Rye Delicatessen - Minneapolis
Very promising.
Corned beef sandwich on rye -- sliced in front of you to order (hooray!!). Brilliant rye bread. Good mustard. Corned beef was almost there...surprisingly it was lacking in salty, briny flavor. Not sure exactly how that happens...I'm hoping it was just an anomaly. Still, an outstanding sandwich and easily best-in-class in MSP.
Bialy -- first of all, bravo for returning the bialy to the Twin Cities. All the elements were there, but it was almost 4 p.m. and it had suffered just a bit from age. I CAN'T WAIT to get one earlier in the day. I can't wait for a warm, chewy, oniony bialy.
The kind counter man gave me a taste of the smoked meat. Delicious. It isn't posted on the menu board above the counter, but they sell the meats by the pound. I see a massive, massive meat-bread-bialy-lox-spreads chowdown happening in my house in the near future.
Excited to try more.
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Consider me a glutton for punishment. Hungry and didn't want to venture far. Back to Rye for the knife and fork Reuben. That ton of Swiss cheese on top was hiding really bad meat. Full of fat, most of it un-chewable.
The question remains...why does anyone spend so much money revamping a space and not care about the food?
Such weird karma in the place, too. Nobody seems to give a rip. The owners of this joint get what they deserve.
This is my neighborhood. I wanted this place to work. But I've eaten maybe a dozen meals there. It's a default joint. I don't want a default joint.
Hate to be harsh, but stick a fork in it and kill it. Maybe someone else will rent / buy the space who knows how to make it work.
Me? I'm done.
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re: sandylc
The Dairy Queen
Apr 14, 2012 02:17 AM
Agreed. Such a sad denoument to a thread that starts out ecstatic ( "hooray!!...brilliant...outstanding...easily best in class"), drifts into the putrid (discussion of Zimmern's reports of mishandled, rotting, flavorless, unseasoned food), chugs back uphill with links to Nelson's appealing review (gorgeous...feisty...punchy...flavorful...handled with care...marvelous...divine...first-rate...most awesome...) and sinks with a thud to rock bottom, "stick a fork in it and kill it."
Tough, chewy, fatty meat. :(.
What the heck? Plus, not a whisper of a mention of Cott's Black Cherry Soda.
~TDQ
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re: sandylc
The Dairy Queen
Apr 14, 2012 11:14 AM
Such a bummer. I wonder if they can recover or if this is just how it's going to be? How long does it take to work out the kinks? The most distressing part is the lack of caring/service. Shouldn't the owner be omnipresent at this early stage, letting us know that they are working on improvements? Really a disappointment. I'd so love a Montreal style deli. :(.
~TDQ
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re: The Dairy Queen
I don't think they really want to. The "excuse" I've heard is that since it's a Jewish Deli it's always being compared to 2nd avenue.
I was executive sous chef at the Oakridge CC in the early 2000's. I'm not Jewish and it wasn't _that_ hard. Believe me the scrutiny there was 100x worse.
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My boyfriend and I went there about a month ago, and it was pretty bad. We both got the smoked meat sandwich, his on rye, mine on challah. I could not eat it. The meat looked lovely, and I imagined that it would be tender, salty, and a bit smokey. But it was almost completely bland and very difficult to bite through. It also seemed to be 50% fat. Even my boyfriend, who loves meat and usually eats all the fatty parts, had a tough time finishing his sandwhich because of the fat content. I was glad I only got a half sandwich, but the chicken matzoh soup was bland as well. Not worth the money, at all.
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Reetsyburger
Jan 17, 2012 12:04 PM
We held off visiting, due to mixed reviews and being busy. Has anyone visited recently? Noticed improvements?
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I had neither a great nor a horrible experience at Rye. But I found myself making excuses for them ("they've only been open a short time," etc).
The service was friendly, but I was puzzled when they wouldn't put four people sitting together under the same order number. The worker said something about the kitchen being upset if she did that. Since when? Sure, we were paying separate, but I've worked with food service computers and there's always a way to note that the food should come out at the same time.
Anyway, our food came out fairly quickly. My friends' veggie burgers looked hand-formed, and they said they were good, so no complaints there.
