Nashville Food Friday: Noshville

Noshville is a little taste of New York down south. Granted, it's a very cartoon-ish version of a New York deli, but it does the job in a pinch. I'm used to the real old-school style kosher delis that have massive pickle buckets on your table (sours, dills, and even pickled tomatoes) and the idea of getting cheese on your sandwich is pure blasphemy. Noshville could be describe as "kosher deli light." And as much as I despise the giant statue of liberty out front, I have a soft spot for this place.

Just look how cute the inside is! I'm a sucker for Formica counter tops and vinyl seating. Noshville is the ultimate retro throwback diner in town and I love it just for the kitsch factor. I always ask for a booth because to me it isn't a real diner experience if you aren't in a booth. Especially a vinyl booth that makes that squeaky fart sound when you move on it.

Now, on to the grub. Noshville carries a lot of my favorite foods that you can't find anywhere else in town. I love chopped liver and they make an excellent chopped liver salad sandwich (don't go rolling your eyes at me- don't knock it 'till you've tried it!). Their Matzoh Ball soup is quite good, although they use the big fluffy style balls and I personally prefer the smaller/denser balls. Their sweet and sour cabbage soup is also quite good, but that's also an acquired taste. My go-to deli sandwich is a hot tongue on sourdough with mustard. Tongue is my favorite kosher deli meat- it's fatty, soft and flavorful. This is also my Mom's deli favorite as well (and yet another case of the apple not falling too far from the tree). Noshville makes a pretty good sandwich. But compared to the delis back in New York, they give a pretty small portion of meat. I think this might be the only case of a southern place providing LESS food than a northern equivalent.

Steve went for a healthier option of a salad, but it turned out to be just a huge pile of meat on some lettuce. Don't get me wrong, this is not a complaint. What my sandwich lacked in size, Steve's salad made up for in meat portions. He chose the New York Chef Salad which came with roast beef, tongue and brisket. I got to try the roast beef and I was quite pleased. I guess it's hard to find something "healthy" in a deli!

I really like Noshville. It is a great place to go and grab some lunch, have a cup of coffee, and read the paper. With my family living so far away, it has been a nice little slice of home. There have been quite a number of times I've been sick and stopped by to pick up some Jewish Penicillin (ie: chicken soup) on my way home from work. It isn't as good as my Mom's, but it will do.