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Dining with Dara: Best Rye in Town?

Posted at 8:00 AM on February 8, 2012 by Jade (5 Comments)
Filed under: Dining with Dara, Morning Show

Minnesota Monthly's Dara Moskowitz-Grumdahl, stops by today to chat about the new generation of chefs in Minnesota:

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Rye Controversy and The Top 5 Delis

What are the top Jewish delicatessens in the Twin Cities? Depends on who you ask. Because there are hotly polarized opinions about the newest deli, Rye, based on whether you were there in the first few weeks or not. I went in the first few weeks, and it was pretty awful but then so did Andrew Zimmern, of Bizarre Foods fame, and whoa, he despised it.

It was pretty crazy, watching the public response to his excoriating article; lines went from out the door to the place being a ghost town.

But then I kept visiting Rye, and in the end I concluded it was a really good place with a lot of potential. But by then a lot of damage had been done, and a lot of people refuse to go any more. Which brings up a difficult question: What to do about early reviews? In the pre-internet days all restaurant critics adhered to a creed in which we'd wait six weeks from the days the doors opened. Now no one does, because of Yelp and so forth. I think this makes life mercilessly difficult for restaurants, because the internet makes it so easy to transmit simple information like "open" they now tend to be the busiest they ever will be the first two weeks they're open. That's so hard!

Here's this critic's current run-down of the top 5 delis in town:

1. Mort's Deli

Perfectly New York: They get their bagels from H&H and their pastrami and corned beef from the Carnegie Deli. Not a lot of heart, but it's so New York it gets me every time.

2. Brother's

Best pastrami in town, buried in an office building and they shut down at 2. If you care about the pickles, the old-school vibe, and the food in a pure way, this is your place. If you lead life outside the Minneapolis skyways you'll never get there.

3. Rye Deli

Solidly good smoked meat (the Montreal version of pastrami), flavorful chicken matzoh ball soup, fantastic turkey in various guises, and all the extras; super kids meals, wine, beer, cocktails, fantastic fries and a really good poutine make this a perfect neighborhood diner, and a good deli too.

4. Be'Wiched

Locavore, chef-driven, yum! I can't leave this new-wave sandwich place out, even though their tuna salad is the star.

5. Cecil's

This classic St. Paul deli is hard to describe if you¹ve never been there; it's a little like a perfect 1971 suburban kitchen, trapped in amber, happily. No one ever has to describe it because every single person in St. Paul has been there. Right? Tip: The cold beet borscht is great on a hot day.

Dara Moskowitz-Grumdahl, veteran Twin Cities food and dining authority, is a five-time James Beard Award-Winning food writer who is also Senior Editor at Minnesota Monthly and author of Drink This: Wine Made Simple.

Comments (5)

i visited Rye for the first time last week and loved everything- food, drink, service, atmosphere. i've only been to Mort's once- no desire to return after the first time.

Posted by corrie | February 8, 2012 8:54 AM

where is the sandwich in the picture from?

Posted by adam | February 8, 2012 10:14 AM

where is the sandwich in the picture from?

Posted by adam | February 8, 2012 10:22 AM

Thank you SO much for the wonderful review of Rye Deli! Andrew Z is wrong about this place. No one goes to a new restaurant the first week it's open and expect everything to be perfect. At least no one who is fair about reviewing food. I have been to Rye a number of times and everything I order has been fabulous, though I still think they could work on their bagels. I've lived out East. I know what the "true" deli is about. Rye's smoked meat is out of this world and the soup is so flavorful. It's about time that the wrongs are being "righted" and this jewel of Minneapolis is allowed to shine.

Posted by Kate | February 8, 2012 1:57 PM

Based on what I've heard of Rye and my experence with the other ones, Rye should probably #1. People LOVE it!
Some of the other ones are deservedly loved for nostalgia.

Posted by Hannah | February 8, 2012 11:09 PM

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