First impression: One visit here and you’ll understand why David Sax, author of “Save the Deli” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24), includes Ben’s among his three favorite South Florida spots.
Ambience:
Big, bustling and noisy, Ben’s is an old-fashioned deli in that it takes its food very seriously, but has enough of a sense of humor to frame this oversized quote on one wall. “For 5,000 years we were a wandering people. Then we found
.”
Background:
Ben’s got its start in Baldwin, N.Y. in 1972. There are now six locations.
Starters:
Matzo ball soup ($3.99) has all the right characteristics: flavorful broth and delicate – never tough – matzo balls. Mushroom barley soup ($4.29) is thick as stew. Plump meaty fried kreplach ($6.49) come with sauteed onions.
Entree excellence:
Ben’s pickles tongue on the premises. And corned beef sandwiches start with a raw beef brisket. A corned beef or pastrami sandwich is $8.99, $9.69 for extra lean. That everything is made from scratch is crystal clear when you cut into the fork tender stuffed cabbage ($14.99), meaty but not packed like some miniature meat loaf. You get a choice of sides with the stuffed cabbage dinner and I recommend both the derma and the kasha varnishkes. Both of these Eastern European sides have become deli afterthoughts but not here. There are three over-sized pieces in the tasty potato pancake dinner ($9.79). The chopped liver platter ($9.99) gives you a taste of Ben’s creamy version set on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes and served with potato salad, cole slaw and a hard boiled egg.
Side issues:
Complimentary crisp cole slaw and an assortment of pickles, both full and half sours, are a perfect way to warm up to the oversized portions.
On the lighter side:
The Noshes & Nibbles section of the menu gives you smaller portions of such favorites as Hungarian Goulash ($9.99 vs. $14.99) or the hot dog combo meal ($7.49), a Hebrew National frank, fries or knish and fountain drink. There are also lots of salads, including Caesar with chicken breast ($12.99) and Nicoise ($11.99).
Sweet!:
Kosher desserts never quite cut it for me, but both the rugalach ($12.99 per pound) and Seven Layer Cake ($3.99 per slice) weren’t bad.
Service:
Efficient but firm. Friendly? Not so much. Isn’t that the way deli service is supposed to be?
One more thing:
Since this is a kosher meat establishment, there’s no sour cream for your latkes or melted Swiss for your corned beef. Cole slaw is made with non-dairy mayo. Ben’s stays open on Saturdays by “selling” the restaurant to a non-Jew every week during Sabbath.
Contact dining correspondent John Tanasychuk at
or write to him in care of Sun Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.
