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Join Me in Sitting Shiva for the 2nd Avenue Deli
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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The "Nayes" (news) is not good! I missed the 16th Annual kosher barbecue given by the Anshel Sphard-Beth El Emeth Synagogue in Memphis. Imagine teams of Jews with names like "Alte Kookers," " Grillin n' Tefillin," "Shofar Shogood," and " Moo Shoo Joos."
And now Andy Newman ("Hold the Mustard, Maybe Forever") wrote in the New York Times that the Second Avenue Deli may "have met its match in that implacable beast, the real estate ["dos grunteygns"] market." The current rent at the Second Ave. Deli is $24,000 a month. Jonas Realty wants an additional $9,000 a month.
New York City is home to Katz's Deli, Ben's Deli, the Carnegie Deli, and the Second Avenue Deli, located at 156 2nd Ave. between 9th and 10th Streets, East Village.
How much do you know about this "kosher palace"? Let's look at the A, B, C's of "der restoran" (the restaurant) and other food trivia.
A Abe Lebewohl Mr. Lebewohl, a concentration camp survivor, was the beloved founder of the Second Avenue Deli. He was a showman. He supplied chopped liver sculpture to customers demanding that arcane art. Abe was shot to death in 1996 while banking the previous day's proceeds in a routine he followed regularly each morning. No suspect was apprehended. Jack Lebewohl, Abe's brother, ran the business since his death.
Advice [from the author] You won't find any cross-cultural dishes like "Matzo balls ranchero" at the Deli.
Alibi The 2nd Avenue Deli provided an alibi for a man falsely arrested during 2004's Republican National Convention.
B Birthday In 2004, the Second Ave. Deli celebrated its 50th Birthday. On March 15, they charged its customers 1954 prices:
Hot dogs $ .15
Goulash l.25
Sandwiches .50
Potato knishes .10
Bowl of matzo ball soup .40
Chopped liver .40
Brisket of Beef
A reviewer for eatnyc.org wrote, "Abe
Lebewohl may not have invented deli,
but as far as this reviewer is concerned,
he did for deli what my bubbe did for
brisket...Second Avenue's brisket beats
grandma's by about seventeen
kreplengths, a delightfully fatty, juicy,
transcendent cut of meat done with
well-seasoned authority. Try it on rye,
with a schmear of beet-tinged
horseradish, and you'll know why I'm
retarded over the place."
Re: horseradish - Remember the Jewish proverb, "A worm in a jar of horseradish thinks he is in Paradise."
When Woody Allen was asked in a recent interview, "What is your favorite sandwich?" he replied, "Hot brisket. Very bad for you. I allow myself one every ten years."
C Cookbook "The 2nd Ave. Deli Cookbook" by Sharon Lebewohl and Rena Bulkin, sells for $17.50.
Corned Beef Sandwich ("Peklfleysh
sendvitsh")
A reviewer said, "This [2nd Ave. Deli] is
mecca for great deli lovers. The best
corned beef by far. Killer Kasha and
Varnishkes. The atmosphere is one of
being crushed together in small booths
and the odor of boiled beef and fats
thru out (sic) the restaurant downgrade
the dining ambiance if you have a
sensitive nose."
D Deli
Jane Brody, health columnist, wrote, "Sunday was family and going-out-to-
dinner day, and my favorite Sunday
dinner was deli, especially those big fat
hot dogs called 'specials' you'd get at a
kosher deli. We'd drive to the deli and
buy some 'specials,' tongue, pastrami,
corn beef, rye bread, pick a big sour
pickle out of the barrel, add some
sauerkraut, and wash it all down with a
Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray soda. It was a great
Sunday feast. We would alternate our
visits to the kosher deli by traveling the
following Sunday to the Chinese
restaurant with an all-Cantonese menu."
(Source: "I Remember Brooklyn" by Ralph Monti)
CBDress
Restaurant slang for "Corned Beef with
cole slaw & Russian dressing"
D Dr. Atkins In 1997, the 2nd Ave. Deli won Dr. Atkins' seal of approval.
E Eat ("Essen") If you aren't "hungerik" (hungry), getting a full sandwich at the 2nd Ave. Deli may be too much. One reviewer wrote,"...and you can order the soup ["di zup"] and 1/2 sandwich ["sendvitsh"], but frankly, when you are in a Jewish deli, the idea of 'too much food' and 'not hungry' don't compute. So you open your pants ["hoyzn"] and fit dessert ["farbaysn"] in. Pull your shirt ["hemd"] over your pants--nobody will notice as long as you button them discretely before you go."
When Dan Glickman, president of the Motion Picture Assoc. of America, was asked what qualified him to be secretary of agriculture, he replied, "Growing up in Kansas, I had a Jewish mother who would keep saying, 'Eat, eat, eat.'"
G "Get Well" Gift
Pack
Adhering to the proverb, "Tsores mit
zup iz gringer tsu fartrogn vi tsores on
zup" (Worries with soup are easier to
bear than worries without soup), the
2nd Ave. Deli offers a ($39) "Get Well" Gift Pack: 1 qt. Matzo ball
Soup with 2 Matzo Balls and 1 whole unsliced
challah. And when the"patsyent" (patient) is "beser" (better),
they can order a whole 2-pound Kosher Beef
Salami for $32 (free shipping).
Grois (large) portions
A reviewer wrote (2000), "PORTIONS:
BIG. Good sized portoins (I would say
oversized, but isn't that where 'wrap it
up to go' comes into play?)
H Halvah
The 2nd Ave. Deli's "menyu" (menu)
offers Halvah ($4.99) for dessert.