I had the Deli Debris, which is like deli nachos (bagel chips, cheese, smoked meat bits, hot and sweet peppers). Good flavor, but again, I had to make an excuse for them when confronted with less-than-generous toppings ("I guess I don't really NEED a ton of cheese on my food").
Then there was the pickle plate. First of all, I don't care what "style" of deli you're going for, you shouldn't charge 3 bucks for a handful of pickles. Second of all, these were terrible! I've never met a pickle I didn't like, until now. There was no flavor, and the cukes were discolored as if they'd been frozen. The skin of one even mushed away when I touched it. Pickles AREN'T supposed to do that.
The final straw was my boyfriend's "steamed seasoned vegetables," which was sliced carrots sprinkled with a touch of parsley, nothing else. Close to $4 for 15 cents' worth of carrots?
This experience was about 3 weeks ago. The next day I wrote an email politely pointing out some of my disappointments, and asking them questions about the restaurant. I haven't received an answer.
I, like many other people on this page and elsewhere, REALLY wanted to like this place. I might come back for a bagel sandwich, but that's definitely a "might." -
Latinpig
Dec 3, 2011 04:44 AM
Stopped in last night for a sandwhich. I do love Delis and have eaten at the best all over the coiuntry. Had an amazing meal at Chompies last week in Phoenix. The pastrami was thinly sliced and just melted in my mouth. Perfectly seasoned. The Matzo balls in the soup were amazing.
Flash forward to last night. What I would call one of the worst deli meals I have ever had. I ordered their specialty sandwhich with pastrami and a schmear of chopped liver. First, the bread was very dry. It tasted like cardboard. But what was really bad was the pastrami. They cut it thick. They served it somewhat cold. It was tough and chewy. The thick I don't have a problem with. Way back when I really liked Louis Habbit when they cut it thick because it was so tender and juicy. This was the consitency of shoe leather. There was a little appealing smokey flavor ("smoked meat") but it did not resemble pastrami's flavor profile to me. Something is wrong with their execution. I will not be back. The chopped liver wasn't bad.
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re: Latinpig
MSPD
Dec 3, 2011 08:48 AM
To be fair, "smoked meat" in the style of Montreal delis, which is what Rye is serving, and pastrami are not one in the same.
BUT....that sucks. Neither should be chewy, tough, and lacking in flavor. This drum beat of awful reports is killing me. Like so many others, I want this place to get it. Torture....sheer torture, I say. Make it stop.
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re: Latinpig
I too had the worst experience of my eating life there. I ordered a smoked meat sandwich. The bread was dry and cold. I brought it back to the counter and exchanged it for a corned beef sandwich. The result was the same. Terrible. I also had a latke and a knish. The latke was OK but a bit too black on the edges but the knish had a terrible old potato refrigerator smell flavor.
The worst thing about the place was the seemingly uncaring attitude of the staff. It's one thing to have the words come out of your mouth, it's another to actually care. In a situation like this where the customer physically brings a plate back to the counter and demostrates that the food is bad you would think you'd get the manager involved right? Nope. Never happened both times.
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re: kuan
You would think someone would care. Why spend all that money renovating the space and then not care about the food? It's bizarre. I thought I'd give it another shot last week and stopped in for a bite around 2:30 pm. Was informed --cheerfully but not regrettfully -- that the kitchen was closed until 5:30 Probably just as well. The refrigerator case looked like a train wreck.
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No one wants this place to succeed more than I do. But there are problems. Reuben is good (but not outstanding). Burger is average. Chopped liver is bland, and needs more chopped eggs and onions to be served with it (and much better if you ask for bagel chips instead of the bland rye bread). The worst thing was the Brussels sprouts. They were billed as broiled. But they were served mushy and boiled. Pale green ghosts of themselves. When we returned them, the bartender argued they were broiled. With a straight face. Strange vibe with one of the owners standing right by who didn't seem to care about a food return. Have to hope they will iron out the kinks.
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re: SarahInMinneapolis
I don't think this place has any idea of what it wants to be.
Is it a jewish deli? If so, it needs to add some serious flavor across the entire menu based on reviews above. And if it wants to be a jewish deli, why not call the smoked meat "pastrami"? People around here don't know what smoked meat is supposed to look or taste like. And you simply cannot miss with the matzoh ball soup....that dish needs to impress if you want to bring the deli crowds.
