Zinsky's Deli

Picked up lox and bagels to go on Sunday only to find the bagels to be hard and chewy and the lox too salty to eat; inedible. Not impressed.

If you focus on quality and service, Zinsky's scores. Really helpful, friendly staff, a great finish-out inside. Some people will probably say, "It's not as good as my mother's," but that really isn't fair -- because other people will probably say "It's JUST like my mother's." You have to focus on quality, not familiarity. Zinsky's matzo balls were excellent by any measure. The broth was fresh and flavorful, needed salt, tasted more like celery than chicken. Pastrami was very good, though would probably be more tender if heated up. Cole slaw was very lightly dressed, a little bland. My favorite type of cole slaw? No, but so what? I'm sure many folks prefer it that way. And it WAS one of the freshest and crunchiest slaws I've had. Pickles were really good, particularly the half-sours. I'll be keeping those on hand at home.

Until someone comes up with a deli that offers four different matzo ball soups, five different types of cole slaw, etc., Zinsky's has my vote. The quality and service is definitely there, and that's what matters. I look forward to going back a lot.