Fine Dining - Katz's Delicatessen (Review) feat. Joyce (Part Two)

Episode Date: December 6, 2023

NYC's legendary deli gets reviewed! We're in New York City! Michael's girlfriend Joyce joins him once again to talk about the hectic atmosphere, a hunky meat carver, and the matzo ball soup she's waited her entire life to try Katz's Delicatessen has so many lines and ordering stations that the chaos proves challenging to our duo Killer Mike walks by the table What's Going On Over There with the segration of those paying via card vs. those paying with cash? Harrison Augustine 💸 Arrylius XIV laments that Katz's doesn't have a register that accepts gold bars A review of the pastrami on rye, Katz's hot dog with mustard & sauerkraut, matzo ball soup, and chocolate babka! Plus the worst hot dog in New York (it's not Katz's...) Did Katz's hold an orgasm contest?? JUB is in yet another post-credits scene   Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music) Theme Song by: Kyle Schieffer (@JazzyJellyfish) Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose "Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (Last week I released another New York-themed episode as we pit Joe's Pizza vs. Famous Original Ray's), extended Yelp from Strangers segments every other week, merch discounts, download access to our music including the 7 singles from our Olive Garden musical, and more! Patreon Producers: Sean Spademan, Joyce Van, & Sue Ornelas   Get the 5 Survival Tips for Casual Dining at www.finediningpodcast.com!   Send in your Katz's Delicatessen stories at [e-mail].   Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast   Let me know where I should go next by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, PodcastAddict, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I read every one!   Next week on "Fine" Dining: Texas Roadhouse (Eat Deets)! My good buddy Michael Moore drives out to Rialto, California (halfway between LA and Las Vegas) to dine at a Texas Roadhouse in the middle of very little. It's Eat Deets time, so we learn the history, read some catfish-centric Yelp reviews, and brace ourselves for a meal that's certainly questionable. Ever work at Texas Roadhouse? Send your stories to [e-mail].   Totally Not Sponsored by: Harrison Augustine 💸 Arrylius XIV

Hello and welcome to part two of the Katz's delicatessen episode of the fine dining podcast, the search for the most mediocre restaurant in America. I'm your host, Michael Ornellis. I'm joined by my girlfriend Joyce. Hello, nice to meet you. You're not doing this one again. This is the one we're keeping. You're shaking hands with our entire audience. Nice to meet you. Glad to have you on. You went with me to New York City. We went to Katz's delicatessen. And now we get to jump into the review of Katz's

before we dive into the atmosphere specifically. How'd you feel beforehand? Were you excited to do Katz's? Were you indifferent? I was excited. I feel like I've seen this place on so many television shows that I felt like I wanted to go.

I know it's a tourist spot, but it had such great reviews that I just felt like I had to try it if I was ever in New York. This is my first time in New York too. So we were there for like three or four days and we kind of went a little crazy with food. We also did November's Patreon episode. We went to Joe's pizza and famous original raised pizza. We had a, what were the other meals that we had?

We did a cart hot dog. Yeah, I had to. We had to, right? It smelled so heavily of like 90s motor. Yeah, I didn't like that part. Yeah. It was just like, everything was gas powered. It's not worth it. Like, you think you need to try a hot dog from New York And one of those cards. I don't think it's worth it. It's like a bucket list thing Like you do it for the experience to look like you're in a movie. I thought it would taste better It's just boiled hot dogs in a card on the street. I don't know. I really like Costco's hot dog And it's just boiled off dog. That's fair I'm dining party of two.

We're gonna jump on into the review. We've been talking for quite a while. Our table is ready. Your table is ready by me. Have you tried our chicken breast? Serving pancakes and ribs. I recommend this spaghetti. We're here to serve us fine.

Not to impress. Your table is ready. Complementary butter and bread These walls have growth signs Knit knack cowboy hat For the cat, autograph guitar Some crap from your city Behold the trusty of me

I'm ready I'm dining Fine dining Two letters on the sign are shining Now I'm flickering irregular timing Identify the perfect vibe Two ledgers on the sign are shining Neil Flickering a regular timing Identify the perfect vibe Paladin Buying dining

Buying dining Atmosphere So we've kind of touched on the atmosphere a little bit with our first impressions, but once we're seated, like the table spaces are packed, when I sat down there was two people next to us. So we had a table of six, but there were only four of us, but two people were eating at the other two spots, and my specific table setting had all the napkin holders, salt, pepper, and I was just like trying

to eat around it. And then of course when the people next to us left, I pushed that stuff over and you were like, how are other people going to eat with that there? And I was like, how have I been able to eat with it in front of me? I didn't realize all of them were on our table. They were all on my side of the table. I was kind of just eating around it, leaning over to your space because we split. Yeah.

