Oh boy. Sammy's Roumanian was one for the books. We came here Halloween weekend for a friend's birthday/Halloween celebration. I had never been there before, but always heard the following things about it: you dance, you drink, you eat huge portions of meat. I was prepared for all of those things, but did not know just how much there would be of all of those things.
A group of 10 of us got escorted to our table in the basement of the restaurant. Kitschy does not even begin to describe this place. Photos of celebrity and regular people wallpapered the walls. Tables were shoved together with cheap wooden chairs and white table clothes. And on each table was a big pitcher of schmaltz (chicken fat). Think of schmaltz as the Ashkenazi Jewish version of butter.
In the corner of this crowded basement was a keyboard, and our MC for the night. Our MC played klezmer music, other random Jewish music that I learned growing up at the local synagogue, and we did the hora! He played American music as well, most notably "Sweet Caroline" towards the end of the night, which had everyone going crazy.
Now, for the drinking. You cannot go to Sammy's without indulging in some vodka. Sure, they have wine and other alcohol, but the vodka is the staple thing to get. It is crazy overpriced, but no one is there to save money. We ordered a few bottles of Stoli, and they come frozen in ice! They are served with tiny carafes of mixers - cranberry, and Seltzer.
As you are drinking and cheersing for anything and nothing, the kitchen is serving up some huge meat. I got a breaded veal chop and it was bigger than the plate!
Between the meat and vodka overload, and dancing (read: flailing), I was hurting the next day. So was each one of our friends. This was definitely a once in a New York lifetime experience, but that's not to say I wouldn't do it again.
Matchbook verdict: Much like the sparse decor, this matchbook leaves a lot to be desired. I do like the combination of fonts, from the all caps, to the hand written-looking font, and the font that looks like Hebrew at first glance. My favorite part is on the back where it says "Ample Parking," because I have no clue who would leave Sammy's sober enough to drive.
-GK
A group of 10 of us got escorted to our table in the basement of the restaurant. Kitschy does not even begin to describe this place. Photos of celebrity and regular people wallpapered the walls. Tables were shoved together with cheap wooden chairs and white table clothes. And on each table was a big pitcher of schmaltz (chicken fat). Think of schmaltz as the Ashkenazi Jewish version of butter.
In the corner of this crowded basement was a keyboard, and our MC for the night. Our MC played klezmer music, other random Jewish music that I learned growing up at the local synagogue, and we did the hora! He played American music as well, most notably "Sweet Caroline" towards the end of the night, which had everyone going crazy.
Now, for the drinking. You cannot go to Sammy's without indulging in some vodka. Sure, they have wine and other alcohol, but the vodka is the staple thing to get. It is crazy overpriced, but no one is there to save money. We ordered a few bottles of Stoli, and they come frozen in ice! They are served with tiny carafes of mixers - cranberry, and Seltzer.
As you are drinking and cheersing for anything and nothing, the kitchen is serving up some huge meat. I got a breaded veal chop and it was bigger than the plate!
Between the meat and vodka overload, and dancing (read: flailing), I was hurting the next day. So was each one of our friends. This was definitely a once in a New York lifetime experience, but that's not to say I wouldn't do it again.
Matchbook verdict: Much like the sparse decor, this matchbook leaves a lot to be desired. I do like the combination of fonts, from the all caps, to the hand written-looking font, and the font that looks like Hebrew at first glance. My favorite part is on the back where it says "Ample Parking," because I have no clue who would leave Sammy's sober enough to drive.
-GK
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