Is it an all-family restaurant? If so, that would explain the cheeseburger and patty melts on the menu. I found these menu additions a bit strange given the deli focus that the restaurant name implies.
Is it a bar? In my opinion, the bar is a bit odd. It greets you as soon as you walk in, and then there is a line for sandwich service just to your left. Who is the audience? Open until 2am? I'm curious who would be at this place and how big the crowds will be past 8pm.
I hope this place can iron out the kinks!
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re: scooter260
From what I've read, Rye is supposed to be modeled after the delis in Montreal. Since I've never been to Montreal I can't judge how well they have succeeded but I have been there twice and enjoyed the food. I liked both the corned beef, potato pancakes and the matzoh brei. I am looking forward to going back and trying some more things.
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re: BigE
I respect Zimmern's opinion about as much as I respect a dog's when it comes to food. This is the man who eats dirty animal anus, penis, testicles and placenta on the regular for christ sakes.He is nothing more than a poor mans or should I say fat mans Anthony Bourdain. He has not one original bone in his body and the only time he is touting a restaurant or chef is when he and his family are eating at the establishment for free.
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re: Fudist
katebauer
Dec 1, 2011 06:20 AM
Don't you think though that the consistency of negative reviews, or in this case inconsistency of reviews of several food items, says something about the quality of the restaurant? It is really not that hard to make chicken broth that actually has flavor - they should be getting that right.
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re: Fudist
Wow, fudist. I can tell you are completely level headed about this.
I think AZ's opinion deserves some merit, especially since it is in line with the vast majority of reviews in this very thread. I don't see what his Bizarre food reputation has to do with his ability to judge if someone properly seasons things or if they are serving rotten (!) food.
At the end of the day, everyone should try it for themselves if they really want to know, but I will not be going there until it seems that the quality (and consistency) has turned for the better.
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re: BigE
After reading Zimmern's "critique" - I had to go and see for myself. Sadly, he was right on. They were out of knish(!). The person who took my order seemed surprised when her register indicated they were sold out - so she went into the kitchen to ask if they'd made more. They had not.
The potato pancake was the over-crispy wonder described above. It was almost like thick cut potato sticks on the outside, with a flavorless mushy center.
The real reason I went was to have a bialy - something that has been sorely missing in the area. The dough had a decent texture, but was (as the theme seems to be) really lacking flavor.
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katebauer
Nov 22, 2011 06:27 PM
We went tonight and while I really wanted to love it and have Minneapolis finally have a good deli, all of the flaws mentioned here came shining through. After ordering (and teetering back to our table holding 3 full drinks) we waited about 20 minutes for our food (which is strange considering not many (any?) dishes on the menu actually require cooking). I had ordered a ton of food for our 2 adults and 1 kid because there were so many "standards" I felt I needed to try to evaluate the place. We got "The Reason for Rye" sandwich, a Rachel, the kid's petite hot turkey sandwich, noodle kugel, a cup of matzoh ball soup, and cole slaw. The bill was around $55 which isn't terrible for a dinner for 3 although I was surprised by the $5 cup of soup and the small size and lack of sides with the sandwiches for $11.
Being a New Yorker whose Jewish grandmother made the best matzoh ball soup ever, I know I have high standards, but this soup was was really disappointing. The broth was very light on flavor and required several shakes of salt. The matzoh ball was light and fluffy but had an oddly very smooth texture and no flavor. The kugel was probably the second most disappointing thing - very, very dry - so much so that I didn't care that the portion was incredibly small.
Moving onto the sandwiches, my husband enjoyed "The Reason for Rye" but I felt it needed a little more flavor. I think the chopped liver went a long way to save that sandwich. I was disappointed that that was the only sandwich that came with a pickle. I had even looked for pickles on the menu when ordered but missed them because, as I now see, they're listed under Noshes and not Sides where I was looking for them. The Rachel was good, I'd have it again, and actually the hot turkey was my favorite, mostly because the gravy was extremely good.
We agreed we'd head there again, maybe over crossing the river to go to Cecils, but it's not somewhere we'd seek out until we knew that they had worked out the service kinks (and hopefully make more flavorful broth and serve pickles with every sandwich!).