But yeah, tons of photos on the wall here of different celebrities, politicians, athletes, actors, singers, performers, world figures, like just everyone has been to castes, it seems like. It's definitely a touristy spot, and it felt like one. So there's directions and decor. And you don't know which ones which. That is true because even the directions

look like decor because they're like classic and vintage and a lot of old cat signs as well, different like neon clocks and stuff like that. They did have signs hanging overhead, one that said, send us a Lami deyiboy in the army Here give me one give me your best that phrased Salami, Salami wait for that again Nope, that's it. That's great. You nailed it fantastic and then there's the Harry met Sally

Like it says like Sally sat here in Harry met Sally Hope you have what she had or something like that. But honestly, the biggest thing that stood out above all else was how many people were flowing in an out of it. When I think of this restaurant, everything is kind of a blur because there was just so much foot traffic, so many lines, so many people to squeeze through that if I'm being honest, it is kind of a negative impact on the atmosphere. I feel like there's strategy though of letting people in in batches helps it though.

It helps at the end of it when you can kind of tell like, oh, people are wrapping up and they haven't let the next group in because part of the stress is not being able to find a seat. Sure, but I mean, we were also very close to the door. People are passing by constantly. We also had a one year old with us and a stroller and all that. So yeah, I don't know. This was just a very stressful environment.

It's probably extra stressful too because it was our first time. Yeah, that we don't know what's going on. We don't know the process. I don't think I'd be anxious going back again. You don't? No. I think I might. I would definitely be more confident in my decisions

of what I want to do next, but I would still feel overwhelmed. I would go at like 8 a.m. when they open because apparently they're not that busy at that time. No, I think I'd be good. Because I feel like now I know where to go to order things. Yeah, I don't know if I have the same confidence in myself. And because I know they kind of let people in batches, so I know it eventually dies down. So you'll get a seat.

I think my initial stress was not knowing what to do and not being able to find a seat when we got our food. But now knowing I know how to order, where to go to order, and eventually I'll find a seat, I'm fine. You're just going to be walking the aisles like an old ghost. That's fine. Just eventually I'll get a seat. Yeah. I think to me, it just added too much stress that I didn't get to take in the environment as much as I wanted. I could tell the place had a lot of charm to it. I really wanted to look at a lot of the pictures on the walls of the celebrities and people who have stopped in. And I felt uncomfortable doing so because it would have meant kind of glowering in the direction of other people trying to enjoy their meal and kind of standing

at the end of their tables and stuff. And I didn't want to be that guy. So I just think the sheer foot traffic and human mass in there made it hard to enjoy being there. So if I'm going a thumb rating on the atmospheric cats is I think this is completely variable. And if I went in a non-crouted moment, it would be maybe two thumbs up.

I'm gonna go zero thumbs because it did bring me just a lot of stress. It did bring me a lot of stress. So this time going at zero thumbs, but if I were to go again, I'd give it one thumb up. Like I already know for a fact, guys. What are you psychic? You can see into the future.

I know it's gonna go well. I'm gonna get a seat so quickly. You don't even know. I know where to go to get my order. It's gonna be faster. I can eat my food quicker. Wait, is eating your food quicker or plus? You gotta scarve.

Oh my gosh. By getting at the right time, so that I don't have to sit there longer, waiting for different items. Yeah, I don't have a ton of thoughts on the atmosphere because I felt there were so many people in the way, but I do have quite a few thoughts on service. So let's jump into that.

Serious. do have quite a few thoughts on service. So let's jump into that. Service. So there's a lot of people involved in, I guess, the tapestry of servers and service at Catsys. And primarily, the one that I felt that I interacted with was our cutter, the guy who cut together the pastrami for us. I was told if you give a tip, they'll give you a better cut of meat and they'll give you samples. Those samples were good. Yeah, they were really delicious. Juicy. Warm. Yeah, very fresh, very fresh. And I mentioned earlier, he had a very just expectant New York face and he knew he knew we were tourists

I feel oh I looked so flustered and I think I managed to mutter out Which actually isn't true. I have eaten here before as a kid. I don't remember what I ate And I'm sure I didn't get pastrami so I don't really feel like I had the cats as experienced as a kid Mm-hmm. This time I felt like I got the catch's experience. Yeah. But yeah, his name was Dave. He was nice. I like Dave.

I felt like he took care of us. Like he looked very intimidating, but he was so nice. He wasn't judgy. He didn't make us feel rushed or like idiots. We're not knowing what to do. Although to be fair, we did order the food kind of as it comes, like we got the pastrami on Rye with mustard. I like him a lot. And when he smiled at the end of are you crushing on Dave? I'm right here. He seems like a nice guy. Is that all it takes to when you overs a smile?

He looked intimidating, but he just looked really sweet after smiling. I've been told I have resting serious face. So is that how we ended up dating? I was very serious and then I flashed a smile and you were like, oh, no, no. Do you not want to go into this? I do like your smile.

You have a wonderful smile. This isn't why I brought you on. Oh, wonderful things? I do like your smile. You have a wonderful smile. This isn't why I brought you on. Oh, wonderful things, I know your mom's listening. Wait, if she wasn't, would you trash me? No, I'd be honest. I'm just kidding. I'm joking.

