Growing up in a Jewish household, although we were not particularly religious, my mother still kept a kosher kitchen and every week she would go to the kosher butcher to select our meat.
My mother didn’t cook on Sunday nights, so the big treat was going out to eat. My uncle had a famous kosher deli on Kings Highway in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, Lou’s Deli. Sunday nights were busy at the deli and the front counter was bustling with demanding customers getting their meat sliced and their matzoh ball soup to go.
We would always sit at the same table in the aggressively lit dining room. My parents did the ordering and a few minutes later, sky high piles of meat including corned beef, pastrami, tongue, brisket, and roast beef would come out. The platters would come with rye and pumpernickel bread along with a smattering of condiments and side dishes including coleslaw, potato salad, pickles, mustard, ketchup.
As much as I liked the meats, I was really into hot dogs. Lou's Deli served Hebrew National kosher hot dogs, made with the highest quality meat. I liked mine well done, especially on the edges and topped with a big slathering of mustard. My actual favorite was hot dogs split in the middle and barbequed until they were practically burnt on the outside.
I’ve outgrown this type of food in my adulthood, but every once in a while, I get a craving for a good, juicy hot dog.
I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum of keeping kosher nowadays, and in fact challenging it by eating shrimp, pork, ham, and shamelessly mixing meat and milk together on decadent cheeseburgers. However, to this day I will only eat kosher hotdogs, and it’s not always easy to find one.
Schwartz’s Deli opened about 10 years ago in the Marais, specializing in New York, Jewish style deli food, similar to Lou’s Deli. It was an instant hit and they now have a small chain of restaurants.
I was walking on the rue des Archives a few months ago and noticed that Schwartz’s opened a hole-in-the-wall hot dog shop. I inquired about the hot dogs and to my pleasant surprise they were kosher. It was lunch time and I said why not give it a try.
I had the formule of a hot dog topped with guacamole and coleslaw, side dish, and drink for 9.5€. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a hot dog, so when I bit into it, a rush of sweet nostalgia took over my senses; the distinct aroma of the meat, the plump juicy, texture, along with the nostril clearing mustard. My joyous food experience of my younger years came alive again in fill force. The brioche bun and the topping of caramelized onions made it even more memorable. I chose coleslaw as my side dish, and the taste was pretty close to the authentic one I used to have with the tartness of vinegar and a tad of sweetness. The only thing missing from the experience was a bottle of Dr. Brown’s cream soda.
Other varieties of hotdogs include jalapeno, turkey, and cheddar.
Schwartz’s Hot Dogs
15 Rue des Archives, 75004
Metro : Hotel de Ville
Open everyday
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My ex grew up in Flatbush near Flatbush and Flatlands on 45th street, very close to Kings Highway. We used to visit the in-laws there often. I'm sure we went to that deli- I just dont have the nostalgic recollection of the name and exact location.
Great article. I'm running out for a kosher hot dog for lunch now ( Im very suggestible)
Posted by: Michèle Kurlander | October 15, 2019 at 05:44 PM