some reminiscing about pastramiterias

The Carnegie Deli is known for overstuffed sandwiches

I guess I'm a little late to the party. One month late, that is. The Carnegie Deli, one of New York's premiere pastrameterias, closed up for good at the end of December. The Carnegie was known for its overstuffed sandwiches; it set the standard, and few other delis come close.

But my feelings are mixed at worst. I rarely actually went to the Carnegie, so it's not really that big a deal to me. The last time was, I think, 2015 when my cousin was in town with his wife and kids. So this doesn't really affect me directly. On the other hand, I suppose I took comfort in the knowledge that it was always there and I always could go if I wanted. An overstuffed pastrami on rye with a Cel-Ray, and maybe a knish. The big question was whether to have mustard or Russian dressing on the sandwich.

The Carnegie was one of two truly iconic Jewish delis in New York. Oh, there are other Jewish delis, though not as many as there used to be (more on that later), but as I see it, only two ad truly mythic status. The other one, is Katz's. Katz's has been around since the 19th century -- 1888 I think, but I'm too lazy to check. And some people swear by it. It also gained some extra pop culture cred as the site of Meg Ryan's fake orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. But I have never found the meat to be that good. To me it's just overrated and overpriced. As they say, "על טעם וריח אין להתווכח." Loosely translated, "you can't argue taste."

My go-to pastramiteria

There are still a few worthwhile delis in New York. Notably, Ben's Best in Rego Park, Liebman's in Riverdale and Sarge's in Midtown East. There are, of course, others whose names escape me. But it does sadden me that there are so few, since there used to be so many.

There are so many delis I remember from my youth that are simply gone. In this neighborhood (I live in the same neighborhood where I grew up) there was Charney's and the Surrey Deli. The former closed when I was a kid. The latter limped along into the 1990s, but as a shell of its former self. When I went to high school there was the Zion Deli around the corner. And there was a place in the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, near where Ben's is now. For the record, I have a hard time referring to Ben's (of the chain) as a deli. It's more of a deli-themed diner. But, I do have to admit they have decent pastrami and corned beef. And superior cole slaw. So maybe I shouldn't be so snarky about them.

But the demographics have changed, and red meat and salt have fallen out of favor due to perceived health effects. So there are just fewer of the places than there used to be. And I miss them...