I'm joking. Trouble and paradise. I'm joking. But I like Dave. He's been really nice especially when you were near the end. And he just didn't have that look of like, okay, let's just get it over with. I feel like he was looking at me the way you kind of do when you find a lost puppy. He was like, I'll get it to its owner.

But nice guy, then there was the, I don't know, security guard or a bouncer. I genuinely don't know what to call him, but we didn't have like much interaction with him other than the fact that Brianna and Derek are my friends that we were eating with had their stroller in the aisle next to us. And the security guard at one point came over and asked if he could move it to like the window area. So it's out of the way. A completely logical move. Like this makes sense to do it, right?

But then as he's pushing the stroller away, he kind of leans into Derek and he just goes, killer mics here. And Derek's face lights up. I know. It's all like an instant difference in his facial expression that sounds like be cool and I'm like you see Derek trying to like be cool.

And Killer Mike walks like right past us. Yeah. For those of you who don't know Killer Mike's a rapper and like I enjoy run the jewels. So like I was like, oh shit, it's Killer Mike. Yeah, I don't know who he is. And then he walked all the way to the back and kind of disappeared. And I'm just like, huh, okay. Then I went back there later when it came time to pay. And there's an entire waiting section.

Like there's literally an area of like, oh, if you want table service, sit here. And I absolutely would have preferred that. I would have felt less stressful. It would have felt more in line with the type of service we talk about on this podcast. I'm like disappointed that we didn't see it. I actually saw it a lot earlier when I went to go order my slides,

but I didn't even think of why we couldn't sit in there. I mean, maybe it's because it was my time to go. Yeah, there weren't, there were like three tables occupied. I mean, it wasn't a huge area. I'm just wondering who gets to go in that area. I have a feeling it's just if you ask, because even some of the yelp reviews I looked at, people mentioned that they were talking about their waiter, which we didn't have a waiter. We had a cutter and we had cashiers, but that's it.

So yeah, I mean if I go again That's what I would want to do differently is at least see if we can go back there Mm-hmm But one of the things that I found very peculiar About the setup at Katz's if you're paying cash you pay by the door if you're paying card You pay by the back by the wait section and card, you pay by the back, by the wait section. And it's like they're like trying to keep them like segregated from one another or isolated.

And it just makes me ask a question, Joyce. I'm wondering what's going on over there. What's going on over there? What's going on over there? Should I worry, should I gain? What is going on over there? Michael, what is going on over there? Michael, what is going on over there? Oh, thanks for asking, Joyce.

You're welcome. Everyone knows that in West Side Story, you've got the sharks and the jets. But Catsis is on the lower east side. They need their own rival gangs. And I think it's the caches and the cards. I think they got to keep the people who prefer to pay with plastic separated from the people who prefer to pay with paper. Everyone can coexist in harmony and eat great pastrami, but you got to separate

them somehow or else just absolute chaos will erupt inside of this cat's. What about when they eat? Do you think that's separated to? Honestly, maybe that's what the back section is for. Everyone who pays with cash, they get tended to because they know that those are the people that are going to be a little bit more aggressive outwardly. They don't have the relaxation to like, I'll pay this bill later. Put it on credit. No, no, no.

These are people who deal in the now. Yeah, the showy ones. The showy ones. I would love, actually I would not love to hold a lot of cash. That's too scary for me. I'm sorry, that's scary for you. Yeah. Like in public or just at all.

In public. And we're to do in private those on neither I think Absolutely if I had a lot of cash. I would hold that thing in private I would just be in my room be like yes money, but that's not the world. I'm living I can give you a stack of fake cash. It doesn't carry the same rush. I suppose but yeah I think we're trying to prevent rival gang warfare, and that is in fact, what's going on over there? And now a word from our totally not made up sponsor.

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Anyways, my lunch break is over. I've got to go back to telling people to go back to work. See you around. Toot-o-loo. So I had more encounters with the staff members than you did. It's not a competition, Joyce. I'm just saying, I'm not done with my service experience. Okay, yeah. No, because you went in, you got our sides.

Yeah, I got our sides and our dessert, which apparently there's like different places that you can put your order in. So the service people are staffed, like they're super nice, but one of them gave me the wrong information and I waited in line for nothing. They kind of put you in one line and then to the back of another line and then when you got back to the front, they were like, no, you should have been in that first line. Yes. Yeah. So it gets kind of confusing. So they made it very clear. Our cutter guy was like, oh, you ordered the other stuff down over there at the end. Yes.

So I see a land the end and I was like, oh, are you guys in line to order size just to kind of double check with the other person line? They're all saying, I don't know. Like none of you ordered size. Y'all are lying to me. No. And then I asked another lady, oh, I'm here to pay, but I've ordered here before in the past,

but I'm not sure. So then I asked one of the staff members in the service area. He told me to order the sides in the other line. I don't think anybody was in line yet. So I was behind this one guy. Great, he's ordering fries and drinks. I'm in the right place. And then when I ordered, I was like, oh, sorry, it's that line.

So it's the line to pay is where you also order the dessert and that one side I want, the lock desks or the lock desks, the lock desks. All the other sides is in that little spot, but if you want the lock desks and dessert, it's on the other line. Yeah, that's so convoluted. I know, it was just like, they're all really nice.