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re: clepro
I bought a piece of whitefish to take out. It's in my refrigerator, but I took a quick taste. It was overly salty. A disappointment. I was also disappointed with the smoked meat. It was tender enough, but it could have used a little more brining as someone else mentioned.
The bialy was good the next day toasted with butter and cheese.
I'm going to give the place another chance because I just got a few items to take out. Their breakfasts look really good. Maybe they are just working out the kinks. The person who waited on me seemed to have some problems also. That was probably just his first day.
I really want this place to work.
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re: katebauer
Katebauer, I second you on the bland soup note! I really wanted to like Rye, because it's an eatery in a much-needed location. The space is cheery enough, and the menu seems to have a lot of variety. But the food and the service just don't add up. It took at least 20 minutes for our soup to arrive, something that I assume they just had to ladle out without any additional prep. And when it finally did come, my $4 cup of chicken soup with kasha had no chicken in it! I assumed that I had just gotten a serving from the bottom of the pot, but my friend ordered the same, and also came up chicken-less. We inquired with our server, and apparently they don't do chicken in their chicken soup?! So basically you're paying for under-salted broth with an overly thick carrot disk. The mediocre quality, the meager portions, and the expense aren't really worth it. Perhaps they will make more improvements as they get a few more months under their belt?
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Went to Rye today for lunch and it was awful. I don't know who else to describe it. Here's what we got.....
Corned Beef sandwich. This is not an exaggeration....you literally could not bite through ANY part of the corned beef. I'm talking about the meat and the fat. It was light pink in color and was virtually tasteless. NO seasoning on the meat. Seriously, I don't think a single drop of brine was used. How do you not notice this as you are carving the meat?
So, after waiting 15 minutes for anyone to come by the table (you would think someone would be making the rounds to see how folks were doing, right?), we finally flagged down a waitress. We explained and showed her the sandwich. She was very accommodating and asked if we wanted something else. We ordered the beef brisket sandwich. So....
Beef Brisket sandwich. Cooked beyond well done. Super dry and a bit chewy. Had to load up on the homemade mustard (excellent, by the way!) to give it some flavor.
Smoked Meat sandwich. Compared to the corned beef and brisket, it was amazing. On its own, we considered it to be edible. It was teetering on tasteless as well. Where is the flavor at this place?? Again, had to load it up with their homemade mustard to get any kind of taste going.
"Sea Salt" fries. Fries are pretty good. Did not see any evidence of sea salt though. Best part of the whole meal was the homemade ketchup.
Folks, the rye bread was just average.
I'm pretty shocked to read some reviews of this place and putting the food in the same universe as Bewitched and Crossroads. I want a great, local deli as much as the next guy.....but this aint it. Sure, we could have gotten a bad cut of meat......but we tried three different sandwiches and they were all poor. We are pretty easy to please and this experience was just bad. Too many great spots in Minneapolis to give it another shot.
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re: scooter260
MSPD
Nov 23, 2011 06:44 AM
Crud. Even by their own admission on their Facebook page, it sounds like this first week has been overwhelming and they are making adjustments. I hope they can iron this stuff out quickly. I'm wondering what's going on with the corned beef. Someone upthread mentioned they are OK with less salt, but corned beef is corned beef. It is a salty, briny food. Corned beef without that is like BBQ without smoke. It becomes a different food.
Hearing these issues kills me because, selfishly, I NEED these foods here in the Twin Cities and they don't exist. I love Be'wiched but it isn't Jewish-style deli. Crossroads, Mort's, that place I want to bulldoze in St. Paul...they are not good.
Hopefully they are reading this or getting good, constructive feedback.
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re: MSPD
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re: MSPD
Foureyes137
Nov 23, 2011 10:57 AM
I know you've been MSPD - How do the sandwiches compare to Jake's in MKE?
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re: SarahInMinneapolis
The Dairy Queen
Nov 30, 2011 11:45 AM
It's true--one person's demolition project is another's favorite potato salad. I appreciate Cecil's for what it is, even though I don't mistake it for a NY deli. I do hope we get an awesome Montreal-style deli here, soon (and maybe even a Montreal-style bagelry), but I'm still glad to have Cecil's around. I go there when I want chicken soup and don't feel like cooking. Ans once a year with a group of (unadventurous eaters) friends who would otherwise try to drag me to Taco Bell. Even though this might not be the most chow'ish spot on earth, for me is serves as the bridge between the chowish and...Taco Bell.
