CHEAP EATS
Cheap Eats: Nosh Cafe has fresh deli favorites
Nosh Cafe is a new and welcome addition to the Premier Plaza on Transit Road. My formative experiences in delis were all in my hometown of Albany, where Joe’s Deli on Madison Avenue was a much-anticipated stop. But I have noshed at the Carnegie Deli, the Stage Deli and Katz’s Deli in Manhattan, too, enjoying the latkes, knishes, brisket, corned beef and pastrami, washed down with a Dr. Brown’s soda.
So lots of things were familiar at Nosh, including shelves of kosher canned and boxed foods, the fridge and freezer cases packed with homemade soup, cabbage rolls and other delicacies, the smoked white fish and salmon, the display of latkes (potato pancakes) and the knishes, several kinds of pastry-wrapped fillings.
The menu board lists appetizers, soups, salads, cold and hot sandwiches, burgers and kosher all-beef hot dogs. The sandwiches come in three sizes: regular, with 4 ounces of meat, for $5.99 to $8.99; “gezunta,” or 6 ounces, for about $1 more; and “Oy Vey Stuffed,” 10 ounces for $12.99 to $18.99. Those are some high prices for the largest sandwiches, but we were more than satisfied with the “gezunta.” A lunch special offered half a sandwich for $6.99, along with cole slaw, salad or a cup of soup.
We shared a plate of three latkes ($4.99), which were medium-sized, warm but not hot, and delicious. We tasted a hint of onion.
The matzo ball soup ($2.49 for a cup, $3.99 for a bowl) was praised by us and got a nod of appreciation from Jeff Simon, who enjoyed a takeout bowl the next day. It could be ordered with or without veggies. The broth was rich and golden, and the vegetables – carrot, celery, onion, possibly turnip or parsnip? – were a nice addition. The tennis-ball-sized matzo was of medium density. A cup of mushroom-barley soup was also packed with mushrooms, carrots, celery and barley, and it had a nice deep-flavored base.
The bread selections ranged from a bagel or roll to rye, marble rye, pumpernickel or ciabatta. All we tried were fresh.
The meatloaf, on ciabatta ($8.99), was made from ground beef and ground turkey. It had a mild taste and wasn’t overly spicy.
The egg salad and turkey were both of good quality and fresh. We also tried an all-too-rare deli meat called rolled beef. We were given a sample, and it was delicious, with the cured-brine flavor of corned beef or pastrami. Served cold on rye, the flavor was intense, the texture smooth and the fat content best not studied too closely.
Nosh Cafe is open from 9 a. m. to 8 p. m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. Friday; and 9 a. m. to 3 p. m. Sunday. It is closed on Saturday. It is handicapped-accessible.
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