142937 Sat Sep 07 12:08:53 -0700 2002 16 12 Boston Area 0 764854 Planning a birthday lunch or dinner for next week. Uaually frequent Rubins in Allston, Joan and Eds in Natick, or Zaftigs in Brookline, but looking for someplace new this time. Sat Sep 07 12:08:53 -0700 2002 0 eatmoreoften 1 764857 Sorry to say, it ain't gonna happen. See the many posts on this board about the lack of any quality Jewish food in Greater Boston. I have pondered why this is the case in a city with one of the larger Jewish populations in the country. Any establishment that calls itself a Jewish deli and serves CLAM CHOWDER is about as Jewish as Christmas (Joan and Eds). The others are little better. Sorry to say all this on Rosh Hashanah. Sat Sep 07 14:34:13 -0700 2002 764854 0 hank 2 764863 you're right about the chowder at J&E's thing...it'd make my grandmother roll over if she saw... I'll stick with Rubin's in Allston...it's as close to my grandmother's kitchen as I'll ever get. Sun Sep 08 09:29:50 -0700 2002 764857 0 eatmoreoften 3 764865 and now that I think of it...the reason we stopped going to Joan and Ed's was pretty simple...I had a hard time trusting a Jewish deli that was open on the Sabbath. Yep, Rubins is where I'm stickin'. Sorry to keep harping the subject...I get like this round holiday time (family faaar away). Sun Sep 08 09:57:03 -0700 2002 764863 0 eatmoreoften 4 764867 I'm not a Rubin's habituee, but as I drove by the other day, I noticed a neon "Sushi" sign in the window...What's the scoop on that? Sun Sep 08 10:38:40 -0700 2002 764865 0 galleygirl 5 764868 hmmm...well, there is kosher chinese and japanese... the word from my mother is that sushi is hot hot hot among jewish singles these days.... I guess I can't hate Rubin's for trying to make a buck... Sun Sep 08 10:44:28 -0700 2002 764867 0 eatmoreoften 6 764871 Oh no, I'm not dissing them, I'm just curious about it...I wanted to hear a report; there are too many non-Kosher sushi options in the area to try it myself :) PS- I just ate the leftover gefilte fish in my Mother's holiday care package with wasabi; does that count? Sun Sep 08 11:00:40 -0700 2002 764868 0 galleygirl 7 764879 Of course it counts. And it brings back one of my most cherished food memories for this time of year of my much missed bubba who brought from Lithuania the ability to make a world-class salmon-gribineh maki that produced a heartburn which lasted minimally six weeks. Sun Sep 08 17:42:31 -0700 2002 764871 0 Elzoe 6 764881 Kosher sushi has been a big thing in NY and now up here for a while. When we got married 3 years ago, we insisted (despite my father in laws objections) that there be a sushi station. It was wiped out by throngs of sushi crazed guests in no time; my bride and I never even saw the sushi station, as it went so fast. Sun Sep 08 18:47:57 -0700 2002 764868 0 hank 6 764890 I would like to know more about kosher sushi. It is my understand - and I have worked in the seafood bus - that fish does not get kosher certification. There certainly weren't any rabbis on the longline boats in NJ, RI, or MA supervising the kill and butchering of the tuna, swords and marlin. How does one define kosher sushi? I am also wondering about kosher clam chowder. Is this chowder made with skate meat instead of shellfish. I thought that shellfish were prohibited under kosher dietary rules. Please enlighten me as I find this fascinating. Perhaps there is an incredible niche industry out there for fishermen who seriously need help these days. Sun Sep 08 23:05:40 -0700 2002 764868 0 Inquisitive 7 764895 here's a list of kosher fish: http://www.kashrut.com/articles/fish/ and this explains how and when a fish is deemed kosher: http://www.kashrut.com/articles/fisharticle/ also, about the "kosher clam chowder:" there is no such thing. most of the "jewish delis" in the area are jewish-style, but not kosher. now, fake clam chowder is different.... Mon Sep 09 10:33:12 -0700 2002 764890 0 Doug 8 764910 Just read the kosher fish link. Wow! That was fascinating! Mon Sep 09 15:31:58 -0700 2002 764895 0 fladd 2 764969 Perhaps this is the case because while there is certainly a large jewish population here in boston, the percentage of the population that is observant (i.e. follows kashrut) is much smaller. The amount of effort to build and maintain a kosher business is considerably more difficult than a non-kosher business. This is probably why there are more kosher style places such as Zaftig's and Joan and Ed's than true kosher delis such as Rubin's. Speaking of Rubin's in Brookline, I find it way overpriced and overrated. Yet it remains the only kosher deli in the area so I do go there whenever the craving is too strong and the will to make my own is too weak. Tue Sep 10 13:55:59 -0700 2002 764857 0 baruch 3 764971 It doesn't have to be kosher, it just has to be good. The Carnigie and Katz's in New York are not kosher, but they are good and there are no rivals in this area. Tue Sep 10 14:29:57 -0700 2002 764969 0 chuck s 4 764980 Not going to get into which is better kosher or not, as we would surely disagree. Tue Sep 10 16:42:09 -0700 2002 764971 0 baruch 5 765015 Second Ave. Deli (Second Ave. at Tenth St.) is both fabulous and kosher. I'd give five years of my life if they'd open up a branch in Coolidge Corner. Wed Sep 11 15:25:14 -0700 2002 764980 0 Elzoe 1 764874 i haven't been to rubins for a long time (live on the other side of the river). but the last time i was, a few years ago, the chicken noodle soup i ordered contained not a single piece of chicken. Sun Sep 08 12:29:35 -0700 2002 764854 0 lynn