****
10/7/2010
Forgive me for being gross, but I have to tell you
my favorite way to judge a Jewish-style deli. It's
by how much you enjoy the post-meal burps. And the
new JJ's Delicatessen at Pinnacle Peak and
Scottsdale Road rates high on the burp-o-meter!!
It's been open since July in the spot once occupied
by Kashman's. In my opinion, JJ's is much better.
The service is lovely (a big change), the menu
extensive, and the food delicious.
I ordered the signature sandwich, a "Pnish" ($8.95).
It's a "square potato knish sliced in half and
filled with your favorite meat, cheese and dressing,
then grilled panini style". I chose corned beef,
swiss cheese, and Russian dressing. For my
included-in-the-price side, I got cole slaw. In
general I'm not a great fan of knishes, but this one
did make a great (and unusual) sandwich. The corned
beef was a tad dry, but with Russian dressing and
cole slaw, who'd notice? The cole slaw was fabulous;
I appreciated its sweetness, and Ken its sourness.
We both loved the freshness. All the salads are made
daily. As are the breads and bagels. Ken had a
cinnamon raisin bagel, which I, of course, tried. It
was more dense than most Arizona bagels, and chewy,
so it reminded me somewhat of New York bagels. Ken's
fruit platter was quite large, and the fruit was
ripe and tasty.
All the pastry looked delicious. We took home a
chocolate horn and an apricot hamantaschan. Both
were shockingly good. The hamantaschan dough was
melt-in-your-mouth rich, and the tart filling was a
pleasant contrast. The texture of the chocolate horn
was perfect, it shattered when I bit into it, yet it
wasn't dry. The chocolate had a good flavor. By the
way, iced coffee goes perfectly with chocolate
horns, and JJ's makes theirs using a cold drip
method. I had ice tea with my sandwich, and it was
excellent.
We're planning to try breakfast at JJ's. There's a
huge variety of options including a L.E.O.($9.95),
matzo brie ($8.95), and a whitefish salad platter
($10.95). Latkes and blintzes are both available at
$10.95. Not cheap, but I bet there'd be enough to
share. Coffee comes in many forms: cappucino, latte,
macchiato, etc. And more pastry.
As we were getting ready to leave I experienced my
first JJ's burp. I got into the car with a big smile
on my face.
Rosalyn W., Scottsdale AZ
*****
8/11/2010
I noticed that Kashman's went out of business and
JJ's Deli took over. I had to experience this new
deli for myself. I just ate my second meal there
just to make sure it was truly as good as my first
visit. The service and attitude of the owner Roger,
his family and employees was top notch. They are
genuine, sincere, authentically warm and strive to
provide the highest level of service without
jeopardizing food quality. I ate the corned beef
sandwich with coleslaw and swiss which was awesome.
The meat like Michael H. reviewed was lean and
delicious. Yesterday, had the Chinese chicken salad
and the dressing was spicy and killer. Fresh and
cool. Just the way I love it. Since I had a big
appetite I also engaged in a warm buffalo chicken
sandwich which was amazing. I kid you not... you
will see me frequenting this place consistently.
See you at JJ's soon and you wont be disappointed.
- Zack K., Scottsdale
AZ
