S & S, Cambridge, MA

After a one month break we decided to go back to our die hard habits and take up brunching, once again. We decided to make a strong come back in one of our favorite places in Cambridge, S & S. Curiously, we hadn't written a post about this Inman Square institution up until now (we did write a post on its sister establishment Ryles some time back, though.).

S & S is one of the oldest delis in the Boston area with a rich history that goes back to 1919.   We were not around then, but I can safely assume the place was as consistently packed every weekend as it is these days. This establishment is a traditional NY style deli and I have to say it can successfully go toe to toe with many of the Manhattan powerhouses in the business. Their menu is long and varied but the actual stars are the smoked whitefish, lox, egg dishes and cold cuts (including a fabulous homemade corned beef). Their bagels are, predictably, also legendary. Finally, because of the amazing size of their dining room, even though the place is always crowded, it is unusual to wait in line for long.

Having gone through this chain of raving compliments, let us discuss our experience last weekend. We wanted to have a simple and to the point brunch experience, so we decided lox and bagel should fit the bill perfectly. Ana ordered exactly that while I ordered the lox platter which includes some extra ingredients (tomato and a hard boiled egg) and considerably more salmon than its smaller version. We waited for a long time for our dishes (which obviously needed no preparation). When our food arrived my platter contained maybe 25 % less salmon than Ana's bagel (when it's usually around 40% more!). When I brought this up with the waitress she said that was the way it was and that should be the end of it. Ridiculous. On a second iteration she decided it would be ok if I wanted to bring the issue up with the manager (gracious of her!). After 20 minutes we got our audience granted. When I explained the situation, the manager said that, although we were right in stating that the platter is a larger portion (which of course I knew, having had that dish maybe 10 times), she could not confirm the situation, as we were already midway through our brunch. She repeated this many times and said she had no way of knowing if we were telling the truth. I was speechless. I guess that triggered her reaction: she said that we could have one or two more slices of salmon on her. How absurd is that! I payed for my salmon!!!! In any case, I said she shouldn't do us any favors and that we just wanted to finish our meal.  She said nothing and disappeared, never to be seen again.

We finished our brunch and left, disappointed. Of course, the bagel and (little) lox I did get were superb as always.

I am really sorry it is this experience that gets posted on QPB, as we have visited S&S countless times with great success and joy. I guess, they are not perfect after all... The Quest continues..