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Hi Ube - sounds like you are a fairly new west suburbanite, so welcome to LTH and our extremely intelligent and discriminating group of west suburban diners.



Gee, Steve, they want to sell their food - as you know, associating it with me is very unlikely to do that. But I hear they are planning to name a chopped liver sandwich after you.

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d
Retired, gone fishing, and exploring my curmudgeon within

C'mon Dickson,

Let's redo their menu:

The Dickson: Whatever David ordered during his last visit

The Steve Z breathmint: Chopped liver and raw onion on rye

The Flipside: 1/2 corned beef 1/2 pastrami served warm on rye with yellow mustard.

The Vital Info: One of each, Please

Flip

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"Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
-Ben Franklin-

Ms. EC and I had other business in N'ville today, so we took the opportunity to pay a visit to this deli. Jewish delis are a breed of establishment that are close to my heart, and I entered this one with guarded anticipation. I'll say up front that I liked H.P. Schmaltz's. If there was one of these in a strip mall in every 'burb, I wouldn't be disappointed. Here's a more detailed breakdown of my experience:

The Good:

--Without a doubt, the kreplach soup was the highlight of our meal. The broth was rich and flavorful with big chunks of chicken and veggies. The kreplach (homemade) were, without a doubt, the best I've ever had in a "for-profit" setting. I told the owner that my grandmother would approve.

--The house-cured lox was, as steve said, a silky treat. I enjoyed the delicate flavor and texture. I do think it would taste much better on a crudite than on a bagel though. I prefer the full nova flavor on a bagel.

--Good pickles.

--A decent and proper selection of Jewish deli items including pickled tomatoes, beef tongue, hamentaschen, knish, sweet & sour cabbage soup (today's soup) and the whole complement of Dr. Brown's sodas. They're definitely not pulling a Schlotzsky's; They're trying to do it right.

The "Eh":

--I should have read this thread a little closer or at least examined the meats before I ordered, because I don't like Eisenberg meats, especially the pastrami. In my mind, if you're not going to make it yourself, serve Vienna. If you're trying to cut costs by going with the cheaper Eisenberg (which seems to be a trend in new Jewish delis lately--see Eppy's), then just don't bother.

--The atmosphere was, well, a little "off". It seemed to be cut in half: The deli element and the "chain" element and the "chain" side really bothered me. I'm not usually sensitive to this sort of thing, and in the face of good food there's really no reason to be, but I felt like I was eating in an "American Jew" pavilion at Epcot Center. T-shirts, toys, and a lot of smiling teenagers behind the counter gave everything a very contrived feel. There were a few newspaper articles on the wall about the place. I read most of them, and they were all centered on the "business plan" and the "chain concept". The quotes from the owners seemed to be more focused on growing a business rather than selling good food. It seemed like they could be selling auto parts or sub sandwiches: The passion was in the business, not the food. This is probably an unfair criticism, but it's the impression that the whole place gave me. Nevertheless, this criticism did not significantly detract from the fact that I do like this place.

--My bagel was a hockey puck.

--Potato knish were just average. Not bad, but nothing so great.

The Funny:

--When I was asked what my lox should be put on, I had the following conversation with the cute little blonde counter girl:

Me: "Do you have bialys?"
Her: "What's a bee-all-ee?"
Me: "I guess that's a 'no'".
Her: "Well, what is it? Maybe we have it?"
Me: "It's like a bagel, but flatter, and no hole"
Other girl: "Oh! I know what a bialy is!"
Me: "Do you have them?"
Other girl: "No"

Maybe you had to be there, but it cracked me up.

Best,
Michael / EC

EatChicago wrote:



Sounds like something out of Monty Python.

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Where there’s smoke, there may be salmon.

THEY HAVE BIALYS!!! ONLY SAT AND SUN BUT THEY ARE GREAT!!! AND THEIR BAGELS ARE BETTER NOW...THEY MUST HAVE CHANGED SOMETHING. i GOT THERE AT 6:15 ON A TUESDAY AND THEY WERE STILL HOT!

I thought that I would let everyone know that in the next few weeks that HP Schmaltz will be opening a second location in Downers Grove next door to the Best Buy on Butterfield between Highland and Finley.

I'm truly excited as it will be almost across the street from my office.

Flip

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"Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
-Ben Franklin-

I would appreciate a post when they are open.

Thanks.

R.

I am happy to hear of this, as it is quite near my house. Lots of the old delis have shut down, like Ashkenaz. I am not quite sure why they have all disappeared, maybe people seem to want to eat healthier. But when I need a corned beef, I need one. I ate at Ada's on Wabash a few days ago but it was nothing to rave about. I will try the one in Naperville to see.

