A Miracle of A Ham Sandwich

It seems that there is nothing more exquisite for a New York Jew chow-enthusiast than a good deli sandwich. Corned Beef and Chopped Liver at Katz's comes to mind. A lean Pastrami on Rye at the 2nd Avenue Deli wouldn't be a bad choice either.

But, nothing - absolutely nothing - is quite as thrilling for my brethren than the discovery of the ultimate "traif" delicacy. Whether it's a hunt for the perfect Shrimp Cocktail or the best Baby Back Ribs, we know our stuff.

And, nothing - absolutely nothing - says "forbidden fruit" like a slab of smoky, pig goodness - Ham.

So, in the name of Our People's quest, my Bar Mitzvah-ed pal Craig and I set out for a lunch at O'Casey's. There, Craig swore was the Holy Grail of ham sandwiches: a Wednesday special of Donegal Ham on crunchy French Bread, served with a sweet-sour Honey-Rum Sauce. I hadn't heard of Donegal Ham per se, but having long-heard that the Irish have a way about food, especially in comparison to their Brit neighbors, I was up for the visit.

We ambled up to the pub's classic Irish bar and he ordered us two of the specials from his bartender pal Tony. With a devilish wink in his eye, Tony inquired about our mustard selection. Craig said to give us the works. The works included your basic garden-variety Gulden's, Grey Poupon Dijon and a sweat-inducing, fiery hot homemade mustard which Tony unveiled in a Tupperware container.

And then came the sandwiches: sizeable creatures, that were nothing more than great bread surrounding a hearty portion of thickly sliced pink meat. At Craig's suggestion, I poured some of the Honey-Rum Sauce atop and attempting to be daring I put a dab of the hot mustard on for good measure.

Good measure, indeed. It was fantastic. The beautiful cherry pink meat was firm and juicy with an edge of inherent sweetness that was only emphasized by the honey sugar in the sauce. The slight edge of heat from the mustard rounded out the flavors brilliantly.

Washing it down with a Killian's Red I took a glance down the bar. At 2pm on a workday it was still filled with business types all with heaping platters of food before them. Beer seemed to be everyone's drink of choice.

And I must say, if they only would add He'brew to their tap, between The Chosen Ale and that Donegal Ham, O'Casey's might top the Wailing Wall as a Judaic tourist destination.