Like, they're all really nice. They're trying to get you to where you need to be, but it's just not intuitive. Yes. And didn't you have a wonderful encounter with another customer? Yeah, so everything was a positive experience with my interactions with the people there.

That worked there. That worked there and customers, because even the customers I asked, they were really nice nice there weren't like snooier anything like that but when I was trying to order my side The lady is so rude. She starts telling the staff and but hey, I want a BC and D And then he just put like his hand like please stop like I'm gonna help this other person who is who's been in line before Like who we've just all been waiting for him to be ready because he was busy. Right. And so she stopped talking, right?

So he helped the guy, got him his fries, his drink, and all of that. And then later, I don't think the staff member knew that I came before that lady. So he started talking to that lady. I'm thinking like, I don't need this drama. That is fine. I'm not gonna make a thing.

I'm not gonna pick a fight at cat. Yeah, like she can order. And then later she's- If you pick a fight, the credit card and the cash people are gonna get into a brawl that can't be separated. I don't know to start anything. Yeah, yeah.

So then she starts ordering, right? I think whatever it is what it is. And he takes the order and she looks like because she knows that she's like being a, you know. Being a what? You know. Just like put a letter. B. Oh, okay. So she looks at me trying to

oh, I've been waiting in this long line for an hour and a half, kind of justifying why she's allowed to go before me. And it's like, I am in the same line as you and one person ahead of you, which means I have waited one just a slight fraction longer than you. Yeah, it's not an hour. No, it's not like I don't care if you're in line eight. You know what? I wasn't like one so like right The fact that I got in this line first before you like you're just being rude You're being entitled like whatever. I don't care. I don't need this stress for myself. Yeah, I just let it happen I'll vote her in the nose

And then what's my turn? I'm in the wrong line. Oh, was that like when you got sent back to the first one? Yes. Yes. Geez, after all that. Yeah. But anyway, that's it. So you mentioned cutter number eight, but I want to say that we, so Dave, he was cutter number one number, and he really was number one. Because of the smile. You're the one crushing on him. I was just surprised that he changed his demeanor near the end. Yeah. He definitely seemed a little bit gentler like, oh, they can't handle me at my most New

York. He looks a buffed eye too. Oh, he flashed a smile. Yeah, he was a thick boy. Yeah, I'm going to go one thumb up on the service. I think overall, you know, they're doing their best. I think having table service or at least a clearer process would bump this up to two for me, but I think online prepared me for a lot of rudeness and I really didn't get that. I had intimidation, but that's me projecting my expectations.

Everyone was super nice. So yeah, one them up. Yeah, everyone was super nice, but I just hated how that one staff member told me to get in the wrong way, which I would think about it. I guess it's not technically wrong. Does it get to order some sides there? Yeah. But I specifically, lock, lockies?

What is the name of? Lockies. Lockies. I think, I don't know. I'm not an expert. I'm not Jewish, so. Because everyone's nice, I'm gonna give it one thumbs up too. Food.

Yum yummy. Okay, now we can talk about the thing that makes this restaurant famous. We can talk about its food. I had the experience that I had with the food and then it's now been almost a week since we ate there. And I have been thinking about this sandwich so much that I think it's rating has gone up with me over the course of the week.

And I'm thinking about that sample bite that I had. And that was really good pastrami. But before we dive into the sandwiches, why don't we start with the sides and the soup and all that? Mm hmm. What do you want to start with? Let's start with the soup. You really wanted. You had been wanting to try your entire life. Yes. The Motsuball Soup at Caches. Yes. Every single time I see a sign from Motsuball Soup in LA, I like, I want it, but I never end up getting it because no one in my life wants to go with me. And I can't do it myself.

But if you see them, that means you're already at a place that has it, right? No, I just pass by it. Oh, okay. Yeah, even when I was in Portland, I saw this like, Delhi, like, lots of bosses, like, and I talked to my sister, hey, like maybe we have time,

we can go to this corner. She's like, not happening, dude. We didn't have time. It was not like on the list, it's like a red now, but I've been wanting to try a much What about it? Because I love like that dumpling Like I know it's not a typical Asian dumpling. Yeah, that is just looks delicious

Like I'm imagining it to be soft and carby Carby so it looks like something I would really enjoy eating. Yeah, and that's pretty much it but I just don't have any friends who eat matsu-batsu or like have these type of cuisine. So we did all my life. And I was thinking, you know what? Cats is the best place to try the matsu-batsu. And matsu-bals for anyone who doesn't know, it's made of matsu-meal, fat, and eggs. And matsu is, it's like a cracker

almost. It's like a type of cracker. That they crush up and make into a ball. I mean, just like matsu meal in general, it's like that same type of breading, I get carving, if you want, to speak your language. Yeah. So did it live up to your expectations? Yeah, it was everything that I imagined. Really? And you did really? I've never been tasted it in my entire life. And you didn't even really start it until you got back from waiting in line.

