Merion Station, PA: Hymie's Deli's Pastrami Burger

42 Montgomery Ave
Merion Station, PA 19066  [google map]
Phone: 610-664-3544

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Geshmak! (Yiddish for delicious or tasty)

Hymie’s is your typical Jewish deli serving oversized portions of comfort foods and deli sandwiches which are tasty enough to erase any thoughts of driving to New York City to get your fill of corned beef or pastrami.

I’ve been eating at Hymie’s for years and without fail I always order the soup & sandwich special (matzo ball soup & half a corned beef sandwich).  On the rarest of occasions I’ve switched the corned beef out for pastrami, but that’s as far as I have strayed on the menu, until today.

Behold, the Pastrami Burger.

Take about 1/3 lb. of top quality pastrami, fry it up on the griddle and then toss it on top of a 1/2 lb. burger (cooked spot-on medium!!), mustard up the light and airy bun, fold and commence eating.  The first bite is truly a “you got your peanut butter in my chocolate moment.”  I had read about the Pastrami burgers at Crown Burgers in Salt Lake City, UT in George Motz’s book Hamburger America, but I really thought it was more of a stunt than a sandwich.  I was completely wrong, this is the real deal.

The pastrami scores high on the fat=flavor meter, and combined with the juicy burger hits all of the right notes in your mouth.  Add to that the opposing textures of the meat (the chewiness of the pastrami vs. the buttery softness of the burger) and this burger is a delicious marriage of opposites.

The included side of steak fries were excellent and combined with access to the all-you-can-eat pickles, kugel and slaw bar makes this burger a relative bargain at $9.50.  As I write this, 1/2 of the burger is calling me from my fridge (something tells me it might end up as an omelette in the morning) so split it with a friend or be prepared to take home a doggie bag.

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