Not much to say about Yonah Shimmel on Houston Street by the corner of Forsyth that hasn't been said before and can't be googled. Ancient well worn warm familiar unhurried Tuli Kupferberg and Thelma Blitz ate there smells like bubba's kitchen on the holidays looks like someplace that people you are trying to avoid would avoid and would never notice it let alone set foot inside. Inside you are warm, safe, and home, eating knishes that are 95% delicious filling, 5% tender pastry covering, the perfect ratio, almost as big as your face, a warm savory comfortable meal to linger over slowly on a cold wet day in March or to take with you on some lazy summertime soho afternoon stroll. Presently wedged between a multi-plex on the left, and the Gem Hotel which is not actually in soho but it always sounds so good to say you are, it is one of those little NYC miracles that it still exists.
Ignore the nay sayers like that food snob from Chowhound who probably comes from Topeka Kansas or somewhere over the rainbow and lacks the visceral understanding of what a knish actually is in order to know what is good. He was so preoccupied with mushroom knishes (here at least I can commiserate), that he missed the big picture.
Go to Yonah Shimmel, you won't be sorry. Start with the potato knish, work your way up to the kasha, and after that you are on your own, those are the only two I ever eat, although the cabbage one tempts me.
Today I had the kasha knish. Cut in half, a little salt and a bit more pepper. No mustard. Don't even know where the idea of mustard on knishes came from, probably from people who sell bad knishes, like those square ones with the thick leathery covers and the stale taste. Washed it down with a Best Health Cream Soda and left happy. Didn't know I was going to be writing this at the time or I would have taken a better knish photo. Next time. I often say that, but in this case I sure.
Pablo
Addendum:
June 9, 2014
A warm and sunny late spring day, my favorite time to be downtown. The street in front of Yonah Shimmel was full of people and road work crews tearing the place apart. Was lucky to get that last rainy day exterior view when I did. Had another kasha knish and vanilla soda today, still haven't gotten around to the cabbage. One of these days. As I got there, they were just putting a fresh tray of spinach potato knishes in the window. They look good, but like everyone else, I have my favorites.
Enjoy!!!!!
Pablo
Addendum
August 30, 2014:
As promised I am back in the city on business, and today is the day I am going to break out of my 45 year rut and am going to go to Yonah Schimmel and eat a knish that is neither potato nor kasha. Took the F train down to Houston street to shop, eat, and look around and consider my options. Actually my options were few in as much as I had already decided that today I would try the cabbage knish, so as I made the left turn onto Houston.
When I got to Yonah Schimmel, and looked in the window, I saw some fresh knishes that looked like blueberry or something like that, which did not seem like such a good idea.
Went in, considered my options once more and mustered up the courage to say "one cabbage knish", at which point the guy grabbed one from the purple specimens in the above rack. "Those are cabbage?" I asked, "Purple cabbage", he said, I said I'll have one. "Heated", "Of course" I said, and I grabbed a Good Health Black Cherry Soda and headed for a table already kind of regretting my decision. Two minutes later, my purple knish was there.
As you can see, it was purple through and through. I don't like to say anything bad about such an old friend like Yonah Schimmel, but in the future I think I'll just stick with the old standbys.
Pablo
Addendum:
November 25, 2016
It's the day after Thanksgiving and I headed downtown to get away from the crowds but they seem to have migrated down as well. There were hungry hoards in the hundreds lined up outside Katz's, couldn't even get near the front door at Russ and Daughters to get a ticket to wait for an hour, and even Yonah Schimmel had about 25 or 30 fressers from Jersey wallowing in the authenticity. Had no trouble getting a kasha knish and a seat, but was a little spooked since I'm used to having the place to myself. Something new in the window. Not sure exactly what it was, looks like a hybrid knish wrapped cheese and berry strudel. Tempting. Maybe next time. Jackie thought it looked great. Maybe I'll let her get one and give it a try.
Pablo
Addendum:
April 2, 2017
Today is my sister's Mady's birthday. Kind of sunny but cold down here. She is now almost as old as I am, but has the energy of a 37 year old. Still works, exercises like crazy and looks great. Gave her a call.
Jackie and I are in the city for a few days for her to attend a Lafayette college reunion and I am there because there is an available bed. Spent most of my time downtown, as usual, but there are increasingly slim pickings photographically, so I deal with the emptiness by eating more. I am not much an eater generally, but when I am in the city there is a lot to keep me busy. I seen to have reconciled with the 2nd Avenue Deli recently and when I got off at Penn Station, I made a beeline for there and the mushroom barley soup and 1/2 pastrami sandwich, like the old days.
Next stop, next day, caught the downtown train to SOHO, walked up Mercer and east on Prince Street stopping for a slice at Prince Street Pizza. You can smell the garlic as you approach. These guys are Italian and still understand the concept of a good pie. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Best pizza by the slice in NYC.
Next stop Yonah Schimmel. Lately I seem to always get the kasha knish when I sit at a table, but buy 4 or 5 potato to take back to Albany for friends. The kasha was fresh out of the oven and in the window so it was a no brainer...Not pure kasha, but mixed with potatoes. Probably a good idea.
Today I had it with a vanilla cream soda. Didn't see the black cherry, but it was all good. The owner, Alex was kind of attentive to me today, probably because I complimented the good job his grandson was doing waiting the tables. Don't know why, but I'm getting a little tired of kasha, which has been my go to knish. Maybe we have been eating to many kasha varnishkas at home lately. Next time I will linger over a potato.
They seem to have finished the construction on Houston Street, at least for now, and cars are now parking, sometimes double parking up and down the block. Still count myself lucky that the stars were aligned to get that great rainy day shot at the top of the blog.
Jackie loved the photo of the blueberry strudel in the last addendum, but HATES blueberry. Luckily they had apple strudel and a quick call confirmed that this would be a good choice. Brought it back, Jackie was thrilled and all was well with the world.
Last stop, Penn Station. Picked up a few black and white cookies at Zaro's and down the escalator for the train back home. Must be getting old, because I was glad to go. Jackie likes to get us Red Caps so we were the first down the escalator to the platform for the train home.
Pablo
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