Russ & Daughters, one of my favorites!

One of my most favorite stores in New York City is Russ & Daughters, located on Houston Street in the wonderfully ethnic Lower East Side.  Known as an appetizing shop, Russ & Daughters first opened its doors way back in 1914.  Prior to that, Joel Russ, an Eastern European immigrant, found a customer base by selling dried Polish mushrooms from a little pushcart.  He soon realized that if he had a store, he could sell many more products that his buyers were longing for.  Because Joel had no sons, he put his daughters to work in the shop and thus, the name.  Russ & Daughters became well known as purveyors of the highest quality smoked fish, pickled herring, caviar, dried and candied fruits, and many other specialty foods.  I have fond memories of shopping there when I was just a little girl along with my father.  He loved their smoked white fish and my mother adored the creamed herring.

Today, Russ & Daughters is run by Niki Russ Federman and her cousin, Josh Russ Tupper – both 4th generation – that, in itself, is amazing!  Over the years, very little has changed in the shop.  It’s still bright, impeccably neat, and filled with beautiful and delicious products.  And knowing that it’s also filled with plenty of history, makes this store a real gem.

Niki Russ Federman - 4th generation – now runs the store with her cousin Josh Russ Tupper.

The long, narrow store is filled from top to bottom with wonderful products.

shelves of great imported food items

caviar tins decorate the store

wonderful old scales used long ago

This glass case contains delicious salads and pickled herring and salmon.

more herring

Jose is the master smoked salmon slicer.  Say that 10 times fast! 

There were 9 different types of smoked and cured salmon.  Tasting each one was a real treat – each is so different from the other -– kind of like wine tasting.

up close and beautiful

The staff is very courteous and well-trained.

Jose helping a customer – tallying up the bill the old-fashioned way.

The smoked sable is out of this world!

I love the smoked brook trout.

more smoked fish

and of course, heavenly cream cheeses and sour cream

This is good to know!

Precious runs the other side of the shop selling chocolates, dried and candied fruits, nuts, candies, cheeses, and coffee.

piles of delicious dried fruits

gift baskets on display along with lots of family history

I love this photo

more family history

This is a portrait of Joel Russ –- the founder –- watching over his business.

And there’s even a photo of me!

Edible flowers in my garden
Sharkey had a little accident
A fun trip to the DMV
Haircut time for the donkeys!
Guests at my farm yesterday

Comments

[Carl Handy]

This is about the Amish Friendship Cake.

I have been cooking with sourdough for about 30 years.

The starter for the Friendship cake is a milk based sourdough. There are some things to remember when using sourdough.

1. Never use metal with sourdough the metal will kill the yeast.

2. Never seal the starter in a tight container. The yeast will expand the gas and the container will break. Also the yeast has to breath so needs to replace the air it uses.

3. When making the starter some times the mixture will turn pink. When this happens the mixture must be discarded and the starter process begun again.

4. Some companies that sell starter kits will say to add packaged yeast to the starter. This is only to ensure that the mixture will become sourdough and not rot. Even with yeast the starter has to change the flour into glutin. Martha's receipe will produce a starter because the mixture will pick up a wild yeast.

5. The starter can be kept in the refrigrator or frozen (for a short time). Once the cake dough has been made it must be baked immediatly because there are ingredients in the dough which will kill the yeast.

6. There is a flour based starter which is used for bread. You can mke a starter by mixing one cup of white flour with one cup of water and then follow the steps as for the Milk based starter except you only add flour and water. When done it sould be bubbling.

7. Sour dough cooking is not for the impatient. The steps have to be done in order and time left ofr the starter to do its work or you will not be sucessful.

[cybele]

Last time I was there I picked up really good quality chocolate covered matzoh. And I'm a sucker for halvah.

[Barnaby Dorfman]

Also a personal favorite! I live in Seattle now, but was born and raised in Manhattan. I grew up on the Upper West Side in the 1970s, and as much as we loved Zabar's, a trip down to Houston St. was a real treat. Of course, we always had to visit Katz' Deli and the Guss Pickles down the street on those expeditions. Thanks for the great pictures!