Dingfelder's : Mother's chicken soup (One of eight . . . or nine)

 

I want to start this review off right. Here is the link to Dingfelder's Delicatessen.  

We had mom's chicken soup, pickles, borscht, gribenes, latkes, a Reuben Corned Beef sandwich on rye, a chopped chicken liver on onion roll, and beef tongue on rye. I shall treat each item in a separate review. 

Today I shall review mom's chicken soup and the pickles. 

If you chased the link above to Dingfelder's, you may have noticed that mom' chicken soup is not on the menu. There is a story there.  

When I planned this trip, I saw a blog that listed Dingfelder's Deli among the ten best sandwich shops in Seattle. There were others, but Dingfelder's . . . there is a name that stands out. I put Dingfelder's Deli on my 'Must Visit' list and continued my planning. 

I executed my plan, and we arrived at Dingfelder's one afternoon. One Thursday afternoon. This will be important when I review their borscht. 

Ari, polite and helpful, took our first order. Soon after our order arrived, Vance Dingfelder -- the owner his own self -- joined us and struck up a conversation. 

For his cooking skills and business, Vance credits his grandmothers. There are photos of them on the walls. Not small photos. Billboard-size photos. 

Vance asked me how I found his eatery. I told him Dingfelder's Delicatessen popped on on my computer as one of the ten best restaurants in Seattle. Vance lost his smile and peered at me through narrowed eyes. It was clear he did not believe me. (I swear it was true.) Vance keeps a cynical appreciation of his deli's place in the Seattle restaurant pecking order. We then talked about Bateau restaurant. Vance said he goes there once a month, but from all the stories he told me of his sojourns there, I think he eats at Bateau more often than that. 

My wife and I each finished a latke while Vance talked. That is when Vance excused himself to the kitchen and brought back two cups of Mother's Chicken Soup. The soup was full of vegetables and goodness. Serious Jewish penicillin. Don't know, but I think this is the base for "Grandma" Matzo Ball Soup. Wife liked it. I liked it. 

Pickles. Dingfelder's serves pickles as sides to sandwiches. Their pickles include cucumbers and green tomatoes. Pickled together? Don't know but to me the tastes say yes. Kosher? I think so, but mild with a hint of sweetness. Reminded me of  the taste of bread-and-butter pickles. Excellent. 

Mother's Chicken Soup: A- 

The pickles: A 

Next time . . . Borscht. 

One more time, the link : https://dingfelders.com/