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Toria

"I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - As You Like It,
W. Shakespeare

I'm excited about this, too, even though I haven't been to one yet and Downers Grove isn't much closer to me than Naperville. But the idea of an unstoppable deli juggernaut appeals to me in a metro area that (it seems to me as a former East Coaster) has never given the Jewish deli much respect. I mean, I've actually heard people here brazenly say they hate gefilte fish! And openly diss Jewish food! In the East, if you hate gefilte fish, you have enough sense to keep that misguided opinion to yourself. So even if H.P. Schmaltz is The American Jew Pavilion at Epcot, I'll be happy to see the entire Chicago area blanketed with them. Our time has come.

Flip wrote:

>HP Schmaltz will be opening a second location in Downers Grove


Is this open yet?

r.

I spoke to Paul, one of the owners last week. They were having the deli cases delivered that day. I think he said either this week or next they would be open.

Flip

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"Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
-Ben Franklin-

Ashkenaz on Cedar is still going.

Ashkenaz Deli
312/944-5006
12 E. Cedar St.
Chicago

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

Hey, you want real deli? Slip into the Ashkenaz Deli in Chicago!! Authentic in all aspects with sandwhiches nice and large!!
12 E. Cedar Street
Chicago, IL
312-944-5006

I know N'ville is growing fast, but I did not know it now included Cedar Street.

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d
Retired, gone fishing, and exploring my curmudgeon within

Well, since we started talking about areas outside of Naperville...

I spoke to a few of the guys from HP the other day. and have a few observations.. .

- I have confirmed that they are no longer transporting pre-sliced products from N'ville to Downers

- They are going to be carrying a few new items. (sorry, I forgot)

- They are opening a new location near Schaumburg soon

Flip

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"Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
-Ben Franklin-

Somehow the words Schaumburg and Jewish Deli placed together in a sentance do not inspire me to make the trip.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Steve,

I find this funny coming from you since putting Naperville and Jewish deli together had you making the drive.

Flip

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"Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
-Ben Franklin-

The drive to Naperville (where there actually are a few Jews) was an accomodation.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

As my Schmaltz sandwich project nears its conclusion, I thought it worthwhile to share my experiences to date - no pictures of course, since I am only dealing in the pure, subjective truth here .

The project

To eat every sandwich on the new Schmaltz sandwich menu (can't get this link to work...)

Progress to date

I am almost done, though Howard has pointed out that they are planning to roll out a new menu shortly, with doubledecker versions of most sandwiches. There are just a few sammies left to sample.

The skinny on Schmaltz's sammies

In general, Scmaltz does a good job, but the bread does not hold its own. I have complained about this, and they have acknowledged that the bread is the weak link, but nothing gets done about it, so I wonder... Anyway, there has been a promise of better bread to come soon, and I will update this when it happens.

All sandwiches come with half of a honking big pickle made by some place in the city. Originally, the pickles were amazingly fresh and delightful - upon inquiry, Howard indicated the pickles were no more than a day or two old. This no longer seems to be the case, and while they are very good kosher dills, they no longer burst with the cucumber freshness of the past. I am disappointed, but only in comparison to what they used to offer - the pickles are quite good.

Now in order:

1. Gramercy Park: warm pastrami or turkey pastrami on marble rye. Both meats and the mustard are quite good, so if you feel a need to go with Turkey Pastrami have no fear. Sure you do not get the fat one needs for a really good sandwich, but it is tasty. The bread is awful, with sugar on the crust. Opt for regular rye.

2. Boston Common: Roast beef on dark rye with sweet onion relish, horseradish sauce, lettuce and tomato. The high point here is the beef, which is plentful, flavorful and quite tasty. The sweet onion relish is good, but adds nothing to the sammy for me - I would prefer raw onions, without so much sweetness. The rye is good, workmanlike, the lettuce and tomato acceptable in the context. A fine sandwich.

3. Nashville: Beef brisket, BBQ sauce, cole slaw. Not yet sampled. Stay tuned. I have deep reservations about this, since I expect it to be bottled BBQ sauce and they sell it with an Elvis reference, but I guess I must do it.

4. Herald Square - Turkey breast, fat-free tomato basil pesto mayo (??), lettuce, tomato, cracked wheat bread. If this bread were a little fresher it would be wonderful. If the mayo had fat in it, it might be good. As we all know, sliced turkey breast is really the meat version of tofu, and since it has not been fermented, or dosed with some serious seasoning, it is, umm, blah. If you like this kind if sandwich, I think this is not bad, but is definitely not for me.

5. Wall Street: Corned beef on rye with mustard. Since they switched to Sy Ginsberg for the Corned Beef, it is much better, and this has become a damned good sandwich - nicely tangy beef, good quality deli mustard, industrial rye, well-stuffed. If they just had a little better bread this would be great.

6. Brooklyn Beef: a nice chunk of warm brisket on a dipped roll, with horseradish sauce. Another very good one. Rich, warm, chewy brisket, pretty good roll, noce tang of horseradish. When not on a mission, I usually get a pastrami sandwich, but this is my change of pace choice.

