Some of the bloggers at Short Order are creating a holiday wish list for Miami's food scene. Click here to read some of our other wishes.
Dear Hanukkah Harry,
I realize yesterday was the last night of Hanukkah but I forgot about my most sincere wish! Please, please deliver me a local deli that has corned beef, pastrami, tongue, chopped liver, real bagels, chocolate phosphates, garlicky pickles, salty lox and whitefish spread, black-and-white cookies, and rugelach like the kind my dad used to get in Brooklyn. I know I'm asking for a lot here, but I've really been a good Jew this year so I've earned it.
You were kind enough to provide Pomperdale when I lived in Fort Lauderdale and TooJays and 3G's when I grew up in Palm Beach, but now that I'm in Jew Central (a.k.a. Miami) I can't understand why it's so darn hard to find a good Reuben and a potato knish or two. Yes, I heard a place called Brooklyn Water Bagels opened but I haven't tried it yet because, frankly, I'm skeptical. It takes more than just a spongy, chewy bagel made with Big Apple water to woo me.
Heck, even Wolfie's Rascal House never cut the spicy mustard in my opinion, and that deli was like a holy place for my brethren. Jerry's Famous, Mo's and Roasters N' Toasters are all sad disappointments, though I know many of my buddies swear by those places. Bagel Cove is fine, but not really as authentic as I'd like. Bagel Emporium saved my kishkas this year when I had to host a "break the fast" at the last minute, so I'm thankful, but it's still no Katz's so I won't schlep over there unless I'm desperate for comfort food.
Really--what's a nice Jewish girl gotta do to get some soul food 'round here, aside from FedEx-ing a salami and some babka from New York?
Can anyone out there help a sister out? Where's the best deli in Miami?
