Manny Hattan’s – Simply A Must-Have
My family likes Fridays. My husband has the day off. My son gets to spend time with his dad. I get to sleep in. Even, of late, the dog likes Fridays.
Francie, our 64 pound chocolate lab, spends the day with her new doggie friend Dusty, a friendly yellow lab. We try not to think about it much, because when we really stop and consider it, our sweet little girl…who, in doggie years, actually is catching up with me in age…is spending a whole day with a doggie grandpa…but she’s happy. She has all his attention to herself. What woman doesn’t like the undivided attention of her man?
And, yes, we are one of THOSE families: the kind who schedule doggie play dates.
Before you judge us as being too enthralled in our dog, let me tell you the truth. Yes, I think you can handle the truth.
We’re not that great of dog owners. Don’t get me wrong. Our dog is up-to-date on her shots. We feed her twice a day. Our son pets her regularly (although I’m pretty sure she wishes he wouldn’t). We let her out to take care of business. Sometimes, when others aren’t looking, I even let her sleep in bed with me. I wish I didn’t. Now, when we leave, she thinks she can sleep in the bed alone. Brown hair on white sheets is just plain yucky.
However, at our last house, we had a long hallway. So when we adopted Francie in the middle of winter, and she was only 10 pounds, it was easy to rationalize that we could just throw her ball in the house, watch her chase it, and VOILA! She had her exercise.
Fifty-five pounds later, that plan has backfired. When I attempt to take her for a walk now, she takes me for a walk. And if you know much about labs, they were bred to walk…and walk…and walk…and walk. In fact, originally, they were bred to keep up with their owners as they covered large expanses of territory while hunting ducks and other fowl. Thus the name, labrador retrievers.
So we feel a little guilty that we prefer our arms as God made them – in socket – and that Francie does not get the exercise she was bred to have. In our guilt, we overcompensate and schedule doggie play dates for our dog.
Francie likes Fridays.
After we dropped Francie at Dusty’s house, we went out to lunch. When Kenny interviewed for his job in Austin, I read the local food guide. I read about a restaurant I’ve been craving to try – Manny Hattan’s New York Delicatessen and Restaurant.
Manny Hattan…no, I do not know his real name…came to Texas from…well, none other than New York City. He brought with him favorite family recipes and opened a one-location-only thriving delicatessen.
Have you ever had this experience? One moment you don’t even know something exists and the next minute you cannot exist without it?
I had that experience at Manny Hattan’s. Potato Knishes. That was my downfall.
Imagine thick pillowy flaky golden pastry filled with mashed potatoes. Then imagine two slices of this pastry as the bread for a sandwich filled with pastrami blanketed in broiled swiss cheese.
How brilliant! This comfort food was divine.
Kenny ordered the famous reuben sandwich. The waiter was very patient as he explained his aversion to rye bread. She suggested challah bread, a traditional Jewish bread that is thick and doughy and delicious. Kenny was a very happy man when she delivered his sandwich. It was literally 5 inches tall.
I’m definitely going back. I want to try the matzah ball soup and the chicken in a pot, which appears to be their take on chicken and potatoes and dumplings. And sometime I’m going just for dessert. They fly the cheesecake in fresh from the Carnegie Deli in New York City. One day for breakfast, I might even be brave enough to try a bagel with lox and cream cheese.
Hmmm. That’s a lot of carbs.
I wonder if Francie should take me for a walk?