Carnegie Deli
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 The Carnegie Deli in midtown Manhattan |
|
| Restaurant Information | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1937 |
| Current owner(s) | The Parker family |
| Food type | Delicatessen |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Street address | 7th Avenue - Manhattan |
| City | New York City |
| State | New York |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°45′51″N 73°58′53″W / 40.7641°N 73.9813°WCoordinates: 40°45′51″N 73°58′53″W / 40.7641°N 73.9813°W |
| Website | New York homepage |
The Carnegie Deli is located in midtown Manhattan on 7th Avenue between 54th and 55th Streets and was opened in 1937 adjacent to Carnegie Hall. Now in the third generation of owners, the Parker family's delicatessen is among the most visited restaurants of its type in the city, according to the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau. USA Today has called the restaurant the "most famous" deli in the United States.[1] It is run by Sandy Levine, whose business card indicates he is the "MBD." (MBD = Married Boss's Daughter, namely, Marian Parker.)
The restaurant offers pastrami, corned beef and other sandwiches with at least one pound (0.45 kg) of meat, as well as traditional Jewish fare such as matzoh ball soup, potato pancakes, chopped chicken livers, and smoked salmon. The restaurant also offers other, non-Jewish (or at least non-kosher) food such as ham, sausage, and bacon. Available for order are cheesecakes of over a pound per serving. For an additional plate to share, there is a $3.00 charge and a minimum charge of $12.50 per person. The restaurant accepts only cash for its sit-down and take-out services. The restaurant's motto is: "If you can finish your meal, we’ve done something wrong." In addition to the large servings, the restaurant is also known for its surly waiters, who allegedly try to impart some of the gruffness of New York to visitors.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Carnegie Deli was the favorite hangout of comedian Henny Youngman, and Adam Sandler included a reference to the deli in "The Chanukah Song" in 1996. The walls of the deli are nearly completely covered with autographed pictures of celebrities who have eaten there. Menu items have been named after famous patrons, including a corned beef and pastrami sandwich named after Woody Allen after the deli served as a filming location for Broadway Danny Rose. A number of items on the menu feature Broadway themes and Yiddish vocabulary, including dishes like "nosh, nosh, Nanette" (after the musical, "No, No, Nanette") and "the egg and oy" ("The Egg and I"). There are also some funny items in the menu, like the famous liver sandwich named 'Fifty Ways to Love your Liver' after the Paul Simon's song, 'Fifty Ways to Leave your Lover'. It is a place many reporters in the city frequent, including staffers from Black Rock (aka the CBS Building) like Bob Simon.
Owner Milton Parker, who died in 2009, had written a book (with Allyn Freeman) called How to Feed Friends and Influence People: The Carnegie Deli, providing the history of the family's ownership. The book is sold at the cashier's station.
[edit] Branch locations
The deli opened several branch locations in the 1980s, including two New Jersey branches in Secaucus and Atlantic City and one in the Washington DC suburbs in Tysons Corner.[1] However, most of these branches have since closed and are no longer in operation.
Currently, the deli operates a second location in Las Vegas, Nevada, which opened at The Mirage in 2005. A third location opened in 2006 at the Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey and serves as the "healthy choice" restaurant at the park; however, the menu is smaller and only has the restaurant’s most popular items. A fourth deli is at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
In addition to the retail operation, the restaurant sells cheesecakes and merchandise such as t-shirts and baseball caps online.
[edit] References
Parker, Milton & Freeman, Allyn (2004). How to Feed Friends and Influence People: The Carnegie Deli. ISBN 0-471-68056-7.
- ^ Johnston, David. "Washington Talk: Suburbia; Pastrami, With Glitz and Politesse", The New York Times, 1987-10-09. Retrieved on 2009-04-20.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carnegie Deli |
