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STOPPED INTO A DELI DURING A BRIEF SHOWER;
SHOULD HAVE KEPT WALKING IN THE RAIN
(a restaurant review)
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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Damon Runyon said, "As I see it, there are two kinds of people in this world; people who love delis and people you shouldn't associate with."
In October 2008, Zagat will celebrate its 30th birthday. The New York Times called Zagat Survey, "a necessity second only to a valid credit card."
Yes, there are many restaurant rating web sites; the restaurant business is very competitive. But Nina Zagat, the co-founder and half of the husband-and-wife publishing team, believes that "the very best way to get people the information they needed was from other people, and not from professional critics."
1950. Fred Allen wrote the following letter to Groucho Marx about the Stage Deli:
groucho-- every sunday, after mass, we stop for breakfast at the stage delicatessen, at this hour max, the proprietor, is host to a motley throng, horse players, bookmakers, cream soda lovers and sturgeon gourmets, how i, a gentile, get in there, i don't know, since the same characters meet every Sunday there is a friendly atmosphere rampant that no airwick can subdue, when the lox is running good and the cream cheese is spreading easily those assembled, between smacking their chops and wiping their greasy fingers on their vests, will discuss some topic that is currently engaging the general public.
yesterday, the air conditioning was not functioning at the stage, there was a gamey flatulent essence dominating the room but the flanken was lean and spirits were high, talk turned to the tallulah show, every tout, every bookie and every questionable customer present had seen the program.
eating was suspended, chicken fat was
shaken from fingers to point them, novy was shredded from snags of teeth to
make
way for encomiums, the countermen stopped slicing to mingle their opinions
with those of the chef who looked out of the kitchen door while keeping his
eyes on
an order of scrambled eggs and onions not
too brown, a fat man put down a dr. brown
celery tonic bottle and emitted an
effervescent burp while he paid tribute to
the hour, a man sitting on a toilet bowl
swung open the men's room door and added his kudo to the acclaim...
("Groucho
Letters")
kitchen
1967. Alan Rinzler wrote, "The New York Spy." He said, "Every New Yorker is convinced that he knows where to find the BEST of whatever he craves at the moment. He insists that, while the only place to go for a pastrami on rye is the Stage Delicatessen, the cheesecake at the Sixth Avenue Deli is far superior, but the best matzo-ball soup is certainly at the Carnegie Deli..."
One chapter of his book is titled, "Corned Beef And Therapy. "Es gefelt mir." (I like it.)
Rinzler used the following key to approximate the cost per person, for dinner:
I (Inexpensive) up to $3.00
R (Reasonable) $3 to $6
M (Moderate) $6 to $9
E (Expensive) $9 to $15
VE (Very Expensive) above
$15
That same year, 1967, here was a description of "Bernstein-on-Essex," 135 Essex Street, which was rated R:
Would you believe a kosher Chinese restaurant? The motto is "Where Kashruth is king and quality reigns," and if not one of the most delectable eateries, it certainly is one of the oddest. You wouldn't die from the lo mein Bernstein or the veal spareribs, but I can't really recommend any of the Chinese menu. On the other hand, the stuffed derma and chopped liver ("gehakteh leber" ) are fine, and what could be bad about being served by a Chinese waiter in a yarmulka?
The cover of The New York Times Magazine,
April 28, 1985, had the following headline:
"THE WORLD OF NEW YORK -
101 REASONS WHY NEW YORK IS TERRIFIC"
One of the reasons: the corned beef sandwich at the Carnegie Deli. "The Gibraltar"--with mustard--of Seventh Avenue. If you're feeding a family of four, one of these will do nicely."
Let's look at how Zagat--and others--have rated New York restaurants:
Ratner's *$$
Its glory days far behind, this
New York institution now more a cultural
than a gustatorial experience. All the
standard Jewish dairy dishes are listed, but
few are worth the inevitable heartburn
("harts-brenenish"). It's best to soak in the
Yiddishkayt over a bowl of soup, a plate of
pan-fried cheese or potato blintzes, or the
deep-fried pirogen.
1989 review by NYC Access,
Richard Saul Wurman
Jeremy Lebewohl describes the 2nd Ave's clientele:
"Our customers are definitely in a league of
their own. Part of the experience of coming
to a Jewish deli is complaining, kvetching
to the waiter. They complain, but they come back again and again. Many
have
religious restrictions, so the staff has to
understand their needs One rabbi told me
that coming here is a 'religious experience.'"
