I’m leery of restaurants with fake themes, be they Tex-Mex joints in Manhattan, festooned with Lone Star memorabilia that probably came from a warehouse in Jersey, or delis in Dallas with pictures of New York City landmarks.
Yet Ed’s Deli,in the strip center on the southwest corner of Preston and LBJ, doesn’t suffer from too much kitsch. Yes, there are photos of the Yankee Stadium, but the food more than holds its own. And if it’s not the Second Avenue Deli, what is?
I haven’t tried the chicken soup and matzo balls yet, but most of the rest of the deli staples on the 250-item menu are authentic enough. I can’t decide if the bagels are boiled or not (classic bagel preparation requires the shaped dough to be boiled for a minute or so before baking), but they’re chewy and bagel-like, as opposed to the Wonder-bread style bagels that too many other places sell.
Plus, the service is neighborhood diner friendly, and that’s always welcome. The second time I was there, the waitress recognized me. That’s impressive.