So this wasn't even like hot, fresh, motsable. Did you have a taste before you left? No, I know. Your friend was like, you should have tasted the soup before you came here. And it still lived up to your expectations. Yeah, because it wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold. And it was, it was a little lukewarm, but it was fine. Okay. And the flavor of the mottso ball was like what I imagined, it was very flavorful. I liked it a lot. And I'm happy that I tried it for the very first time there. And it's something I would

probably constantly order. Yeah, you think so? At a restaurant that serves motso ball soup. So what's your score? 7.5. 7.5 out of 10, not bad. That's a very solid good soup. But hey, that was my first motso ball soup.

I am in Chinese individual. I don't know what's good motso ball though. I mean, if you're going to catch this, well, I guess I don't know what Katz's reputation is for Montseball soup. I know that they have the reputation for their pistrami, but I mean, you tried it at as authentic a place as possible. So, probably a good start.

Maybe next time, have it while it's still hot. Yeah, I think I just didn't realize how long it would take to order the side. Yeah, and I mean, you also had to go through three lines to go through one line. Then we got the potato latkees. this comes with applesauce and sour cream It's basically like a potato pancake is kind of the best way to describe a latke. I thought it was fine Yeah, honestly it was a little too thick a little too

full Per square inch for me. I just like, it was too much flour versus potato. That's what I felt. I also thought it was better warm and like the flavor, like depreciate, I don't know if that's the right word, depreciated quickly. Like it got notably less good as it cooled. I don't understand the dipping sauces that came with it.

Yeah, they don't really blend with the flavor. It's just kind of like, here's potato and apple sauce, here's potato and sour cream, or do you want to mix all three to get like they just didn't complement each other. Yeah, and I think I would have preferred to eat it with ketchup. You're gonna get us thrown out of this place. I know, but I didn't.

So I just, in general, I don't think I like apple sauce, so I try to know what the sour cream, but I didn't. So I just, in general, I don't think I like applesauce, so I try to know what the sour cream, but I didn't do anything for me. Yeah. No, I had it with applesauce, and again, it just felt like I was having potato and applesauce. It didn't felt like they made a unique flavor together. Yeah.

There was no blending. I give it a 6.4. 6.4, I went less than that. I went 5.5 for the latkes. I just feel like it spate does like yeah It was a very average side. It didn't add a lot to the meal for me really. I'm glad I tried them Yeah, just for the reputation and the authenticity, but overall they were just okay. Mm-hmm. The fries I thought were a little bit better. I only had one it was like a

Steak-style fry, but I made sure I had it right as it was hot, right as it came out. I thought it was decent, but again, like, I don't need to like down a plate of them. I didn't get that like, addictiveness that you do get with like some fries. There's definitely fries where like, I take one. I'm like, oh, these are all gonna be gone before I take a bite of anything else. Yeah, I know how- I didn't get that with these. Yeah, I know how fast you eat fries. Oh, I thought you were agreeing in that you've experienced it, but no, you're like, no, you are that way.

Yes. I've noticed like save me some fries, buddy. Yeah. But I didn't actually taste the fries. I went six and a half out of 10. Yeah, but they looked good though. Yeah. All right.

And now the hot dog, their owner claims that New Yorkers know that Kansas has the best hot dog in New York City. We got a couple of things that we were able to compare this to because while we were walking around Times Square, you really wanted a cart hot dog. Not a thing that I hold against you. It's a thing that I like. It's classic New York.

It's a experience. And you know, that was all right. It was a New York. It's a experience. And, you know, that was all right. It was a hot dog. Then we went to go see the statue of Liberty. We decided to change it up and ordered an Italian sausage from a cart. Maybe one of the worst things I've ever eaten. It was awful, but I was so hungry

that I felt like I have to eat this. A bug landed on your arm, and you just threw it to the ground and it felt like a merciful ending of this food that I hated. It was the biggest blast. It was not that big. Bug with fangs. And like all I could think about is like, it's gonna puncture my arm right now.

So I need to- It was a butterfly. No, a big moth. Okay, it was a moth. But I was scared. I was like, you know, I don't need to go to the hospital right now through like a venomous bug or something. This is a hospital from a fatal moth bite.

I didn't mean to drop the hot, no. I know you didn't, but I was glad you did because I didn't have to eat anymore. I know, and I dropped like a, like, there was a lot left. There was a lot left. Yeah. There was probably 70% of this thing left. I think it took like a bite or two,

but honestly, I was kind of glad because I just felt like there wasn't gross. Yeah. It's a sausage. It tastes like gasoline to me. What a comparison. And the bread was awful too. Speaking of bread though, going back,

I didn't like the ketchup spread. I thought it was fine. I mean, it was definitely better than that Italian sausage. That Italian sausage bread was awful. But I think for me personally, if it's not a soft white bread, I need it to be toasted. For hot dogs or just in general. All breads usually.

