LUNCH AT THE H E B KOSHER STORE IN AUSTIN

Ok. so avocado on pastrami still does not ring our bells, but just about everything else they serve in the kosher restaurant inside an H E B store in Austin is really quite tasty.

Three of us went for lunch and some light shopping the other day. This is hardly our first time there, but we do enjoy eating there every trip we take to Austin.

We had the Reuben sandwich, sans bread. Ordering it that way did not faze them at all. They acted as if they get breadless orders all the time. The corned beef was sliced thin, not at all fatty, and grilled to a perfect turn. The sauer kraut was tangy and just warm enough to compliment the meat. One of us had the Reuben on bread, and it was served on humongous slices of rye bread.

The third person in our party ordered the special of the day which was a beef fajita wrap. The meat was seasoned just right, and served with pareve ranch dressing and pico de gallo, lettuce and tomato.

While we ate, the whole world stopped by to say hello to us. It was a real treat to meet all of Austin’s Jewish community (Ok, that’s a joke) along with the UPS man who “always” eats there as well as several other faces one would not expect to see in a kosher deli.

While it is a tad weird to eat in a super market and have people wending their way through the tables with a shopping cart on their way to the freezer display, it is still a great meal for a great price. Three of us ate and drank for under thirty dollars. Hashgacha is by Rabbi Levertov of Austin.

As we said, we always eat there when we are in Austin, and we are always satisfied.