The Scene
At Katz's Delicatessen in New York City, Sally demonstrates to Harry that women can fake... enjoyment of sandwiches. The scene concludes with the now-legendary line from director Rob Reiner's real-life mother: "I'll have what she's having." A plaque marks the exact table where the scene was filmed.
🥗 Ingredients
- 1 pound high-quality pastrami, sliced thick (from a Jewish deli if possible)
- 4 slices fresh seedless rye bread
- Spicy brown or yellow deli mustard
- Half-sour pickles, for serving
- Coleslaw (optional, for a Reuben-style variation)
- Dr. Brown's Cream Soda or Cel-Ray (for authenticity!)
📋 Instructions
- Get the right pastrami: The key to this sandwich is quality pastrami. Look for hand-sliced pastrami from a real Jewish deli, or order from Katz's online. Pre-packaged supermarket pastrami just won't cut it!
- Steam the pastrami: Set up a steamer basket over simmering water. Place the pastrami slices in the basket and steam for 5-10 minutes until the meat is hot, tender, and the fat has become slightly translucent. This is crucial—cold pastrami is a sin!
- Toast the bread (optional): While the pastrami steams, you can lightly toast the rye bread. Traditional Katz's serves it soft, but some prefer a light toast for structure.
- Spread the mustard: Apply a generous layer of spicy brown or yellow mustard to both slices of bread. At Katz's, they use mustard?never mayo?on pastrami.
- Pile it HIGH: Here's where you don't hold back. Stack that hot, steaming pastrami in a massive pile. A proper deli sandwich should be at least 4 inches tall. If you can easily bite it, you need more meat.
- Serve immediately: Close the sandwich (good luck!) and serve right away with half-sour pickles on the side and a Dr. Brown's cream soda to drink.
👨🍳 Chef's Tips
- Quality pastrami is EVERYTHING. Don't skimp here!
- Steaming, not microwaving, keeps the meat tender and flavorful.
- The sandwich should be almost impossible to eat properly?that's how you know it's right.
- Purists say no cheese on pastrami, but a Reuben with Swiss is delicious too.
- Visit Katz's in NYC and sit at the actual table from the movie!
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