Sammy’s Roumanian Steak House, NY

Sammy’s Roumanian, located in a basement on Chrystie Street in the Lower East Side for over 34 years, is a New York institution. Jugs of schmaltz, rendered chicken fat, are on every table and the restaurant has the feel of a recreational room with walls adorned with college memorabilia, postcards from visitors and photos of patrons. I can’t say it was a particularly cosy environment. One might wonder what the appeal is, and I was told to be surprised. Dinner at this establishment would be the venue for my first transatlantic tweat up with Girl Uninterrupt. The Eastern European menu was almost completely alien to us and we perhaps unwisely entrusted our waiter to steer our dinner for us.

With a bottle of Kettle One vodka frozen in a large block of ice forced upon us we started the night with gigantic shots. A huge bowl of their famous chicken livers were mixed tableside, with schmaltz, caramelized onions and strips of turnip for texture. This was overpowering like an incredibly course pate and also a very heavy dish. I could just feel it clogging my arteries. The portion was simply too much for two people, and this was accompanied by Potato Cakes (Latke) and apple sauce. These were a little disappointing as they were a bit dry and tough. Along came the meat plate with Karnatzlack, chops and the gigantic Roumanian tenderloin. The karnatzlack was an elongated sausage patty made of beef, veal, and plenty of garlic, with a spongy texture. Sammy’s signature was the Romanian tenderloin, a skirt steak tenderized with minced garlic and almost a foot wide, so large it was almost hanging off the plate. If there was a list of ingredients, Garlic would almost certainly have topped the list but, the skirt steak was a beautifully cooked tender and juicy piece of meat. Dinner was capped by egg creams, a Brooklyn classic fountain drink consisting of neither egg or cream. Chocolate sauce and a little milk are mixed with seltzer to create a drink not dissimilar to a very smooth and creamy chocolate ice cream soda. Shown once, we were left the ingredients to make our own to our hearts delight.

Now to step away from the food and my expanded waistline for a moment. All along, the live music is almost jarring but the vibe is unreal as the decor. It felt as though we had stepped into a bar miztvah and Borscht Belt party with Yiddish sing a-longs, folk dancing and more frozen vodka shots to the soundtrack of a live synthesiser and very enthusiastic singer. As we were sat in the middle of the room, other diners were literally dancing around us and I fearfully sat and observed the craziness as it unfolded around me. My photos will simply not do this place justice. Sammy’s Roumanian is a very unique place and experience. You’d be lucky not to take indigestion away with you from this place and there was a bowl of alka seltzer on your way out to help through your pains. Sammy’s Roumanian busts out traditional Jewish food from an era with clearly no cholesterol conscious and this is not a place for the introverted. Oy… what an experience. I’ll have another egg cream please.

Sammy’s Roumanian
157 Chrystie St. (Delancey St.)
Manhattan, NY 10002

Phone: 212-673-0330

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