Take it Away

Dropped into Pal's Take Away last week after seeing some decent press. Local sourcing, this farm this & that pig that. Had the BLT. It missed. For $7.50 I expect more than a bun w/ a couple of slices of cold bacon, a cloying clump of cream cheese & an extra helping of soggy. If you're going to name drop producers (which is so de rigueur these days) then @ least have the courtesy to pay respect to those ingredients & producers. Usually I'll give a place a few tries but I just don't see any potential here. Grade: Nah

Chillin' w/ Little Skillet

Hats off to Little Skillet for organizing the street cart gathering last Friday evening. What a great vibe. Casual, friendly, a good hang, cheap street bites, no lines & you could chat up the vendors. Can't wait for the next happening... now if only the SF Street Food Festival would have been so well conceived. Grade: Rockin'

Post Mordem: SF Street Food Fest

What can you say about this past weekends SF Street Food Festival without sounding like a prick. Sure, hats off to La Cocina for spearheading this event but it was definitely a cluster fuck. The massive crowds, the 30 minute plus lines, the $8 hotdogs (did I just say $8 for a street hotdog?). Let's not even talk about the$25-$150 passports you could use in lieu of cash, I feel sorry for the poor suckers that had these, how in the world are you going to hit all the food stalls if the lines are 30 minutes each. Shouldn't street food be about sampling lots of small bites, quick & easy, cheap (did I mention the $8 hotdog) and hanging out (not like the #6 subway @ rush hour). Where were the street vendors? It seemed to be mostly restaurants slumming or trying to cash in on the whole vibrant street food scene, the scene the restaurants did not start nor encourage. If this event goes forward (I think it should but w/ caveats) the real street food vendors must be included as the main draw & the location & set-up needs to handle the crowds in a more humane manner. I ended up bailing w/o getting a single bite. Went down the street to a real street vendor & enjoyed three tacos from el Toyanese taco truck, no waiting, cheap & authentic. Sorry I can't say the same about the SF Street Food Fest. Grade: Poor Execution