It was only a couple weeks ago that I posted about my first Jewish deli meal in about six months – at Philadelphia’s Famous 4th Street Deli. In that post I mentioned that Russ Cowan, the former owner of Famous, now plies his trade at Radin’s Delicatessen in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The two delis have very similar menus and food, as well as classic old-school decors.
After breaking my deli drought it wasn’t long before another opportunity to enjoy one of my favorite cuisines arose. My two friends, former colleagues and periodic dining partners, Helene and Kamala, had been wanting to try Radin’s and we had a lunch scheduled for the week after my visit to Famous 4th Street. When it rains, it pours.
Although only a couple years old, Radin’s looks like the mid-twentieth century delis of yore, right down to their bright orange chairs and green nooks. They also feature a long counter with cases full of smoked fish, meats, desserts and various other goodies, as well as dry-aging salamis hanging from the ceiling.
They were fairly crowded, but we were seated without a wait.
As is often the case, I had an ordering plan formulated before arriving. But you know what they say about the best laid plans.
It had been my intention to forego the usual sandwich in favor of trying Radin’s corned beef hash with a piece of cheese kugel on the side. I had just had a taste of one of my dining partner’s kugel at Famous the previous week and liked it so much that I needed more of it – much more.
But when Kam and Helene both ordered double-decker deli sandwiches, I immediately started to feel uneasy about my plan. My craving and eating psychology is a peculiar thing. The thought of watching them eat those huge piles of meat on Radner’s very good rye bread suddenly made my intended side of corned beef hash feel inadequate. So I called an audible and instead ordered pastrami on rye along with the cheese kugel. The hash would have to wait for a future visit.
As was the case at Famous the previous week, I requested a Dr. Brown’s diet black cherry soda to wash my lunch down.
The following photos show much, but not all of the menu, which can be viewed in its entirety – and without glare from the overhead lights – here.
Helene ordered the Franklin Avenue sandwich, which includes pastrami, corned beef, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing on three slices of thick and wonderfully fresh rye bread. She also requested potato salad from among the side options. Kamala’s Flatbush Avenue sandwich was similar, but included a third meat – turkey – and no Swiss cheese. She also went with potato salad for a side.
These sandwiches must have been at least eight inches high and were held together with the help of miniature plastic orange Radin’s flags that our server rested her hand on while walking to avoid any catastrophes en route to our table.
These monsters were a sight to behold. There was no way any mortal human could have picked them up and taken a bite in the form in which they arrived. Separating each half into a pair of sandwich halves or using a fork and knife were the only realistic options for my two companions.
My pastrami sandwich looked puny alongside the Franklin and Flatbush Avenues, but it still must have held roughly a pound of moist and extremely flavorful pastrami. As was the case the previous week, I requested potato pancakes with apple sauce for my side.
But unlike last week, I also had a massive piece of kugel to go with my sandwich. It was apparently too big to stand right side up on the plate and arrived sitting on one of its sides. I struggled a bit to find a good angle for photos but did my best.
This kugel may have been slightly less sweet than the piece I sampled at Famous 4th Street the previous week. But it was equally soft and creamy. I doubt I ate more than a quarter of it in addition to half of my pastrami sandwich before packing the rest to take home. My wife and I shared the rest of the kugel that night as part of our dinner.
It would be very difficult for me to say that either Famous or Radin’s is the better of the two delis. There really isn’t a whole lot that separates them thanks to Russ Cowan’s influence on both.
As I mentioned in the post on my recent meal at Famous, the more wide open lay out at Radin’s is slightly more preferable to me. On the other hand, the ride to Famous from my home is a shorter one.
I’m extremely happy to have both of them in the Philly region and am sure I’ll be having periodic meals at each for as long as they continue to operate.
BZ Maestro Eats 