It was surprising that The Jewish Week would run a decidedly promotional piece about Katz’s Delicatessen (“Ironic Katz’s Deli To Open Brooklyn Outpost,” March 10). From the headline calling it an “iconic deli,” to identifying it as “a fixture on New York Lower East Side since 1888,” to reporting “that customers can expect Katz’s classics like pastrami, hot dogs and salami,” the quick, or careless or not fully informed reader could easily be misled into believing that Katz’s Deli is indeed an “iconic” kosher delicatessen.
While The Jewish Week does not have the credentials to certify as to whether a restaurant meets the standards of a truly kosher eatery, it could have inserted gentle warnings, such as referring to Katz’s menu as offering “typically Jewish-style fare,” which would have raised a warning flag for those who are interested in maintaining kosher eating standards but are less than fully informed about New York City’s eateries. As it is, unsuspecting readers may be led astray by this otherwise laudatory endorsement.
Riverdale, N.Y