7. LA Times: Albacore tuna salad on pita with roasted peppers (from a jar) lettuce and tomato. This was the bread nadir - an industrial piece of pita, slightly cold, that fell apart as I ate. After having this I finally confronted them on their bread issues. The tuna salad is very meaty and chunky - high quality, giant chunks, much more tuna than salad. I found it a bit underseasoned, but I was fighting a head cold so it may have been me. Howard insisted it was pretty aggressively seasoned. Anyway, a high quality, meaty tuna salad, but get some other bread, probably the light or dark rye.

More to come. There are 17 standard sandwiches in total and they get more adventurous here, but they are a couple of surprsingly good ones.

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d
Retired, gone fishing, and exploring my curmudgeon within

I like this place but the food varies from time to time. The Kreplach soup is very good though I would perfer the mix of white and dark chicken be all white. I normally love the brisket sandwhich but it was a little fatty last time. I cut off the fat and it was great then as usual but the corned beef and pastrami has gone through some major changes. They were terrific when they first opened, went through a dark period where they tasted like something you would get at a generic mall sandwhich shop (no crumbles etc.), then there was an improvment which was not quite as good as originally but very nice. Sadly the last few times I tried them they were very very fatty. I was very disapointed. What I could eat was good but the fat content was at least 40 percent of the sandwhich. Things that are always great are the knishes, the Pradel salami sandwhich and the bagels. Very good service, they just need to offer an extra lean version of their meats and a white meat chicken soup.

Man, fatty brisket, pastrami, and corned beef, and dark meat in the kreplach? Sounds awesome.

Different strokes, eh?

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

Yes I know some people love their food that way and different strokes sums it up perfectly. Myself I just wouldn't mind paying extra for leaner cuts and white meats. I know many delis offer that option. That way everyone would enjoy their meals equally.

I went to the Naperville Store yesterday for lunch. I had the #14 Sloppy Paul, I think. It is their version of the Reuben. I also had a bowl of the Matzo Ball soup. I thought the soup was a little salty. Since I have been trying to cut back, I think I may more sensitive to salt. Other than that, the flavor was good, but I thought it was light on ingredients. I would have preferred a little more chicken in the soup. Also, the chicken was small strips, rather than chucks.

The sandwich was huge. The corned beef appeared to be lean and was excellent. I didn’t care for the dressing, it seemed overly sweet. I took half of the sandwich back to my office and the dressing destroyed the bread. It definitely was sloppy (Paul) I had to use a fork to finish it.

Oh, reference dicksond comments above on #2 Boston Common. I was thinking about getting this on my next visit. I noticed that the sign (or at least I thought) it said the sweet onion relish was made with Vidalia onions. Don’t know if it makes a difference or not.

Anybody have comments on the soups? I have only been twice and got the Matzo Ball both times.

r.

The sloppy Paul is good on regular rye, The Marble one seems too soft. I do like the Kreplach despite the dark meat mixed in. Never tried any other other soups except the one you had. They look good though. Never thought they were too salty myself.

Flip, Do you know if they still have plans for a Schaumburg location? We'd love to have a good deli out this way.

Kim
One of the few Jews in Schaumburg.

Is there really chicken in the kreplach? Traditionally, it's made with beef, hence the darkness. I'd be curious to taste a chicken version.

First time visit to HP Schmaltz yesterday, we went to the Downers Grove unit. I had the Gramercy Park and agree with someone upthread that said the bread does not hold up, it mushed out pretty quickly but the meat was good and I wound up picking it out of the bread. My 2 friends each had a knish, one potato and one spinach and they shared a Stilton salad which was huge and full of stilton cheese, almonds, small tomatoes, roasted red peppers and a blend of greens. They both enjoyed what they had. We took home a container of whitefish salad which we haven't tried yet. This is kind of a trek for me, only went because the one friend lives nearby and we wanted to try something different than our usual Indian or Mexican when we get together. I think I want to go back and try a few other things and I'm sorry I didn't bring home some smoked chubbs or herring.

Last time I went in they improved again. Better service and the Brisket was near perfect. Hope they level out.

Got my a new Schmaltzgram this morning, and it listed some new sandwich offerings including this gem:



Of course, I had to go and try that, and it is very good. Take a small salami, cut it into slices lengthwise, each about 1/4 inch thick. Char the slices on the grill (Mmm, charred salami - do I have your attention yet?), then put 3 slices into a roll with the aforementioned onions and mustard.

Eat one every day for a week and it will kill you, but you will go out happy. This is a great sammy.

Howard also told me the long awaited switch to better bread is supposed to happen this week. Finally.

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d
Retired, gone fishing, and exploring my curmudgeon within

Sounds terrific. I should add this to my list of sandwiches to try.

It only took three decades for someone to steal an idea from Poochies*

Best,
Michael

*This does not preclude the idea that Poochie's may well have stolen this idea from someone else.