We'll be in NYC next week, and I'm really interested in going to Barney Greengrass for breakfast. I thought I was semi-knowledgeable about food in general, but it's obvious I'm not; was looking at the menu at menupages.com (what a great resource!) so we could be prepared to order when arriving and not "look like tourists!" yeah, right...

So, anyway, what's best? We don't have these distinctions in our area: sturgeon vs Nova Scotia Salmon; lox vs pickled lox; sable; and most intriguing, pastrami salmon?

I looked at chowhound.com and didn't find anyithing addressing this; please aim me to another site or thread if useful.

Maybe I should just get a bagel w/ chicken liver spread instead?:

What's best? Depends on what you like. Nova Scotia salmon is silky, cold smoked, delicate and thin sliced. Lox is usually thicker sliced, sometimes saltier, has more of a salmon flavor, and seems a bit oilier. The classic components of a Jewish bagel, cream cheese, onion, tomato breakfast as it stands up better to the mix than Nova Scotia salmon. Sturgeon is most likely warm smoked, and ressembles alder smoked salmon -- sable is no doubt more of the same. Totally different texture, and looks more like cooked fish filets than the Nova or lox. Pickled lox? Could be gravlax (salt cured) or could be a vinegar marinated lox. Pastrami salmon -- rubbed with coriander/pepper mixture and salt cured or possibly cold smoked.

Hope this helped and didn't further confuse you! For a safe bet, get the lox and cream cheese!

B/

While menupages is great, if you go to the restaurant's own website, they have a catering dept and explain each type of fish and even have photos

http://www.barneygreengrass.com/onli...tID=12&start=0

The place is know for their smoked fish (and especially sturgeon). It would be sacrilege to have "chicken liver spread" instead IMO unless you don't like smoked fish. I like gravlax. You can get a combo sandwich.

Sorry, didn't mean to offend anybody by blowing off the smoked fish options vs. chicken liver "spread." I love both! (and my husband finds both equally disgusting, so he'll just have to deal...) I'll look at their website and try to distinguish between the options; there are just *way* more options than we have in my part of the world!

I don't know the difference between these options and wanted to get the so-called "best" thing. I know of (at least our version) lox, and pickled herring in a jar.

We seem to have one shot at this during this trip--Thursday--between other obligations and Passover, so I'm determined to have the ultimate experience. We were there a couple of years ago at exactly the same time, except that Passover had already begun, so the restaurant was closed...I was bummed.

Everything is good there, but Barney Greengrass is known as "the sturgeon king," so you might want to try the sturgeon. I will say that they have the absolute best pickled herring I have ever had--it is an absolute must have.