Formosa Street Food and Bar (formerly Unwind Cafe)

[soonerguru]

I went last week and was very pleased. The pastrami, though a bit smokier than I prefer, was pretty much melt-in-your-mouth good. The side I chose, the slaw, was delicious. My only beef (see what I did there?), was I actually kinda wish the pastrami was piled a little higher.

Minor quibble: they butter and toast the rye bread, which is really unnecessary given how good the meat is. It was a little weird to have butter dripping through the meat, and believe me, I like butter. Also, some of the rye was overtoasted and had a slight burnt flavor.

All in all, I'm pretty pumped about Scottie's deli. It's easily the closest facsimile I've witnessed in Oklahoma to real delicatessen food. The owner obviously is geared toward creating quality food. This isn't some gimmick dreamed up by restaurant investors. While imperfect, it's the real deal.

[Roger S]

Had the New York New York for lunch.... Incredible sandwich and the pastrami and corned beef were some of the best I've eaten.... Really enjoyed the smokiness of the meat too.

[sooner88]

They've updated their menu some since I first went in, including adding two different sizes: Regular and New York. For an additional $6-$8 you can get the New York option (~$20 sandwich)... the regular was plenty for me, but I assume some people have requested the piled high version.

http://scottiesdeliokc.com/assets/sc...-deli-menu.pdf

[TheTravellers]

Duck pastrami sounds really interesting! Have they fixed the running-out-of-food-early problem by now?

[Anonymous.]

First time looking @ their menu... Wow those prices are pretty crazy for countertop ordering. I hope they do well, as nicer sandwhich options is always good for an area.

[Roger S]

First time looking @ their menu... Wow those prices are pretty crazy for countertop ordering. I hope they do well, as nicer sandwhich options is always good for an area.

Price point is high but the quality is top notch.... My first thought when I went was "Dang... $12 for a sandwich?" but when I walked out I felt the quality matched the price.

[baralheia]

Price point is high but the quality is top notch.... My first thought when I went was "Dang... $12 for a sandwich?" but when I walked out I felt the quality matched the price.

Exactly this. They make practically everything themselves, and they do a fantastic job at it. They're expensive, yes, but it's totally worth it.

[catcherinthewry]

I walked out after a $15 lunch thinking I was still hungry.

[Roger S]

I walked out after a $15 lunch thinking I was still hungry.

Plenty of places around town where you can find quantity over quality.... Trust me I've gained a few pounds eating at them.

Reached a point though where I'm generally more concerned with quality over quantity. Hoping there are enough others with that mindset to keep places like Scottie's and more places like it going.

[Thomas Vu]

I thought it was weird when they introduced the more meat options, and I'm a guy that loves meat! I was already of the impression that their sandwiches had enough meat. With how smokey some of the meat is, I was wondering if this is what a sandwich at a bbq joint should taste like.

[sooner88]

NY deli's like Katz, etc. definitely pile on a lot more than the regular at Scottie's.... but in my opinion that is just an absurd amount of food.

[catcherinthewry]

Plenty of places around town where you can find quantity over quality.... Trust me I've gained a few pounds eating at them.

Reached a point though where I'm generally more concerned with quality over quantity. Hoping there are enough others with that mindset to keep places like Scottie's and more places like it going.

When it comes to food I have no problem paying for quality, I was just disappointed with the portion.

[FighttheGoodFight]

NY deli's like Katz, etc. definitely pile on a lot more than the regular at Scottie's.... but in my opinion that is just an absurd amount of food.

At Katz they tend to slice it thin to pile it on. I haven't been to Scotties so I can't comment. I am a bit of a deli snob and I have never been able to find a decent deli in oklahoma up to my standards

[TheirTheir]

At Katz they tend to slice it thin to pile it on. I haven't been to Scotties so I can't comment. I am a bit of a deli snob and I have never been able to find a decent deli in oklahoma up to my standards

What are your thoughts on Brown Bag and Someplace Else?

[FighttheGoodFight]

What are your thoughts on Brown Bag and Someplace Else?

I prefer Someplace Else. I haven't been to brown bag in a long while but I remember not really liking the bread. Someplace else has some nice homemade rye and the prices are nice.

I good dressing really goes a long way as well. When I was in New York a few years back I just did a pilgrimage of deli everyday for lunch. Pastrami queen and Liebman's were pretty great but those New York prices hit hard! Mile End was good as well but I remember they are from Canada (I think) and did some neat combos for deli.

[Paseofreak]

Pastrami queen and Liebman's were pretty great but those New York prices hit hard!

How much was a regular pastrami sandwich with side and beverage (as to compare with Scotties) at a respectable NYC deli?

[FighttheGoodFight]

How much was a regular pastrami sandwich with side and beverage (as to compare with Scotties) at a respectable NYC deli?

$15 to $20 bucks. Mind you I usually split it with the wife. Pastrami Queen in particular really stuffs them.

[Paseofreak]

Wow! Expensive to live in NYC!

[sooner88]

I went for the second time today and it was as good or better than the first. I went with the New York New York again and it's one of my favorite sandwiches in the city. They weren't slammed by any means, but they had a steady stream of business for the 30-45 minutes or so we were there. I'm curious if they're running into any issues, or push back, with pricing (similar to Maples) where people don't appreciate or understand the quality of the meat they are serving and the time commitment it takes to make them. ~$11 for my sandwich seemed appropriate, and I was by no means hungry afterwards.

[Thomas Vu]

I've seen a post or two compare this to katz or other NY delis.

For me, even though I am going to NYC/Katz soon (to see how it compares), I'll take this for what it is and that's a great sandwich option for OKC.

[Pete]

[harp23]

Went to Katz back in May. Pastrami sandwich was $22.00, could only eat 1/2 it was so big but I shared some of their excellent fries (huge portion for $6.00 I think) with the family. That was the best sandwich I've ever eaten, not kidding.

[soonerguru]

Went to Katz back in May. Pastrami sandwich was $22.00, could only eat 1/2 it was so big but I shared some of their excellent fries (huge portion for $6.00 I think) with the family. That was the best sandwich I've ever eaten, not kidding.

That and some choice pizza alone are worth a trip to NYC.

[Thomas Vu]

Currently in NYC. I had Katz late last night. I ordered the pastrami sandwich, the fries, the reuben, and a matzo ball soup.

Having tried both places now, I think Scotties is going in a good direction. Call me crazy, I may even prefer it to Katz.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Osg9CL2P8erlGaOt2
Picture of the pastrami + fries

I liked the thickness of the meat, and how it was very tender. Scotties has a richer flavor profile. The bottom bread was soggy and there was a deceptive amount of grease from the sandwich (which I like). Fries are steak fries that weren't seasoned/salted.

Here's a picture of the pastrami-esque sandwich I had at Scotties

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9iVMf7ogm9kRPRob2

The sandwich heights are similar, but the bread size is different. Katz offers larger bread size and as a result offers more meat. The difference in portions of meat received could be considered negated by differences in price. I suspect the "NY" portion would either be on par or offer more than Katz at the same price point.

Back to just Katz, I preferred the reuben flavors to the pastrami. The corned beef was thicker than the pastrami, and had a ton of fat. Unfortunately, it made the meat very chewy and kind of hard to swallow as a result. I imagine the ultimate combo for me would be pastrami meat + the turkey meat I saw there with the reuben dressings.

[Rover]

IMHO, even though Katz is famous, there are a number of delis with better Reubens and Pastami sandwiches in Manhattan. Maybe Scottie’s will surprise me, but I haven’t found anything close in OKC yet.