AHNY: Top 5 Matzoh Balls? Nope, Just Three

Jeff Zalaznick & Arthur Bovino — April 07, 2009

In honor of Passover, AlwaysHungry set out to find New York’s top five matzoh balls. What we discovered surprised us: there is no Top 5. New York City, despite having the world’s second largest Jewish population outside Tel Aviv, has only three knaidlech contenders. Sure, it was close between the top two but for the most part, outside these top three contenders, everything else was for the birds.

Noodles and dill, carrots and celery—we decided not to consider these varying soup ingredients as determining factors. This is about matzoh balls. After all, competing philosophies on how best to construct them are distracting enough (seltzer or water? oil or schmaltz? how long should the eggs be beaten? seasoned inside or out? boiled in salt water or chicken broth?). For Top 5 purposes, we judged based on three criteria: texture, flavor and appearance.

Remember, it’s important to eat the matzoh balls upon their arrival. If they are allowed to sit in the hot broth they will continue cooking, and their textural integrity will disintegrate.

#1 2nd Avenue Deli Fluffy near the outer edge with a chewy, yellow center, on-point seasoning with just the right size and heft, you’d point to this lovingly-rounded example as the definition of matzoh ball. The broth featured huge carrot slices, short rectangular noodles and a bit too much dill—not quite as good as Sarge’s. The power move? Adding to the soup the complimentary gribenes (aka Jewish pork rinds aka chicken skin fried in chicken fat). Matzoh ball grade: A+

#2 Sarge’s These matzoh balls provide excellent spoon-resistance, superior texture and leave a delightful essence of chicken fat on your tongue. The broth was rich and well-rounded, the perfect rainy day bowl of soup. Matzoh ball grade: A

#3 Katz’s This well-constructed ball was a relief. It had good outer softness and center-resistance, which made the spoon progressively feel like it was cutting into something worthwhile. While it could have used just a dash more salt, the matzoh ball was admirably speckled throughout with pepper. The dark broth didn’t mess around either— fatty, chicken goodness. The only other thing to do was polish off a plate of extra fatty pastrami and scrambled eggs. Matzoh ball grade: A-

Barney Greengrass Slightly smaller than a tennis ball, this knaidlech was well-molded and provided substantial spoon-resistance while maintaining admirable fluffiness. Flavor was good though a bit underseasoned. The broth wasn’t fatty enough—it’s doubtful schmaltz was used in the matzoh ball construction. Considering it sacrilegious to visit without ordering the Nova Scotia Salmon Scrambled with Eggs and Onions (aka the L.E.O.) we upped the ante by building the ultimate Barney Greengrass Dagwood. From the bottom, up: toasted everything bagel half; generous cream cheese schmear; layer of nova; several heaping spoonfuls of sweet, fluffy L.E.O.; raw onion; big, thick red tomato slice; and finally, sturgeon. Wow. Matzoh ball grade: B+

Blue Ribbon Bakery Almost completely submerged in a dilly, French onion soup-hued broth amidst thin, carrot slices, this stark white, solid ball had good texture and resistance but was also a little eggy. Matzoh ball grade: B-

Bubby’s There’s a lot going on in this bowl: shredded chicken, parsley flakes, and diced vegetables. It’s a good chicken soup but not the traditional accompaniment we sought—that golden broth, which glistens with chicken fat. For all the soup’s flavor, the matzoh balls, though decently textured, lacked salt and pepper. We were more interested in reading the laminated placemats, which detail various food origins from Caesar salad to chicken and waffles. Matzoh ball grade: B-

Carnegie Deli Two matzoh balls were served with the love of a prison cafeteria in a metal cup—matzoh flaps hanging over the rim. They tasted and felt like prechewed baby food. The broth was the only redemptive feature—it had a golden hue and excellent fat content. These days, there’s only one reason to fend off Carnegie’s army of waiters: to accompany out of town friends who haven’t been. Stay close to the corned beef; it’s your only hope. Matzoh ball grade: C

5 Napkin Burger The appearance of the matzoh ball and the color of the broth inspired high hopes. Resistance to a spoon cutting into the ball heightened expectations. One eggy bite was enough to establish this as a senseless crime. The flavor was off, there was too much matzoh meal and on closer inspection there was a dull, gummy coating. Nothing to be done but take a chocolate and peanut butter shake to go. Matzoh ball grade: D