A bit more than year ago, I had my first fresh Schwartz’s deli…and if you ask me what I thought of it, I can’t recall much. It says much, right?

This comes to the difference in Main Deli Steak House, which is just a few meters away on the opposite side of the street. I had it last week, and I still remember how much I liked the smoked meat sandwich. It could be because it is still fresh in my mind since it’s only a week ago and not a whopping 1.5 year ago…My point is, Main could be just as good as Schwartz, but somehow left out by the crowd.

I felt very nostalgic once I sat down. The ambiance strongly felt like restaurants back in the ends, where I was only a few years old kid…Nothing fancy. Nothing like nowadays where it’s either industrial, vintage, glamour or modern themed.

Before I jump right into the deli, I ordered the curious “latkas”, wondering what it could be.

This is my first ever consumed latkas. My impression was a thicker version of a hashbrown. I quite like it. It wasn’t delicious, but very addictive. Although it was burnt on the sides, it still tasted good and crunchy. I could see the oil, but my throat and tongue were not affected at all!

And could you see the side dishes? It was crazy how many things came with the the ribs! Fries, sausage and liver! Except for the fries, the sausage was a plain hot dog sausage and the liver is not my kind of food. I liked the fries as they weren’t sandy.

The star! This deli was simply good. The meat had interesting texture that Schwartz did not have. It was tender and very nicely smoked. Perfect for the days I feel like a carnivore. In some parts, there were too many black peppers, but that I could forgive as the meat itself was nice enough to justify its flaw.

The salad was good as well. It was sour enough to boost my appetite!

Here comes the big disappointment, not mine since I ordered the deli… These ribs were almost awful. It was tender,but the sauce was horrible. It was thick and too much was poured onto the ribs. It has a sweet taste and something more that I can’t describe. It was just a strange taste… It was very difficult to swallow the ribs…The sauce was just too overwhelming.

If you passed by Schwartz, give Main a go instead! The smoke meat sandwich is delicious and it’s only about 5$!

Zuuchini