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  • Post #91 - December 16th, 2010, 3:19 pm
    Post #91 - December 16th, 2010, 3:19 pm Post #91 - December 16th, 2010, 3:19 pm
    Has anyone used Manny's for catering, esp a lunch (or just eaten at a lunch catered by them)? Any reviews/comments are helpful.
  • Post #92 - December 17th, 2010, 4:49 pm
    Post #92 - December 17th, 2010, 4:49 pm Post #92 - December 17th, 2010, 4:49 pm
    Yes. They do a good job. I stick to basics-- CB, pastrami, bread, pickles, chopped liver (for me), latkes. Every time I walk into a conference room stocked with utter crap sandwiches from an overpriced Loop lunch place, I kick myself for not ordering Manny's (or Bari, which also delivers).
  • Post #93 - December 17th, 2010, 9:45 pm
    Post #93 - December 17th, 2010, 9:45 pm Post #93 - December 17th, 2010, 9:45 pm
    JeffB wrote:Every time I walk into a conference room stocked with utter crap sandwiches from an overpriced Loop lunch place, I kick myself for not ordering Manny's (or Bari, which also delivers).
    Or Graziano's, which will also deliver awesome sandwiches to the Loop.

    -Dan
  • Post #94 - December 17th, 2010, 10:44 pm
    Post #94 - December 17th, 2010, 10:44 pm Post #94 - December 17th, 2010, 10:44 pm
    Thanks for the feedback and for alternate ideas.
  • Post #95 - May 2nd, 2011, 9:37 am
    Post #95 - May 2nd, 2011, 9:37 am Post #95 - May 2nd, 2011, 9:37 am
    Car crashes into Manny’s
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #96 - May 2nd, 2011, 11:06 am
    Post #96 - May 2nd, 2011, 11:06 am Post #96 - May 2nd, 2011, 11:06 am
    Thank god no corned beef was harmed
  • Post #97 - April 16th, 2015, 10:53 am
    Post #97 - April 16th, 2015, 10:53 am Post #97 - April 16th, 2015, 10:53 am
    The Abe Vigoda of Restaurants?

    Image

    A while back when there was Time Out Chicago in print and Time Out Chicago regularly ran "Save this Restaurant" and Heather Shouse was the editor, yeah, far back, I pitched Manny's as a candidate. Was I sure she asked? I was pretty sure, but who needed saving it turned out? Maybe I'm more sure now. I'm thinking this place needs saving. The appearance of legendary serving fork spinner Gino Gamborata yesterday, who I had not seen on my previous few visits reminded me that while nothing lasts forever, it aint over until we say it's over. We need to get to work.

    Manny's was not empty yesterday, but it was not full either. And due to some extenuating circumstances, I was there a good portion of the lunch time. I got a good portion of time to access. This was one day, but I've seen other days like this. People come steadily into Manny's doors. There is business. What there is not, I see, are a few things. First, there is business but there is not bedlam. No one is screaming at you to bypass the turkey leg line to get to your corned beef. The din in the room is less. What else is less, as in no more, the stench of Jerry Reinsdorf's cigar, which I've espied him smoking in the past. Maybe Jerry still comes, but it seems to me that the Jerry crowd comes less. Not just owners of sports teams. The whole special milieu that defined Manny's. Did they take away first our indoor stogies and then our open out-cry trading pits? They seem gone. The traders and players. I do not think I saw a single shoulder holster all meal. Is it neighborhood gentrification? It was these things that made Manny's, that mix of humanity and a type of humanity.

    Here's the thing. I have no points in the Bulls. I am not known at Gibson's. I am not armed, I look for bad guys with a laptop. I'm not that crowd, and not too many of us here are. We cannot make their scene. So, we must be doubly diligent to make up for it. Maybe behave like we belong (don't eat off your tray). If we have to treat it like we're civil war re-enactors, so be it. Top to bottom, Manny's is not the great Jewish deli of our Wexler's/Katz's fantasies, but it is our place, our stalwart, our connection to other times and other places. Let's ensure we save this restaurant.
    Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.
  • Post #98 - April 16th, 2015, 12:53 pm
    Post #98 - April 16th, 2015, 12:53 pm Post #98 - April 16th, 2015, 12:53 pm
    Vital Information wrote: Top to bottom, Manny's is not the great Jewish deli of our Wexler's/Katz's fantasies, but it is our place, our stalwart, our connection to other times and other places. Let's ensure we save this restaurant.