If it's not a tortilla or a soft white bread, I need it to be more done. You've got so many expectations of breads, I, I didn't mind the bun. I actually really did like this hot dog and I do prefer hot dogs to just have ketchup on them, but I ate it the way that cats is recommends with sourcrout and mustard. I put a very small amount on there. We got it on the side instead of it loaded up. But I really, like their mustard is great. I love their sauerkraut. I love their mustard, but-

The sauerkraut was really good too. I'm gonna say, like, I was kind of disappointed looking at our hot dog. It was just like a long skinny hot dog with a big... Yeah, it wasn't a visually impressive thing. You know, not all hot dogs are gonna be big and impressive. It's how you use them. I mean, I thought hot dogs are gonna be big and impressive. How do you use them? But I mean, I thought this thing tasted way better

than it looked, it obviously tasted way better than the Italian sausage. It tasted better than the cart hot dog that we got. I have it at an eight out of 10. I think I'm the opposite of you. I just felt like, I know there was a snap and the flavor was good, but then it didn't do anything for me. Like I gave it a 4.2.

Really, you went a lot lower. I think I liked the hot dog at Times Square more. It seemed dry to me. Well, I mean, really wrinkly. Yeah, like I was not a pretty piece of meat at all. Like I'm sure it's good quality. It just didn't do it for me. No, I would have liked a, I guess a more jumbo hot dog.

It was, it was wimpy, I guess is the best way to describe it. But with the sour crouton mustard, this thing really came together. So yeah, I liked it. Mm-hmm. So now, I guess the main event, the thing that they're most known for. I think we also differed a little bit here.

The pastrami on rye. I Took the first bite of the sample and I was like I get the hype. Mm-hmm. The sandwich it had just the right amount of mustard and again I'm not really a big mustard guy, but something about Katz's mustard is top notch to me The meat was it had an unfair advantage. I had the sample and I was like, I already like this. So it was winning, heading into the first bite of sandwich. The bread, just rye bread.

You probably could have done a little bit more with the rye. I toasted it. But I didn't mind, because it would have been a different texture as you toasted it. And I felt like the way that it complimented the meat caused it to break apart the right way. Yeah, I mean, I'm going, I'm going pretty high.

I had an amazing first bite. I kind of got lost a little bit. I took it and forgot where I was. I forgot about all the chaos around me. In honor of their 1888 founding, I'm going to go 8.8 out of 10 on the pastrami. I think you loved it more than me. I loved the sample. The sample was so delicious. I was like, oh shit, this is really good because it was fresh, it was warm, and it's not too salty. And it was a good amount of fatty. Yeah, so the sushi.

The fact that it wasn't too salty, I was already impressed because a lot of other plays I've tried is just too salty. I felt like this is kind of controversial, but it's too much meat. It is a huge frickin' pile of meat. Like it is a hunk of meat. It is a very generous portion. I mean, I'm a brisket lover. I was a fan of it.

I can see it. My heart felt a certain way taking a bite. It was just like, take care of me buddy. And I'm like, not today. Yeah, but I still think the sample was delicious. And but the sandwich was kind of like, all right, I'm done. Like I enjoyed the sample more than a sandwich as a whole. Yeah.

So I gave it a, into the 7.2. 7.2. Still respectable. Still a good score. But let's go to the thing that you were raving about the dessert, the bob. It was delicious. So this is like a chocolatey. I mean, how do you even describe it?

It felt like a cinnamon roll texture. But like a bread to cook it comes in a loaf. Yes, it comes in a loaf. But it's very like light and pull apart. So what I went there to order it, you had the option of chocolate or cinnamon. And I had a panic. Oh no, they're both delicious. Which one do I want? So I just I'm glad you chose chocolate. I thought of you. Because I'm a big chocolate guy. So I chose chocolate because I know I personally love. Thank you. You're welcome. I personally love cinnamon, but I know you like chocolate.

So I know what I like chocolate enough. But this did have cinnamon in it. Yeah, which I was like. And it was like a hint. It was. It wasn't overwhelming about it. Yeah, it was so good. Yeah, I thought it was a very interesting array of tastes and textures.

I thought it changed tastes and textures over the course of it. Like, you know, once you're saliva dissolves it a little bit, it starts to feel a little different and tastes a little, like it brought out different notes of it. And it was the first time I felt like that, you know that scene in Ratatouille? No. Have you not seen it? I've never seen it. There's a scene at the very beginning of Ratatouille where it's just kind of like, he

takes a bite of one thing, he takes a bite of another thing, then he takes the bite together and it creates this whole new color. And it's like just the way they mix. And I felt that way about just this ever-changing presence of textures and tastes in the Bobcat. I loved it so much. The chocolate was rich.

Yeah, the texture, the cinnamon, the spice, I loved that texture so much. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah, honestly, it reminded me a little bit of cinnamon. Yeah, not cinnamon, but cinnamon. Not the cinnamon, specifically, but just in the way their cinnamon is textured. Gotcha, gotcha.

Not the whole of the cinnamon, like the entirety of a cinnamon. It was like the perfect amount of sweetness. I loved the texture of the cinnamon and the flavor of the cinnamon. It was just so good when the- The fluffiness. When they asked me if I wanted to slice her loaf, I said slice, but- And then you regretted it.

