Daveater's Profile
Irving's Deli in Livingston
Irving's wasn't a top notch jewish eatery, though, one at which you can get the needed yidisha fixa. Many things were off about our dining experience there. 1. The wait staff seems to lack coordination. Our son's high-chair took 5 minutes - one came out, but was commandeered by a busboy who had no remorse in making us stand longer for a table he was helping that came in 3 minutes after us. The busboy walked by and smiled when i told him it was for us...pretty juvenile, but no surprise when a young 20-something is in charge of things on the floor, huh. 2. Our server then had to stop in the middle of taking our order to get our pickles/coleslaw. The busboys, too busy talking in the corner, had failed to do their initial dispensation of these items, but why she stopped in the middle of our order (as my wife was in mid sentence) was curious, at best. 3. The matzoh ball soup was luke warm, and the MB itself was rather tasteless, as was the soup (It wasn't golden and rich, but pale yellow and watery). Good balance of pepper, but lacking otherwise. 4. For a place that dares compare itself with classic NYC delis and drops the KATZ name, the corned beef was pretty tough since it was cut WITH THE GRAIN, allowing the natural toughness of the cut to stand out. They go for the thick cut, so there is no way around this textural dilemma. Also curious was how "extra lean" costs more, a first in my 40+ years. In every other place I have ever found the classic jewish meats, the FAT CUT is extra for flavor purposes. Hmmm... 5. Like many places, IRVINGS does not have anything but brown mustard. This is no crime, but for many who enjoy different kinds of mustards/condiments, the meat gets pigeon-holed in with their already-salty mustard to create a sodium aftertaste that sticks around for days (seemingly).
The management could have cared less about our marginal experience, so don't expect much when/if things are off.
Highlights included the coleslaw, the brisket - good fat marble while also being cooked until super-tender, the knish (also had a nice pepper balance while being lighter than their dense Manhattan brethren) and the easy parking. It isn't to be avoided, but IRVINGS seems like it is a place that will hold you over until you can get to a REAL jewish deli. Go because it is convenient, but not if you have to travel far and are expecting the HOLY GRAIL (or ARK OF THE COVENANT, as the case may be).
Decent, but not worth telling the grandparents in Palm Beach about....