    I hate to be the nay-sayer here, but if Manny's intention is to survive then they need to make better food. I can't justify supporting a place that treats my hard-earned dollars with contempt. Kaufman's tries, Max & Benny's tries. They're nowhere near New York-caliber, but are much better than Manny's. Manny's has given up.
  • Post #99 - April 16th, 2015, 12:58 pm
    Post #99 - April 16th, 2015, 12:58 pm Post #99 - April 16th, 2015, 12:58 pm
    Hi,

    I heard over the radio last weekend that Jerry Seinfeld was there with Steve Harvey recording a episode of 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.'

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #100 - April 16th, 2015, 1:20 pm
    Post #100 - April 16th, 2015, 1:20 pm Post #100 - April 16th, 2015, 1:20 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

    I heard over the radio last weekend that Jerry Seinfeld was there with Steve Harvey recording a episode of 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.'

    Regards,


    I can't deny it makes for a believable "deli" set.
  • Post #101 - April 16th, 2015, 11:40 pm
    Post #101 - April 16th, 2015, 11:40 pm Post #101 - April 16th, 2015, 11:40 pm
    My patronage has gone down substantially now that they open at 6am instead of 4:45am. I'd go 4-5 times a year for a 5am breakfast (hash and potatoes, no eggs) and be able to get some work done, and still be at the office at 7am. With a 6am opening, that's impossible, so I only end up going for breakfast on Saturdays if I'm going to be downtown for something anyway.
    "Fried chicken should unify us, as opposed to tearing us apart. " - Bomani Jones
  • Post #102 - April 20th, 2015, 11:29 am
    Post #102 - April 20th, 2015, 11:29 am Post #102 - April 20th, 2015, 11:29 am
    After dining there a few times as a kid in the 1960's, I worked a few doors from Manny's for about 10 years, starting in 1999.
    For those first few years, until maybe 2005, I ate there every weekday, sometimes breakfast and lunch.

    And it was magnificent. The din, as Vital says. My buddy Gino yelling good-naturedly at everyone, flipping his knife. He'd make me a combo--CB & pastrami--that would choke a pig. A stellar sandwich, as was a rare roast beef sliced off the haunch on a dipped Kaiser roll, with mayo on the side and some of their killer horseradish. The kishke, the short ribs with carrots & prunes. The beef stew. Still the best CB hash, on a par quality-wise with now-departed Patty's Diner, although they are completely different. My Italian kids loved the 'Jewish spaghetti'. I could go on. And the clientele--Obama, Emanuel, Axelrod (ALL the time), Jerry R. & son, and cops, traders, tourists (who wanted that din).

    Prices were high, but then they got higher. And maybe portions got a little smaller. I didn't see quality slip at all. But the music, slowly, kind of died. Now it seems to be just another place, certainly not a political hotbed anymore.
  • Post #103 - April 25th, 2015, 6:10 am
    Post #103 - April 25th, 2015, 6:10 am Post #103 - April 25th, 2015, 6:10 am
    Vital's post and my response had put Manny's in my mind. I woke up unnaturally early this morning, and the combination of a dreary day and having to be at 87th/Harlem at 9am to get my car serviced meant that the 15 minute detour down the Stevenson to go get Manny's for breakfast was a perfect combination.

    It's 7am here, and I'm the only customer. Not one Sheriff's deputy, CPD detective, or otherwise local "long time guy" in the in the joint. Frank's next door has moved to a storefront on Roosevelt.

    Meanwhile, the huge (easily double what most places give you) corned beef hash is great and a fantastic value at $5 as a side dish w/o eggs. The toasted onion bagel actually tastes like a bagel as opposed to the Panerasteinkin hunks of shaped Wonder bread found elsewhere. They had free WiFi before most places, and great old four-tops perfect for the laptop and tablet generation. There are 30 parking spaces around back with no meters.
    "Fried chicken should unify us, as opposed to tearing us apart. " - Bomani Jones
  • Post #104 - April 25th, 2015, 9:59 am
    Post #104 - April 25th, 2015, 9:59 am Post #104 - April 25th, 2015, 9:59 am
    threadkiller wrote:Vital's post and my response had put Manny's in my mind. I woke up unnaturally early this morning, and the combination of a dreary day and having to be at 87th/Harlem at 9am to get my car serviced meant that the 15 minute detour down the Stevenson to go get Manny's for breakfast was a perfect combination.

