Our second meal in New York turned into a big disappointment. To put this in context, I visited Artie’s back in 2002. They’ve been -- in my recollection -- the gold standard for classic NY deli fare. In particular, their reuben was spectacular (and, this, from a big big reuben fan). My fondness for Artie’s meant that it was a must-visit destination on our anniversary trip.
Well, the atmosphere was great. The place was bustling with West Side neighborhood regulars. The service was friendly. The complimentary pickles were delicious. Everything was going great until the main course arrived.
My reuben was lukewarm. The bread was not toasted but, instead, warmed on a grill. The corned beef was acceptable, but nowhere near the piping hot pile of goodness I remembered from our last trip.
As bad as that was, Tina’s tuna melt was worse. The two slices of American cheese tossed onto her scoops of tuna were not melted at all. They laid there like two discarded yellow coasters. From what Tina said, it kinda tasted like that, too.
Since I only get to NYC once in a while, Artie’s is off the list. I hope our meal was a one-off bad kitchen day -- but I’m not taking that chance. Maybe I should brave the tourists and hit Katz’s Deli. Either way, my next reuben won’t be here
★★☆☆☆
Upper West SideÂ
2290 Broadway
New York, NYÂ 10024