Spring 2008, N.Y.U.
magazine
Sammy's Roumanian, 157 Chrystie Street
"It's a schmaltz world at this at-least-once-in-a-lifetime Lower East Side "experience,"
a year-round bar mitzvah celebrating
"Jewish home cooking," where there's
"nothing green on the plate" and "everything comes with a side of
chicken fat." If you leave without heartburn, you ordered the wrong thing!
P.S. Check in advance to get your
cardiologist's clearance."
Zagat 2004 NYC
Restaurants
Sammy Roumanian Steak House
"For a taste of the old Jewish East Side, try
this jammed favorite. Live entertainment
and shtick are as schmaltzy as the chopped
liver, with indulgences of delicious grilled
steaks, veal chops, flanken, potato latkes
and kishka--topped off, God willing, with an
egg cream. About $95.
2002, "New Old World
of the Lower
East Side," New York
Times, 4/5/02
2nd Avenue Deli, 156 Second Avenue
"Second Avenue is on the top rung of Jewish delis--lean pastrami, light matzo
balls, thick soup, and advice to match.
One of us had a cold one night when we
dropped in to order. The guys behind the
counter gave us an extra pint of chicken
soup with two lemons. Be aware that if
you're at all hesitant when you call to order, the man who answers will bite
your
head off."
2002,
New York Magazine
review
Stage Deli
Some 30 sandwiches named for celebs,
usually entertainers. One of the most
popular orders is the Dolly Parton: two
rolls, one heaped with corned beef, the
other pastrami.
2003
Review
Ratner's, 138 Delancey Street
Despite "surly waiters: and Formica decor,
this "cheap" Lower East Side kosher dairy
offers a nostalgia trip; cheese blintzs,
knishes, and "chicken soup that will cure
anything short of amputations" make it a
NY "cultural institution."
1998 Zagat Survey, NYC Restaurants
Hooters, 211 W. 56 St.
(not really a deli, but the writer loved the
review)
You wouldn't want to meet your boss at this new Midtown branch of the national
wings-and-beer chain, famous (or infamous)
for its well-endowed waitresses in under-
endowed outfits; while we'll keep abreast
of surveyor response, only time will tell if
it proves titillating or falls flat.
1998 Zagat Survey, NYC
Restaurants
Sammy's Roumanian
Cindy Adams writes that Sammy's Roumanian, which serves extra large plates
of such easy eating as chopped liver, potato
pancakes and garlic pickles, gives exiting diners who stuffed themselves,
much-appreciated packets of Alka-Seltzer.
New York Post, May 17,
2006
Carnegie Deli
Mimi Sheraton recounted schmoozing with
Henny Youngman at the Carnegie Deli,
where he quipped that the "average age of
the customer here is deceased."
Jewish
Week, August 10, 2007
"Judaism
on Rye" by Ted Merwin
Sammy's Roumanian
"The pure schmaltz at Sammy's Roumanian,
New York. One tablespoon of pure rendered chicken fat contains nearly
13
grams of fat, 11 grams of cholesterol, and
115 calories. Delicious on steak or drizzled
over bread."
Scott Raab, Esquire,
May 2007
Sammy's Roumanian
"Whenever I go to Sammy's Roumanian
restaurant, I make two reservations: one
at Sammy's and one at Lenox Hill Hospital."
Comedian,
Alan King
Katz's Deli
"And while Katz's menu warns that a request for mayonnaise with a pastrami
sandwich is made 'at your own peril,' my
request for mayo with my turkey sandwich
was received, and granted, without incidence."
Frank Bruni, "Go Eat, You Never Know,"
2007
2nd Avenue Deli
"If you aren't hungry, getting a full sandwich at the 2nd Ave. Deli may be
too much. One reviewer wrote, "...and you can
order the soup and 1/2 sandwich, 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
and fit dessert in. Pull your shirt over your
pants--nobody will notice as long as you
button them discretely before you go."
Alex Witchel,
2007
Cheesecake Factory, Westbury, NY
"Bring a sleeping bag" for the "intolerable
wait" that "can take as long as getting a
bachelor's degree..."
Zagat Survey,
2000, Long Island Restaurants
_____________
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe does "fridge
Googling"--running an internet search
based on some or all of the contents of
one's fridge, looking for a recipe based on
those contents...and then goes to Ben's
in Syosset, NY, for a wonderful pastrami
sandwich.
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