Bubby's in Betheda

[Mister Big]

So now the ever-disappointing Uptown Deli has a new competitor one block away. I'm anxiously awaiting reports, but may grab a quick meal even before the reviews are inked.

Any Chowhounders eaten there yet?

[Mister Big]

Somethings are overpriced - LEO omelet at $13.95; somethings underpriced - chopped liver/baguette appetizer at $3.95.

My friend from NYC LOVED the place.

[hibye]

I've been to Bubby's for lunch and dinner. I like it and will continue going there when the Jewish deli urge hits. Some things were very good, like the knishes,whitefish salad, rugulah and Junior's cheesecake. Other things were good but certainly not great, like the chicken soup (a bit watery and thin) and the chicken salad. They've only been open a couple of weeks and I don't think they've had a chance to work out the kinks. They make a lot of things in-house, much to their credit. I hope Bubby's succeeds. We need a good deli and I'd even be happy with a pretty good deli.

[Mister Big]

Ate at Bubby's on Wednesday night. It was just okay, perhaps a shade better than Uptown Deli, but not up to Parkway standards. I got the whitefish salad platter. Good whitefish salad and large portion. My friend got the pastrami burger and enjoyed it. Our server was Cheryl, and she was quite effusive. I'm just guessing that both Uptown and Bubby's are going to find it difficult to survive in Bethesda. Also, might we consider Bubby's a "jinxed" location, considering the parade of restaurants that have passed through?

[Doh]

Is Bubby's where Grillfish and that odd tapas place used to be? That is an odd location.

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Grillfish
1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036

[Just Visiting]

Hi, Mr. B - Based on this comment, I have to guess you were serious about Parkway? A friendly word of advice. NEVER go to Katz's in NY because then you will be - as am I - consigned to pastrami purgatory. Except for rare trips to NY you will be unable to eat pastrami. Kind of like Rays: steaks, burgers; Jerry's Seafood: crab bomb. When I first moved to DC 25 yrs ago, w/ an ex-NYer husband, we tried every deli we could find, including Attman's in Baltimore, and with the brief exception of the Carnegie Deli's odd venture into a Tyson's hotel lobby, I've been pretty much without pastrami all that time.

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Jerry's Seafood Restaurant
15211 Major Lansdale Blvd, Bowie, MD 20716

[DanielK]

Have you tried the pastrami at Deli City in DC, or Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring? The bread isn't great at either place, but the pastrami is pretty darned good.

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Deli City Restaurant
2200 Bladensburg Rd NE, Washington, DC 20018

Ray's the Classics
8606 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

[Mister Big]

I still like Parkway just fine, but I've never been to Katz's (I have been to 2nd Avenue Deli). Guess I'm just easily satisfied.

[Marty L.]

Got carry out once and, I hate to say this (because the folks there seemed so well-intentioned), but virtually everything we ordered (pastrami and corned beef, both on rye; matzo ball soup; mac & cheese; stuffed cabbage) was virtually inedible (as in: we threw it out) -- far below Parkway standards, and believe me, I do *not* think Parkway is an acceptable deli. I won't go into detail because it would be too mean; suffice it to say that unless there is a major development, those seats will remain unfilled and it will be a short-lived effort.

Which raises the question: Since Zingerman's opened in Ann Arbor in 1983, has any really good deli opened anywhere in the United States? If not, I think it's fair to conclude that the good deli is truly a thing of the past the likes of which we will not see again. After all, even in New York, the number of old, great delis is dwindling rapidly, with no replacements in sight. Perhaps the occasional place will, as Deli City does, do one thing very well. And perhaps the Zingerman's modernized deli model would work elsewhere if someone were to try it. But short of that, I'm afraid our hopes will repeatedly be dashed.

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Deli City Restaurant
2200 Bladensburg Rd NE, Washington, DC 20018

[rcooperman]

I tried it for lunch yesterday and had a pastrami on rye w/potato salad. IMHO as a native New Yorker this is not a great deli, it is simply another passable one. The sandwich was well stuffed, the meat was reasonably tasty but kinda bland - it does not compare well w/Katz's in NYC. It was also machine sliced. The bread had a soft crust too. The service while acceptable was unfriendly for a new restaurant. BTW the place was almost empty. Based upon a single sampling I would rank this place above Parkway Deli and below Brooklyn Deli, I have not tried Uptown Deli.

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Parkway Deli
7250 Parkway Dr Ste 110, Hanover, MD 21076

Uptown Deli
7501 Greenway Center Dr Ste 100, Greenbelt, MD 20770

[rcooperman]

CORRECTION - Chowhound added incorrect locations for the deli's I referred to in my posting. Uptwn Deli is in Bethesda and Parkway Deli is in Silver Spring.

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Parkway Deli & Restaurant
8317 Grubb Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

[Mister Big]

Ranking Bubby's above Parkway is high praise in these parts.

[Just Visiting]

Mister B? Serious or sarcastic? Parkway is just ok. I would NEVER order pastrami or corned beef at Parkway and what they do to eggs w/ nova and onions - no better than diner food. A deli in name only.

[Steve]

I haven't had deli at Parkway in years, but the non-sandwich menu items are pretty bad.