    It's 7am here, and I'm the only customer. Not one Sheriff's deputy, CPD detective, or otherwise local "long time guy" in the in the joint. Frank's next door has moved to a storefront on Roosevelt.

    Meanwhile, the huge (easily double what most places give you) corned beef hash is great and a fantastic value at $5 as a side dish w/o eggs. The toasted onion bagel actually tastes like a bagel as opposed to the Panerasteinkin hunks of shaped Wonder bread found elsewhere. They had free WiFi before most places, and great old four-tops perfect for the laptop and tablet generation. There are 30 parking spaces around back with no meters.


    Thread--I loved early Saturday mornings at Manny's. Quiet, and I would order exactly what you had--best CBH ever. I believe the bagels are NYB&B product. In the old days--hopefully still--the din would start late, about 10, and keep going into the early afternoon. More shoppers than cops. Maybe the neighborhood change is making a difference? And it's a crappy-looking day outside too.

    I gotta get over there...
  • Post #105 - April 25th, 2015, 12:22 pm
    Post #105 - April 25th, 2015, 12:22 pm Post #105 - April 25th, 2015, 12:22 pm
    Saturdays have traditionally been slow at Manny's. It's really more of a weekday spot, when people are at work.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #106 - April 25th, 2015, 6:50 pm
    Post #106 - April 25th, 2015, 6:50 pm Post #106 - April 25th, 2015, 6:50 pm
    stevez wrote:Saturdays have traditionally been slow at Manny's. It's really more of a weekday spot, when people are at work.

    Yeah, I realized that when I go on Saturdays, it's usually more like 9 (as opposed to as early as possible on weekdays). By the time I left at 8:30, there were about 10 tables occupied, including one 8-top of obvious regulars.
    "Fried chicken should unify us, as opposed to tearing us apart. " - Bomani Jones
  • Post #107 - April 27th, 2015, 12:54 pm
    Post #107 - April 27th, 2015, 12:54 pm Post #107 - April 27th, 2015, 12:54 pm
    I was there Saturday at noon-1:00, and it was fairly packed with both rooms mostly full and a short line. Nothing like the good old days, but still. I wasn't too hungry so I grabbed a scoop of chopped liver and a bialy. The chopped liver was far and away the best version I've had from Manny's. Creamy with a (relatively) lighter consistency. I'll eat pretty much any CL, which explains why I am willing to buy the heavy, schmaltzy version at Manny's, but this was not that. It was different enough that I'd venture they changed the recipe. Not quite up to my gold standards - Barney Greengrass, Romanian Kosher and Gibson's/Hugo's (the single greatest "secret menu" item anywhere), but very very good and definitely better than the CL I've had at other "classic" deli/cafeterias (Langer's has awful CL; Katz's and Shapiro's, no great shakes). Hoping it wasn't a one-off. I also tasted my kid's mac n' cheese, which I've wondered about for years but would never think to order there: pretty goddamn good. It lends itself to a steam tray, same as a meat & 3 place. Makes sense.
  • Post #108 - July 20th, 2015, 4:26 pm
    Post #108 - July 20th, 2015, 4:26 pm Post #108 - July 20th, 2015, 4:26 pm
    After 75 years in business in Chicago dating to its Maxwell Street roots, big changes are coming to Manny’s Cafeteria and Delicatessen. The restaurant at 1141 S. Jefferson, long a favorite with politicians and downtown workers, is getting a $1 million-plus renovation to be unveiled around Thanksgiving.

    http://chicago.suntimes.com/business/7/ ... -salmon-go
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #109 - July 21st, 2015, 9:29 am
    Post #109 - July 21st, 2015, 9:29 am Post #109 - July 21st, 2015, 9:29 am
    Although the SunTimes website is really screwy for non-subscribers, I was able to read enough of the article to understand the gist of the plans of the renovations.

    Danny's a good kid. He gets it, like his dad did. Manny's is a landmark, with offerings that taste like nowhere else in Chicago. Maybe similar to some of the NYC icons mentioned above, but nothing around here compares. Just my personal opinion.