I want the loaf now. Yeah, yeah. I went eight and a half out of ten on this. I thought it was really good. Yeah, I gave it a 9.1. 9.1. And then overall, I mean, I'm going to thumbs up on food. I thought you put all this together. Nothing was like bad to me. And there were

enough things that I thought were really good. Like, there are things that will get me back there. The pastrami I will go back for. The bobcat I will go back for. Honestly, the hot dog, I want to brave my picky eating and be like, I'll get it with as much mustard and sour crab as they dematient put on it. Instead of me kind of just like piece meal, just throw it on there. The only thing I would go back for is the Bobka, all the other items. I'm just kind of. But there were other things that you would want to try. I know you said you want to try their turkey. Yeah, I do want to try their turkey. So I wouldn't get the same thing of what I've ordered today.

Okay, maybe the muscle boss, I'll get the muscle boss, I'll scoop on the bobcat and try new items. Yeah. So I think I'm just gonna give it one thumbs up. I think that's fair. Final rating. Now we got a scorecats delicate testin' and throw it up on the Chachki of mediocrity, the scoreboard that keeps track of all the places that I've gone to so far and their corresponding scores in the search of the perfect 5.00 out of 10.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so do you want to go first or do you want me to go first? You're the guest host this week. For the score? Do you want to go first? Yeah. Okay, so I feel very conflicted because I feel like my score is too low for what

cat's is and I just feel guilty but it's a place I've always wanted to go to since a kid. Yeah. I've wanted to do a lot of things since I was a kid, huh? It eats multiple soup and go to cats. So I've given it a 7.05. That's respectable. That's a good restaurant, but I feel like it deserves more just because of its reputation and the quality of food. I just don't like it, but I know people love it.

And I know there's nothing wrong. Didn't like it or you didn't love it. I didn't love it. Like I like it a lot, but I didn't love it. Like I wouldn't go back on my own. Mm. I think I would. It's a 7.05. Yeah, I might order the Bob left to go, but that's it.

Yeah. I feel a little bit differently. I thought it was closer to a... A master's? No, but it was closer to what I would call great. I consider anything over eight to be like great. I would say Katz's was really, really good. So zero thumbs on the atmosphere because honestly, I thought the atmosphere is just hectic.

And you know what? I want to give an award to the atmosphere. Before I give my score, I want to say that the atmosphere at Katz's was way too much. too much. This is way too much. Yeah, you get it. It's just, it was chaotic. It stressed me out. There's nothing more to it. Just too many people.

And I get it. It's a tourist trap. I agree with you. This was way too much with the whole chaos and stressfulness. But that's why again, I think I'd be good. You have confidence in yourself. I can't take that away from you. But you know what?

Also, your confidence is in fact way too much. If only New York was closer for me to try it out again like tomorrow. But yes, I went no thumbs on the atmosphere. I did go a thumb up on service, and I went two thumbs up on food. So this was a very positive experience for me. I'm going to go 7.75 out of 10 for caches. And when we put both of our scores together, that brings it to a 7.40. Honestly, that's a good performance.

I would recommend this place to everyone. Yeah. I think a 7.4, you've got nothing to be ashamed of. I feel it is too low though, but I'm gonna stick with this for, but I look it's too low. I'm not. You're the one who gave it the lower rate. I know.

I know. Yeah. We got to figure out where we're going to go next time. We got to play a little game because this wasn't the perfect 5.00. So we got to keep looking. We got to compete to see who this wasn't the perfect 5.00. So we gotta keep looking. We gotta compete to see who picks where we go next time. We gotta play the headline game. The rules of the headline game are as follows.

Michael will present three headlines to his co-host that include this week's restaurant. They can be made up or they can be actual headlines. If the co-host can correctly guess if at least two out of three are real or fake, they will get to select next week's restaurant. However, if Michael stumps them, he'll select again. Are you ready to play you too? I'm ready. Alright. First headline.

I'm ready. All right. First headline. Katz's deli starts subscription service for its famous pastrami. False. It's too much meat. You don't think people want like the Netflix of pastrami? Mm-hmm.

All right. Second headline. Katz's deli hosting orgasm contest for Win Harry met Sally anniversary. False, it's a family place. Solid reasoning. Final headline, iconic Katz's deli making its way to Los Angeles. Hmm, I feel like for business it would be a true...truth?

True? True? Which one is the correct word? True. True. But I feel like they probably wanted to keep it in New York for a kind of thing. Okay. But people like making money, right?

You're running out of time. I'm gonna say true. You're gonna say true. Okay. first headline. Katz's deli starts subscription service for its famous pastrami. You said false, that is true. No. Is there like a small amount then that you can order every month?