Milton Lewis, "Dear Diary" (New York Times), wrote, "In New York City, where I was born 92 years ago, I had no trouble getting-- and enjoying--Halvah. After I moved to San Francisco, where I had trouble finding Halvah, I called a food store, part of a huge chain, and spoke with the manager.
Halvah seemed foreign to him, so I read from my dictionary: 'A Turkish confection consisting of a paste made of ground sesame seeds and nuts mixed with honey.' He said he would check. So I gave him my number and name: Milton Lewis. He asked one question: 'Is Lewis spelled with a capital L?' P.S. He did NOT carry halvah."
Paul Mazursky, film director, wrote that his mother would make him her specialty sandwich: halvah and banana on challah. He'd sit in the dark, watch the movie, and munch away. (Source: "I Remember Brooklyn" by Ralph Monti) Headlines "Famous 2nd Avenue Deli Closes. Holy Heartburn"
"No Pastrami On Rye For You"
" 2nd Avenue Deli Heartbreak"
Hot Tea ("tey"/"tai")
A "glezel tai" or a cup of tea at the 2nd Ave. Deli costs $2.29.
P.S. Don't forget to put the sugar cube between your teeth!
K Kosher
Unlike Katz's, Carnegie, and Stage Deli,
the 2nd Ave. Deli is Kosher. Kosher is
a much used word among Americans at
large. A Google search (Jan. 2005) for "kosher" listed 9,600,000 Internet
hits; the words "kosher restaurant" listed 2,150,000 worldwide.
L Lox (smoked salmon)
The 2nd Ave. Deli's menu includes Nova
Scotia Lox & Eggs ($13.95).
M Menu ("menyu")
What's to eat? What's "der prayz"--the
cost?
Challah French Toast $10.50
Blintzes 13.50
Matzo Brie 10.50
Instant Heart Attack 19.95 Don't ask
Frankfurter 3.95
Corned Beef Sandwich 12.50
Tongue Sandwich* 17.50
Rugalach 4.95
Pareve Cheesecake 5.50
*One restaurant reviewer wrote {2nd Ave. Deli], "Best NY Jewish Deli but you pay an arm and a leg for some Tongue."
Pastrami Sandwich Eating Contest (5/16/05) NY City's 2nd Avenue Deli's Sandwich Eating Contest was won by "Gentlemen" Joe Menchetti. GIJoe consumed close to 4 of the world's famous 2nd Ave. pastrami 1/2 pound sandwiches in 10 minutes. Fyvush Finkel was the celebrity judge. The contest was produced and sanctioned by A.I.C.E. (Assoc. of Independent Competitive Eaters).
Florence Fabricant wrote, "The standard pastrami sandwich at the Second Avenue Deli had enough meat packed into it to satisfy the hunger of four people."
Picon, Molly
One room in the deli is named after Molly
Picon as a tribute to the great Yiddish
star.
Pistol
Restaurant slang for "Pastrami sandwich."
Prince of Porn
In 2004, Al Goldstein, the clown prince of
porn, was hired to work at the 2nd Ave.
Deli as a host. Salary: $10 an hour.
Note: The new Chief Executive of Krispy
Kreme Doughnuts, Stephen F. Cooper,
is paid $760 an hour.
Q Quotes
"It's the Mt. Rushmore of Delis." Kate Altman, 12/13/05, about the
2nd Ave. Deli
"It's almost like wiping out Carnegie Hall." Jackie Mason, on the closing of the restaurant.
"My heart is broken; I can't believe it. The 2nd Avenue Deli doesn't just represent pastrami, it represents Jewish-ness on the Lower East Side." Joan Washington
"Anyone who makes money by replacing the Second Avenue Deli with a branch of GapKids should be covered in pastrami and set upon by hungry wolves." LIVEJOURNAL, The Wonkster
R Rugalach
" The Kosher Top 10 Things my bubbe
(aleha V'shalom), did on Thanksgiving" by Dina Malka, includes:
6. Swear to her daughters and granddaughters that her rugelach were absolutely permissable on Weight Watchers (Bangitout.com)
S Signature Dishes
One reviewer wrote, "GREAT no-mayo
cole slaw! Excellent signature dishes
(ie: "Instant Heartattack," a boatload of
corned beef sandwiches between two
potato pancakes) and enough great
people watching to keep an ADD
{Attention Deficit Disorder] patient
mesmerized for hours...Pricey but worth
it. A true New York experience. Check
out Katz's, too."
W Waitress ("kelnerin")
"At a recent lunch the waitress, so
ancient she could have been in brine
herself, carefully anointed a matzoh ball
with broth while intoning her well-
rehearsed line, 'I'll be the pourer, you'll
be the richer.' We, however, are all the
pourer for this death." Reviewer, goodbyemag.com
Another reviewer wrote, "The personalities of the waiters [at the 2nd Ave. Deli] are reminiscent of Grapes of Wrath when everyone was trying to make a living in the depression: tough as nails, and don't forget it."
Waitstaff
"I'll miss the wait staff, who all looked as
if they had started working there in
1954--and all of whom did. I'll miss
seeing that awning in white and blue
letters in a font vaguely resembling
Hebrew, reminding me of my heritage." Adam's Life (a Blog)
Walk of Fame
On the sidewalk in front of the 2nd Ave.
Deli, there's a Yiddish Theatre "Walk of
Fame." It contains stars with the names
of actors from the Yiddish theatre's
glory days: Pesach Burstein, Lillian Lux,
and Sholom Secunda, who wrote, "Bei
Mir Bist Du Schon."
_________
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
is a "CPM"--
Corned Beef and Pastrami Maven.
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