    Sure, Manny's prices have risen over the years, but there is value in quality. I remember Gino or one of the other guys hoisting a massive round of beef to the steam table, and I knew which part was going to taste like what in a sandwich. Rare from the inside one day, maybe the 'burnt ends' on another day, like the best pot roast ever. And they would cobble together whatever you wanted, and they understood. 'Yeah, gimme the ends off the roast beef, put some of that kishke gravy on it, boiled potatoes and some carrots out of the short ribs'. And they'd DO it. Wow, good stuff.

    Good luck to them on the reno, because that's an old building...
  • Post #110 - July 23rd, 2015, 8:27 am
    Post #110 - July 23rd, 2015, 8:27 am Post #110 - July 23rd, 2015, 8:27 am
    Another article on the "refresh" of Manny's - http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #111 - July 23rd, 2015, 9:30 am
    Post #111 - July 23rd, 2015, 9:30 am Post #111 - July 23rd, 2015, 9:30 am
    If I am reading it right, does that mean that the steam table will be gone? Looks like the cafeteria line will still be there, but the steam table--the place where you could see & decide upon the offerings of the day--was the magic, with the retro 1950's panache.

    Might have to take a run down there one Saturday morning to get the scoop.
  • Post #112 - July 23rd, 2015, 9:44 am
    Post #112 - July 23rd, 2015, 9:44 am Post #112 - July 23rd, 2015, 9:44 am
    jnm123 wrote:If I am reading it right, does that mean that the steam table will be gone?


    My take away is that the steam table is being replaced, not eliminated, but you're right. A trip to Manny's to confirm is definitely in order.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #113 - September 23rd, 2015, 7:36 pm
    Post #113 - September 23rd, 2015, 7:36 pm Post #113 - September 23rd, 2015, 7:36 pm
    It's "that-time-of-the-Year" again...where all Jews feel compelled to
    visit a Synagogue- and possibly "fast" for Yom Kippur- and in the event that they do
    fast- and didn't make (prepare) a nice, home-made -"break-the-fast" meal....
    they go find a place like Manny's to have some (Jewish) "Soul-Food".

    Now- being a cafeteria- and the antithesis of "fine dining"- I dont expect much.
    Gimme a nice Pastrami on Marble Rye- and I'm a happy guy.
    OK- no Marble Rye.....I'll live (Max's Deli- Ronnie Suburban's Favorite :P :P N. Shore Deli does...)
    OK- and in the interest of lo-fat- I'll take the Turkey Pastrami.
    Hold-- the "up-sell" Latke my friend....I need to sleep -sans-Heartburn tonight..
    OK- add in a side of KISHKE- w/ a little gravy (tasted like a soup-packet-mix....terribly artificial)
    My better half - went with a Beef Stew Plate- Matzoh Ball Soup + a slice of Cherry "Pie" and a Soda,
    all for the grand total of
    $48.40.

    For a Cafeteria- does that seem kind high for two- to you?
    $48.40
    I mean- the slice of Cherry Pie was almost 5.00
    The Soda- almost 3.00
    The Beef Stew plate= 15.95
    The Sandwich- with a dill pickle- 13.00

    I don't know how- or when- MANNY's become so overpriced-
    but I fail to see the "value"
    equation here.
    $48.40

    See-Ya...Manny's- nice knowin' ya.
    At least- at Max's Deli- ya get some free bagel chips, a roll or two- and pickles to nosh on.
    At Manny's all ya get
    is bad fluorescent lighting- in abundance......and horseradish. :(
    For $48.40

    "Geyn Avek" גיין אַוועק
  • Post #114 - September 23rd, 2015, 8:15 pm
    Post #114 - September 23rd, 2015, 8:15 pm Post #114 - September 23rd, 2015, 8:15 pm
    The only "value" purchase at Manny's appears to be the Kool-Aid that the die-hards seem to be drinking. Manny's location is all it has going for it because there's no competition left in the area. Head up North and Manny's is nothing special. Soup is not all that great, the potato pancakes are bland and greasy and the corned beef is just okay.
  • Post #115 - September 23rd, 2015, 11:37 pm
    Post #115 - September 23rd, 2015, 11:37 pm Post #115 - September 23rd, 2015, 11:37 pm
    spinynorman99 wrote:The only "value" purchase at Manny's appears to be the Kool-Aid that the die-hards seem to be drinking. Manny's location is all it has going for it because there's no competition left in the area. Head up North and Manny's is nothing special. Soup is not all that great, the potato pancakes are bland and greasy and the corned beef is just okay.


