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Goodbye Masa, hello matzo
In a place where restaurants have changed over a couple times in the past few years a new deli is trying to grab its corner of the niche market. Given that there is currently no other Jewish-style deli in Boulder, I'd say Jimmy & Drew's Delicatessen pretty much has a handle on that market. Where else can you get a latke Ruben, a side of kishke and a Dr. Brown's cream soda to wash it down? Add to that house-made herring in sour cream, chicken soup with matzo balls and smoked chubs and you're bringing food to Boulder that hasn't been seen in a restaurant in years. Best of all—it's good, too. I had heard many reports of Jimmy & Drew's and was excited to sample it for myself. As my husband and I pulled into the parking lot we saw our friend Tim walking in and corralled him to join us for lunch. After pausing for just a moment to remember the amazing freshly made pita and other Afghani specialties of the place that last inhabited the location, we went in and started studying the menu. All kinds of sandwiches, including the aforementioned latke Ruben, pastrami and corned beef, veggie, roast beef (well, all the usuals and some variations and house specialties) are available. Polish sausages, hot dogs, soup, salads, smoked fish plates and dinner entrees are also on the menu along with assorted side dishes including such traditional favorites as latkes, kishke, knishes, herring and cold salads. We ordered a good sampling of food off the menu, paid and sat down to wait. As we sipped our Dr. Brown's sodas and snacked on the chopped half-sour and green tomato pickles, our dishes started arriving. There are basically two kinds of potato latkes, those made with grated potatoes and those made with ground potatoes. These are the ground kind, made with plenty of onion and served warm with applesauce. They're pretty good, but if you've ever eaten them fresh out of the pan, nothing compares. Kishke is the Jews' answer to haggis. A blend of flour, chicken fat and spices was stuffed into intestine and served with a meat meal. Nowadays it is stuffed into a plastic casing and is often made vegetarian. Jimmy & Drew's is very good—flavorful, served warm with a small side of gravy and just the right texture. The herring, potato salad, cold succotash, hot dogs and knishes were all equally well made and pleasing. The meat on the sandwiches was served thick-sliced and tender with plenty of seasoning, and the smoked fish was delicious, fatty and smoky. In fact the only disappointment on the menu was the chicken soup. It was dull. Yeah, there was a large portion of shredded chicken and carrot slices in it, but the broth had very little flavor. I ordered mine fully loaded—with rice, noodles and matzo ball—and when it came it was missing the ball. When it finally came it revealed itself to be a sinker. (There are two kinds of matzo balls, floaters and sinkers.) It was large but nothing exciting. It is a good choice if you want to fill up on a budget, though. Some of the menu items seem pricey ($9 sandwiches) but then are balanced by some cheaper choices ($3 for a large side of herring.) Jimmy & Drew's is a welcome addition to the Boulder food scene. They just need to iron out some of the service glitches (several of our side dishes didn't make it to our table until I asked for them) and it should be a place deserving of a long life with many regular diners. Now someone just needs to open a kosher restaurant Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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In Boulder, restaurants come and go almost faster than the
rise and fall of boy bands. One minute there is a shiny new place, you blink,
and it's gone. So it is always a double pleasure to find a restaurant you like
and then have it last for a while. Such a place was Masa Grill—home of
cheap taco night, amazing vegetarian tamales, fantastic breakfasts (along with
freshly made corn tortillas) as well as burritos, green chile, salads,
margaritas and horchata. I never had a bad meal there and would regularly turn
up for a late Sunday breakfast or pick up tamales if I was doing errands in the
area. Well, the fine folks at Masa Grill have served their last breakfast.
They've scrambled their last egg, melted cheese on their last mammoth huevos
rancheros and battered their last slice of French toast; breakfasts at Masa are
gone and will soon be followed by the rest of the menu. Like so many local
favorites, this beloved neighborhood restaurant has been edged out. It follows
Penny Lane as one of my favorite old-time places to disappear in the past
several months. But unlike Penny Lane, which is gone forever, maybe we can
convince the owner of Masa Grill to reopen somewhere else. In any case, seize
this last opportunity to eat some of their great, fresh Mexican
food—it'll be gone after Aug. 20.
