Restaurant review: Koster’s Famous New York Delicatessen in Prosper

by Chow Hound of of McKinneyNews.net

PROSPER — Though the young server's efforts were well intentioned, the cake still arrived rather unceremoniously in a clumsy heap. In many ways the questionable attempt to cut into the yellow double-decker sock-it-to-me cake with a butter knife defined Chow Hound's inaugural visit to improbably-named-given-its-location Koster's Famous New York Delicatessen, a joint that’s only been open four weeks.

Perhaps folks are more forgiving of the service lapses this far out into the boonies on U.S. 380 about two miles east of Custer Road, a still relatively rural setting to stumble upon a New York deli. And maybe they should be. After all, there is a certain charm associated with a twenty-something young man mangling a beautiful cake with a butter knife (really).

But the “boonies” comment shouldn’t only be associated with a certain Koster’s parochial charm. The location of the joint is of deep concern to Chow Hound for another reason: profitability.

As everyone knows, or at least professes to know, location is the most vital ingredient in establishing a thriving business. Throw up a New York-style deli, for instance, in the heart of Texas pastureland outside the economic bounds of a thriving metropolis (New York, say) and, well, you’ve got to be pretty gutsy -- or pretty…

But alas, said another young man slinging hash at Koster’s, this is the genius of the location: There ain’t another eatery within miles. Indeed. What’s that saying about economic business (restaurant) synergy?

Koster’s deli, as the name implies, is a delicatessen -- a long-time favor of New Yorkers, say, but Texans? OK, you get CH’s point, right?

Perhaps Chow Hound is needlessly obsessing on one brush stroke on a canvas that, thankfully, has something more to offer the public -- namely, decent, er, damned good, food.

On a couple of trips to Koster’s, CH ordered several sandwiches -- this after taking several minutes to ingest all the offerings that the joint features; and in the best of delicatessen tradition, Koster’s offers quite a bit: milk, cheeses, cold meats (Boar’s Head), steaks, and even lobster tail -- all these presented in their various cases for take home.

The ambience of Koster’s suits its purpose exquisitely. Nothing fancy, just concrete floors and lots of stainless steel coolers and deli cases -- oh, and a smattering of tables and several booths for those wishing to take a seat and grab a sandwich there.

Chow Hound sampled a deli staple, a corned beef reuben ($8.95), and also decided to try an Original Cowboy Burger ($7.95) -- and a glass of water that would be offered long after the original order was taken, the server forgetting to solicit CH’s beverage order the first time around. Though not as “quaint” as cutting a cake with a butter knife, Chow Hound wasn’t too terribly ruffled by the misstep. After all, it’s only been four weeks.

The burger and reuben arrived several minutes later, the burger in particular catching CH’s attention with its homemade and delicately battered onion rings piled high on the nice fat bacon-cheese burger. The Reuben’s swirling marble rye didn’t go unnoticed, mind you.

The burger was ordered primarily because it was, said the staff, raised -- or at least the cow was raised -- on the owner’s property right smack dab in Prosper. And we all know the health benefits of eating grass fed, as opposed to corn fed, beef, right? (CH will spare you the lecture, but if any are interested in the ridiculous state of corn and beef management in this country, read Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”)

Ladies and gents, allow CH to suggest that Koster’s burger may indeed be the best burger this dog has had in quite a long while -- and he’s had quite a few good burgers in recent weeks. Perhaps it was all psychological; you know, the thought of consuming something that wasn’t confined to a feeding lot (with 37,000 other animals) for a year and injected with all types of antibiotics -- all this while wading in its own excrement. Or maybe it’s just that grass-fed beef tastes better. Whatever the case, the beef was ridiculously tender and juicy and that made all the difference. (Think about it. Aren’t most burgers -- even the good ones -- usually fairly dry around these parts?) The extremely fresh and soft bun played a stunning supporting role while the sweet onion rings and homemade French fries (yes, you get both) measured up to the stellar burger.

The reuben was equally as good as the burger, though CH wished for more corned beef. Delicatessens, at least the great ones, are great in part because they squeeze obscene amounts of protein between two slices of carbohydrate. While reasonable, CH thinks Koster’s version could have been infused with a bit more corned beef. Other than that, the tender beef, accompanied by Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing, was perfect.

The cake. Remember the cake? The sock-it-to-me cake wasn’t half bad and appeared to be what CH prefers to call a mix customization. That is, it appeared to The Dog that the cake was a hopped up mix meaning in this case a yellow cake mix was fiddled with to render it more dense and moist to the point of almost -- but not quite -- pulling off a made-from-scratch texture. All in all, the cinnamon streusel cake wasn’t, as CH has already stated, half bad.

So, this is the deal: Koster’s has got something good going on in the middle of nowhere. Will people slow down long enough on their frenetic trips up and down 380 to notice? CH truly hopes so. It’s nice having at least a little piece of NY in the cow pasture. Oh, and if you're gonna order cake, maybe bring one of them things you cut cake with.

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