CHARLOTTE’S GOT KOSHER- GO FIGURE!

The following dispatch was filed by Deborah Wenger, Publications Editor at the UTJ, and Contributing Editor of the Kosher Nexus.

If you’re traveling in the Charlotte, NC, area, make sure to drop in at Gleiberman’s Kosher Mart & Restaurant for both lunch (they’re open for dinner only on Sundays) and takeout food. I visited them twice recently on a long road trip. The restaurant is not a fancy place by any means – it’s mostly a deli – but the food is SUPERB! Their corned beef was one of the best I’ve ever tasted – hot and juicy. The fries were just right – crisp outside, melt-in-your-mouth inside, and not too greasy.

And do not miss Papa Geno’s homemade soups – I was there in steamy 90-degree weather, but the soups were worth tasting, even in that weather. If you’re like me and go for thick, chunky soups, these are for you. I had the mushroom barley soup one day and the chili on the other day. The soup of the day varies, but there is a large variety available in their freezer section – selections include zucchini and squash, tomato basil, and shiitake mushroom, among many others. Their homemade knishes are also not to be missed. The beef-potato knish is a KN Five Fork special (would the soups be Five Spoon specials?). I wish they would package these soups and knishes and sell them up here in NJ!

Gleiberman’s is also a kosher supermarket, with a good selection of meat (obtained from the same supplier as Prime Grill in NYC, owner Jeff Gleiberman told me), frozen items, and Israeli products. Jeff will be glad to pack up anything you need for a trip, and will double-wrap things so you can microwave them at your hotel if you’re traveling through.

Gleiberman’s is under the supervision of Rabbi Yossi Groner of Chabad. It is located at 5668-D International Drive, Charlotte, NC 28270 (you have to drive around the 5668 building to find 5668-D in the back). Their phone number is 704-563-8288 and their website is www.gleibermans.com. It’s worth the trip!