~TDQ
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re: mdwardmalp
I have a general idea of what glat treif means, but I agree 100% with MSPD on Cecil's. Their sandwiches are average at best. When I first moved to the MSP area, I lived in Highland, and went there often. Finally, I came to the realization that their sandwiches were not worth me pulling into their lot. I know folks that think very highly of Cecil's, but I personally think their sandwiches are no better than supermarket quality meats, condiments, and cheese, but at 3 times the price.
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clepro
Nov 20, 2011 01:20 PM
Went this morning at 10:30 with two other women, one whose family is LA Jewish, the other first generation Turkish-American. And me, the Pennslvanian Italian-Welsh. Which is to say: we arrived with a range of expectations.
We started off with toasted bialys, sharing one with plain cream cheese, one with lox cream cheese, one with chopped liver. The bialys themselves were just as they should be. Fresh, chewy but tender, oniony, and lightly toasted. The chopped liver was a disappointment. It tasted like good quality liver but where was the onion? The chopped egg? Verdict on the bialys: excellent. Verdict on the chopped liver; dry, needs more schmaltz, pump up the flavor.
From there we diverged. I had their Benedict: smoked meat (similar to a pastrami) on a toasted bialy, with poached egg. It was too light on the hollandaise, and the meat kind of skimpy and just a little over-crisp. But what really bummed me out were the eggs, cooked past the point they should have been. I find it hard to forgive over-poached poached eggs. That said, the overall flavor was fine, not great. I did, however, notice the same dish an hour or so later on a neighboring table that looked like it was done just right, and with a more lethal dose of hollandaise. So I'll give this one another go another time, Benedict fan that I am.
One friend had the egg and lox scramble, which she deemed tasty, but a little too greasy.
The other friend had the lox sandwich: bagel, lox, red onion, cream cheese and, I think, cucumber. She said the lox was excellent. It certainly looked good.
Then we split the kishka. Two of us loved it and the third thought it was tasty but should have been lighter. I disagree; I like the denseness. It was moist, no casing, quite a lot of carrot and onion, not cylinders but squares. Gravy was nice, not greasy as it can be.
And finally...we split an order of potato latkes (just called potato pancakes on the menu). Two of them, good sized. The person in our group who had never had latkes before thought they were great. I and my other friend had reservations. They were the version in which the potatoes are not grated finely, so they look like they're formed from spikey potato pickup sticks. Which is fine by me, but these were over-fried. I like my latkes to be crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. These were crisp nearly all the way through. And lacking in onion, again. Served with applesauce (I didn't taste that, but my friends though it was almost like an apple compote) and sour cream. Good, quality, but not a home run for me.
Service was excellent, and fast. Easy parking in the side lot, comfortable seating, and we all very much liked the interior redo. All in all, I'm definitely planning a return visit, next time for a sandwich and the noodle kugel. A great addition to Lowry Hill, and I'm wishing them enormous success.
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LiaM
Nov 17, 2011 12:49 PM
I went there for their trial opening last weekend and thought most of what we had was quite good (we didn't get a completely free choice of food, but it was free so obviously that was fine). We liked the patty melt and the blintzes, and we got a sample of the corned beef that we liked very much, too. I didn't find it lacking in salt but maybe they aren't totally consistent yet. We didn't love the omelette ("double yolk egg omelette" sounds good but I think there's a tradeoff in the texture) but this is a place I'd probably go to for sandwiches anyway.
We also got a bag of bagels and cream cheese to go and I thought they were really good. I don't think I'm any kind of bagel connoisseur but I enjoyed them.
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re: LiaM
Went there last night, had a fantastic sandwich. The meat was soft full flavored and not too salty. Some of us try to avoid salt for health reasons and it is available on every table I have ever sat at. The sandwich was not large but if was flavorful, hardly a bargain with no chips or fries included for the eleven or twelve bucks it cost. Tried the chicken pot pie also, had to return it, as there was absolutely no flavor at all. The vegetables were not cooked at all, onion and carrot still had a crisp texture as if raw. I may go back but this place has some work to do and is surly no bargain.
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