    I believe Eleven City Diner is more than adequate competition. Yes I know it isn't a true cafeteria style deli, but the overlap in menu items is close to 100% and I truly believe Eleven City Diner has a better track record than Manny's in the past five years or so.
  • Post #116 - September 24th, 2015, 6:51 am
    Post #116 - September 24th, 2015, 6:51 am Post #116 - September 24th, 2015, 6:51 am
    Yes, Eleven City is competition, and it's pretty good in its own right.

    But it doesn't taste like Manny's. Nothing does. The CB, RB, pastrami are different. So are the latkes, and the fried potatoes with onions (on request). The hash is unsurpassed, although Patty's came close from an enjoyment standpoint. It's the little stuff I mentioned above about customizing your meals that makes the difference for me, although most neophytes are usually too intimidated to ask them to do it.

    I ate there just about every weekday for 10 years (Kenny Raskin was our landlord) knew Gino & all the guys, and tried virtually everything on the menu in that timeframe, in every combination imaginable. I knew the raw ingredients they used were top-notch, and the recipes for the most part were unchanged from 50 years ago. It's what worked then, and what works now. And if one hasn't noticed, beef prices--especially for the good stuff--have skyrocketed over the last year or two.

    So it's not from the Kool-Aid, Spiny, unless we're talking Dr. Brown's. 8)
  • Post #117 - September 26th, 2015, 12:55 pm
    Post #117 - September 26th, 2015, 12:55 pm Post #117 - September 26th, 2015, 12:55 pm
    But it doesn't taste like Manny's. Nothing does.

    Well- as I have never had the Chicken Matzoh Ball soup at 26th & California, I can't
    speak for the taste of that "Institutional Soup"- but Manny's Soup- has no "alma" (soul)
    and tastes as much like insta-soup-base-stock as any I've ever had.ImageMatzoh Ball Soup- w/my secret coloring agent (Onion Skin) by R. Kramer, on Flickr

    MY chicken soup- puts Manny's to shame....

    ImageHome-Made-Love-in-a-Soup-Pot......called Matzoh Ball Soup ( mit-Kneidelach)! by R. Kramer, on Flickr

    (just in-case you weren't able to "smell" the soul in the 1st image....)

    Add in
    the other oh-so-boring-bland-and Institutional flavored dishes in the steam trays-
    and I will GUARANTEE you
    that I will no longer be a fan!
    If I want (and WHY?? I should have a craving for that is not something-a sane-food-centric-kinda person should desire....)
    "that" sort of food- I'll head to Hyde Park for Valois.
  • Post #118 - June 6th, 2016, 3:09 pm
    Post #118 - June 6th, 2016, 3:09 pm Post #118 - June 6th, 2016, 3:09 pm
    stevez wrote:
    jnm123 wrote:If I am reading it right, does that mean that the steam table will be gone?


    My take away is that the steam table is being replaced, not eliminated, but you're right. A trip to Manny's to confirm is definitely in order.

    Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli will unveil the biggest change in the Chicago landmark eatery's 74-year history when it opens its deli counter on Tuesday. The fourth-generation family business has expanded, taking over the two neighboring businesses to the north. The extra space allows for more baked goods and an expansion of their catering business.

    http://chicago.eater.com/2016/6/6/11868 ... nsion-open
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #119 - June 6th, 2016, 3:50 pm
    Post #119 - June 6th, 2016, 3:50 pm Post #119 - June 6th, 2016, 3:50 pm
    A deli going in the right direction. NYB&B and house cured fish has my attention. Here's hoping it works out. The cursed spot that's been several delis over on Kinzie seems to be working, finally, as 3 Greens - which broadly speaking is sort of a deli-meets salad bar-meets bar. This new and expanded Manny's thing might work the same way in a similar, rapidly expaning, youthful neighborhood.
  • Post #120 - June 6th, 2016, 6:01 pm
    Post #120 - June 6th, 2016, 6:01 pm Post #120 - June 6th, 2016, 6:01 pm
    I find it somewhat funny that the owner's son has been advocating for this for 10 years. Pretty sure Eleven City Diner opened in 2006. Coincidence, I think not.

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