Bagel Depot - Staten Island, NY

Even though Kevin works in Staten Island, we haven't really hung out that much in Staten Island. In fact, apart from driving thru whenever we go JFK, I have only been to Staten Island once. That was like almost 3 years ago, when we went to Sears in Staten Island Mall. So, a few weekends ago, we decided to go check Staten Island out. We found out online that there is a historical village and museum complex called Historic Richmond Town. It is an actual living museum, with restored buildings dating as far back as the colonial period (will blog more about that later on). Sounds pretty interesting, so it's off to Staten Island we go!
Before leaving for Staten Island, we also went online to find out where we can get some really good bagels. Just like all the other New York City boroughs, Staten Island is well known for it's bagels. There is just something in those NYC hand pulled bagels that makes it so yummy and so different from all the other bagels that I have tried before. It must be the NYC water :D Anyways, we found out that Bagel Depot is supposed to have some of the best hand pulled bagels in the whole of Staten Island. Not only that, but guess what? There is a branch in Richmondtown itself! Woohoo! That's just perfect. So, on our way home to Jersey, we stopped by Bagel Depot to pick up some bagels.
The store was rather empty when we walked in. So, we had some time to snoop around while waiting to be served. Looks like they sold other stuff, apart from bagels. There were all kinds of muffins, english muffins, cookies, danish, croissants, turnovers and even jelly rings. They all look super yummy but we didn't get any. We were focused on our mission, to get our hands on some super yummy Staten Island bagels!
Not only did they have baked goods for sale, but they also carried a whole lot of other stuff. There was a deli section that sold all kinds of meats, smoked salmon, various types of cream cheese, antipasti as well as a huge selection of salads. Also, there we all kinds of breads, rolls and buns for sale. Man, I am beginning to like this place more and more! :P
Alright, enough of snooping around. We need to get to the main attraction! Check out the bagels baby! They are so huge and yummy looking. None of those hard, dry and tiny stuff that we usually see in grocery stores or coffee shops outside of this region. This is the real thing. NY style hand pulled bagels. Sooooo good! Apart from the usual bagels, they also have min bagels and flagels (flat bagels).
Look at all the bagels that we bought home! :P Yes yes, I know. The two fatties got carried a way for a bit. In our defense, we were actually taking full advantage of their "Buy a dozen and get 3 FREE" promotion (works out to $9.60 for 13 bagels). So yeah, that's the reason why we bought so many :P Oh and for those smarty pants who actually counted the bagels, yes, one of them didn't make the journey home. It was so good, we HAD to share one in the car, during our drive home..LOL! What type of bagels did we get? Well, we bought two plain, two low carb, two wheat, two egg, two poppy seeds, two garlic and one pumpernickel. They all tasted really good, light and chewy, just like how a good hand pulled bagel should be. Those bagels lasted us for quite a long time. All we needed to do was freeze the bagels in the freezer, pop it into the microwave for a few seconds whenever we want to eat them and it taste as good as new. So, if you are ever in Staten Island, you totally have to check out Bagel Depot. They make some of the best bagels ever!!

Bagel Depot (Richmondtown Branch) - Staten Island, NY
3459 Richmond Rd
Staten Island, NY 10306
Phone:(718)987 7682
Web: http://www.bageldepot.com

Katz's Deli - Lower East Side, NYC

We were in the city two weeks ago and was looking for a place to have lunch. Since moving to the NYC/NJ region, we have always wanted to go check out Katz's Deli but haven't really gotten around to it. So, we decided that today is the day that we do so! :D

Katz's Deli is located on East Houston St, in the Lower East Side. Founded in 1888, Katz's Deli is one of the oldest and most well known deli's in NYC. It is especially well known for it's pastrami sandwiches. Many people have sworn that it's New York's best! Also, if you are a Meg Ryan and Bill Crystal fan, you would remember the famous deli scene in the movie, 'When Harry Met Sally'. I must admit that 'When Harry Met Sally' is one of my all time favorite movies, so...I was super excited to eat at Katz's Deli, at last.

It being a Saturday afternoon, we expected it to be packed. Well, it was packed but not as bad as I expected it to be. There wasn't a line when we ordered our food and we could find a table right away. How it works is, you pick up a ticket at the entrance and just head to the counter to order and collect your food. Then, you can just find a table and eat. If you do not want to go up to the counter to order, you can sit down at the tables along the sides of the dining room, then a waiter will come up and take your order.

We just picked up our ticket and headed to the counter to order. It's faster this way and also, you get to try out some meat samples first before deciding on your order. There were at least 10 guys making those sandwiches, so things move pretty fast. After ordering your food, you can move down the line to order your drinks.

After getting our food, we didn't have any problems finding a table at all. In fact, we managed to get a table next to the most 'famous' table in the house. Can you see what that sign says?

Here is a close up. Yup! That's the famous table where they shot the 'When Harry Met Sally' deli scene. Since this is a family blog, I will not put up the clip from the scene here. However, if you have not seen that movie before, just click on this link and it will lead you to the clip from that famous deli scene. That's right, I'll have what she's having! ;P

So, what did we eat? Of course we had to try the Pastrami on Rye Sandwich ($14.95). Let me tell you this. In all my 30 years, I have never tasted such good pastrami before. It is so so so good! No wonder they say that Katz's has the best pastrami sandwich in NYC! Just the right amount of lean and fat meat, with some charred bits. Perfect!

We also tried the Corned Beef on Rye Sandwich ($14.45). That's really good too. Of course if I ate that before trying the pastrami, I would say that's its superb and totally awesome. However, if we compare it to the pastrami, it somewhat pales in comparison. However, I must say that it's still very very good. Look at the amount of meat in each sandwich. I read somewhere that they slap on at least 1 lbs of meat in every sandwich!

We also had a complimentary serving of pickled cucumbers and tomatoes. Now, I am not really a big fan of pickled stuff but the cucumbers were awesome! Really tasty and crunchy. I didn't try the tomatoes though, so I don't know about that.

We both had an icy can each of Dr. Brown's Draft Style Root Beer ($2.50) to wash all that meat down. Mmm mmm mmmm, nothing like some full bodied root beer after a big meal.

The sandwiches were so big, we couldn't even finish them. We had to doggy bag half of each sandwich home. We must remember to just share one the next time we are at Katz's. So, was the sandwiches at Katz's as good as we expect it to be? Helll yeah! I would definitely return in the very near future. Two thumbs up!

Katz's Delicatessen - NYC
205 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002
Tel: (212) 254-2246
Fax: (212) 674-3270
Web: http://www.katzdeli.com/