Russ & Daughters Cafe — Restaurant in New York

My father first took me to Russ & Daughters deli on Houston St. when I was a kidHe loved their pickled herring. Since he loved it me and my brothers loved it also. When I got older and started making my own money I started going to Russ & Daughters to try all the other stuff they offered. I was partial to bialys and cream cheese. These days, whether I'm at the Russ & Daughters on Houston or their deli on Flushing in Brooklyn Nay Yards, I almost always order the caviar cream cheese with pastrami lox on a lightly toasted bialy, with capers & onions (naturally). A couple days ago, on a weekday around 1pm, I went to the Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street. Since I was very young, Orchard St. has been one of my favorite streets for clothes shopping. While waiting for a suit I purchased to be altered at an Orchard St. tailor, I headed across the street to Russ & Daughters Cafe. Though this place hasn't been there too long, the look of the joint, exterior & interior, is designed to look like it's been there for decades. Well done. Since I was by myself, I sat at the counter. I wish the stools had full backs instead of the stubby, horse-saddle-like backs they have. With no support to speak of, my back started aching after a few minutes. Other than that, I enjoyed sitting at the counter. I ordered my usual, a lightly toasted bialy with caviar cream cheese and pastrami lox. To my pleasant surprise, the sandwich arrived unassembled, on an old wooden plank. Reminded me of the ploughman's lunch I'd order at a pub in Notting Hill, London. Great simple lunch that is served on an old, repurposed, plank of wood. I didn't expect that, but I was cool with it. I got a generous pile of pastrami lox, fresh, very ripe tomato & onion slices with capers, and a stainless steel cup filled with scallion cream cheese (the cafe doesn't carry caviar cream cheese, bummer) and a sliced, lightly toasted bialy. It was kinda fun building my open sandwich snacks. Though I missed the caviar cream cheese this was a tasty lunch. I drank seltzer water. My father loved seltzer water, so I love it too. The bill wasn't as high as I thought it would be. And the bathroom has gotten one of the nicest in that area. I'll be going to this joint again. Soon. But, I'll sit at a table. I didn't fare well with the stubby backed stools at...

I had the most wholesome experience here to cap off my New York trip. I have found it's hard to cultivate a conversation when dining in this city as it's too busy to do so, limited seating/take out, or the natural hustle and bustle of the city doesn't naturally allow for it. However, I met a super cool former Bear Stearns lawyer that was great to chat with. Let's circle back to where it all started.

Russ & Daughters Cafe is in a bit of an unassuming location, and I even walked past it when I was trying to find it. Once you walk in, it feels like you are transported to a totally different place. They nailed the old school diner look and also have the classy servers and waiters to match the era. On the atmosphere alone, I was impressed. I took my seat at the bar and started to dive into the menu. Everything looked really good but the potato latkes were calling my name as I had my heart set on these before I arrived.

As I waited for my food to arrive, the gentleman next to me recommended anything fish related as they were known for it. We started chatting and even decided to split the filet of pickled herring since this was his favorite. The herring mixed with the pickled onions on their pumpernickel bread was phenomenal! I can see why he enjoyed this so much now.

The potato latkes had arrived simultaneously with the fish and the first bite was also amazing. They were super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. There were also some chives or herbs mixed in with the potatoes which really elevated them. Whoever thought of combining fried potato cakes with applesauce and sour cream is a genius. They work so well together, and I could happily eat this again. I also ordered a mint tea with my food which was perfect.

We conversed and chatted over food, and I couldn't think of a better way to end my vacation here. This was the most interesting person I have met on this trip and really the only person I was able to make it beyond small talk with. I'll definitely be back here one day, and I hope others can also have interesting conversations with people from around the world while enjoying some...

Since I was a kid, my mother always used to buy cans of small fish like sardines and mackerel and herring. And yes, they’d be in cans, but they’d be really really good. It used to be a family thing of ours, to eat these small fish with the traditional Indian food that was made at home, and we did it on one weekend lunch a month.

I didn’t realise it then, but it kind of became like our thing, a little tradition. As the years went by, we stopped doing it as often, not because anything happened but more so because our tastes evolved, our schedules changed, and life happened.

It’s funny because, I’ve been with my girlfriend for nearing three years and she never knew this little trinket of my past, which was unusual because we’ve shared so much of what we love and dislike to each other over the many months we’ve been together.

Not until, we came here and we ordered the Pickled Herring Trio and a Cabo De Peñas Sardines (which was on their specials). I’m not going to say that it tasted like the way my family had it, but it tasted damn bloody good, I’ll tell you that. It was just good, flavourful, thick cuts of fish, on the softest pumpernickel bread you’ll find, with the perfect amounts of accompaniment to each little bite - just enough to taste and elevate the dish, but not so much that it stole the show from the main star - the fish.

I forgot how much I enjoyed these types of fish, but this reminded me. My girlfriend isn’t even a big fan of it and even she loved it so, give it a try. And, if not for the food, walk in just to soak up the ambience of the old school diner, somewhere lost in our past, lost in our memories and maybe that’ll be enough to change the course...