It was pay-walled, so I can't actually see the details, but it was an article by Bloomberg. So... No, who has time to do a subscription? Some people just want cats as pastrami delivered to them every month. Because there's like meat boxes that you can get every month. I forget what the company is that does it, but like there's there's a company where you can get like different cuts of butchered box. Yeah, that's a lot of meat. Yeah, but people order it just because it's too much for you doesn't mean that there isn't a market for it. Like again, I ever meet eater. I enjoy meat, but sometimes when it's too much for you doesn't mean that there isn't a market for it. I ever meet either. I enjoy meat, but sometimes there's too much meat.

We're trying to prove to it. I just want to make, I don't want people to eat it. I have one of the cool kids. I smoke. I don't want it to become off like I'm a complainer or anything, but sometimes excessive meat is too much. Yeah, not I get you. Second headline, cats is deli hosting orgasm contest for when Harry met Sally anniversary. You said false. That is also true. No, what would they do? That's a 24 hour night. Like, I don't understand.

How do they even rate it? So the here's an excerpt from the article slate.com, someone wrote an article just talking about their affinity for the movie and the scene and said, when I heard that cats is the Jewish deli that served New York's Lower East Side since 1888, was holding a fake orgasm contest for its patrons in honor of the movie's 30th anniversary, I knew I had to be there and that I had to attempt to embrace the orgasm scene. Not by entering myself, no, no, no, no, no, no, not if my life depended on it, but I'm kind of an uptight, Sally type myself, which is to say,

the concept of an orgasm contest was on its own stressing me out more than a little. Attention, acting, sex noises, just a vent diagram of things I do not want to be publicly associated with at all. But on another level, I was offended by the contest seemingly thrown together execution. I was picturing a formal competition like a gymnastics meet or a dog show with a judges table, a slot for each entrant to perform, and announcer a podium for the winners, and maybe all of it professionally set dressed and produced as well. This was, after all, one of the most famous scenes in film.

Instead, Katz's put its rules, such as they were, on a flyer outside the restaurant and on an Instagram post. You could just come whenever, and all you had to do is take a video and post it on social media afterward with some ill-conceived hashtags. Oh. So it wasn't in the actual restaurant. Yeah, that's a little disappointing. So did I think I got... No, I mean, the headline is true. Whether or not, whether or not the content of the headline live up to the hype is not what the point of this game is. Always winning on a technical account. No.

And then third, iconic cats is Delhi making its way to Los Angeles. You said true, that is true. It's not actually opening a location here. This was an article about a pop up they did. You could get it through Uber Eats through a different restaurant for one weekend a few years ago.

We. But that was the headline. Did they just ship their subscription meat to the alley location? Probably. Yeah, yeah. So you did not win the headline game, which means I get to pick where I go next time. Next time I'm going to Texas Roadhouse. We just got back from New York.

We got to mix it up with something in the middle between California and New York. Texas seems to fit the bill. We just got back from New York. We got to mix it up with something in the middle between California and New York. Texas seems to fit the bill. So next time, I'm going to go on a two and a half hour drive to get to the nearest Texas roadhouse, a place that I don't think I've ever been. So I'm actually pretty excited for this one. I'm excited for you. Thanks.

Anyways, genuinely, thank you, Joyce, for coming on and joining me for an episode. It's very fun to have you with me. I'm glad that we got to go to New York together, experience Cats's. I hope that it lived up to what childhood you was hoping it would be. I enjoyed my time there. It was fun being on this podcast.

Yeah. You're a wonderful, what's that word I'm looking for? Your friend. No. You're a wonderful. What's that word I'm looking for? Your friend. You're a welcoming podcast host to me and boyfriend. Great. Well, thanks for listening to the fine dining podcast. Let's search for the most mediocre restaurant in America. I did not find it this time, but I will be back. I'll see you next time.

Have a fine day. The sun journey did not conclude The mother and the search continued Rattles and I too's review And hey, while you're at it, why don't you go ahead and make it five stars? Come on! Follow us on TikTok The same on Instagram All the socials And don't forget, you can always suggest where we go next. Okay, we're going to find it. Media crafting, the search continues.

See you next week. You see, you guys seem as weak. I heard my throat a little. Have a fine day. Oh, hi there, fine dining fans. It's your favorite sponsor, Job. You know, from the first season, and I just want to take this time to have a little heart to heart with all of you. You see, the reason I keep appearing in these post-credit scenes isn't what you think.

I'm not trying to be recruited into the Avengers. You're not gonna see me eating Shwarma. No, no, no. I'm here because I want to be wanted, you know? I know what you're saying. Job, you're the one who quit the show. I know, I was there, but it was a matter of pride. You see, Michael killed me off in his subconscious in the DJI Friday's episode. And I know it wasn't real, but it stung.

What am I, Chuck Liver? So even if it's just these precious few seconds at the end of the song, I still want to reach my audience, you know? Maybe one day, Michael will look at me and he'll go, come on back. You know what? I will, but not on his terms. Invite me on the show if you're such a man.

Alright, I've been talking too long, I gotta go. I mean that literally. Pokemon go. Ever since I got a phone, I can't put the thing down. Oh, there's a wild knockdown. I'm a catchable. Okay, bye. I got a phone, I can't put the thing down.

Oh, there's a wild knockdown. I'm a catchable. Okay, bye.