Rosenfeld’s Jewish Delicatessen
6301 Coastal Highway
Ocean City, Md 21842
410-520-0283
Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli is the first true “Jewish style” deli to be opened in Ocean City, Md. and I say “ABOUT TIME”. It is located on the bayside of Coastal Highway very near its intersection with the Route 90 Bridge exit. Rosenfeld’s took over a long time store called The Sunshine House and they have transformed a quaint yellow structure into a clean white carryout deli with a surrounding outdoor patio dining area. There is minimal inside dining and most of the space is taken up by the counter and open kitchen. Everything is clean and bright and the staff is attentive and friendly. Just a word of warning; parking is around back so do not try to park in the next door lot of an adjacent restaurant (THEY WILL TOW).
RJD serves breakfast all day and lunch from 11 until close with a few dinner offerings beginning at 4 pm until close. That being said, let us begin with RLD’s breakfast offerings. The Eggs, Egg Sandwiches and Omelettes offerings are all well prepared and a good serving size. Cheese is always an extra charge and most dishes come with a choice of a bagel or potato latkes. The Bagels are of a great quality with a nice chew and excellent crumb unfortunately the same cannot be said about the Potato Latkes. For anyone who does not know; a latke is a pancake made from shredded potatoes, usually with shallots or onions, and held together with beaten eggs and then shallow fried until golden brown and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Sadly these latkes seemed to have been made in advance and then frozen and then heated on a flat top. They were chewy and tasteless with none of the crispy texture that makes a real potato latke such a treat to eat. The omeleetes, on the other hand, were light and fluffy and had the added bonus of the customer being able to add any of RJD’s cured meats to them. The Pancakes and Waffles are very nice but the French Toasts are bland and flavorless, especially the Challah French Toast. Again, for those who do not know, Challah bread is very similar to French Brioche and can make the most wonderful French toast imaginable, unfortunately there seems to be very little imagination in these. They would benefit greatly with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and some citrus flavoring, such as orange zest.
The Smoked Fish section is well worth a look see by anyone dining at whatever time of day. The Smoked Salmon is excellent with just a hint of smoke and a creamy texture I love. The Kippered Salmon is also lovely and the salt curing process leaves a great texture and intensifies the salmon flavor. The Whitefish, Sable and Herring are classically prepared and should be tried in all their variations. My only qualm is that more capers need to be served with the cured and smoked fish platters, I found myself digging around my plate hoping to find a couple more.
Honestly though, the real reason anyone goes to a Jewish Deli is for the cured meats and the sandwiches made from the same, so let’s get down to the nitty gritty, RJD’s meats and sandwiches are excellent! The Hot Corned Beef, Pastrami and Brisket of Beef make me want to convert. They are moist and tender and with just enough fat to make them interesting. An important note; Do Not Leave without someone ordering a Reuben!! They are amazing. The Turkey is a blessing of juiciness but the true revelation is the Tongue. I know what all the newbies to Jewish Deli’s are saying “You could never get me to eat Tongue” well all I can say is thanks because that leaves more for me. RJD’s beef tongue is cured beautifully with a delicate flavor that makes an excellent sandwich with some Swiss cheese and spicy mustard on their excellent Rye bread.
I have, unfortunately not gotten around to trying any of the Deli’s Traditional Dinner Favorites or desserts mainly because I just can’t get past the sandwiches but someday I will (everyone needs to set goals for themselves). What I have tried is their Chocolate Egg Cream and it brings back college age memories when my friends and I would order them and walk around The City. These live up to those memories so order one; they are a fizzy, milky, chocolaty treat. Also my family and I are long time Chocolate Babka fans and the pre-packaged version offered here is a good representation. It is very dense and chocolaty but a bit sweeter that I am used to (a slice made my teeth hurt) but very good.
It is a great treat having a real Jewish Deli in Ocean City and I am happy that Rosenfeld’s has opened. The lines will probably be long and the wait longer but keep the faith and go and get a great sandwich and cream soda, you will not regret the decision. Remember what they say “Some good Corned Beef will make everything all better”.
