goodbye, old friend

I just learned that Ben's Best, the Jewish deli in Rego Park, is closing for good at the end of the month.

BB has, for many years, been my absolute favorite pastramiteria, and this marks the end of an era. A 73-year era, counting from when the place opened.

I first became aware of BB when I was trying to call Ben's (in Bayside), which is one in a chain of deli-themed diners.

"Hello. Ben's Best"

"Uh, is this Ben's in the Bay Terrace Shopping Center?"

(sigh) "No, we're not affiliated with them. We're on Queens Boulevard in Rego Park."

Apparently that was a conversation that they had many many times. That evening I went to Bay Terrace, but at some point I found my way to Rego Park, and was immediately hooked.

I would hear people swear by Katz's (whose pastrami I don't like), or Carnegie (which had good pastrami but has also closed). But I would always argue that BB was the best the city had to offer. And it was a must for out of town guests -- whether we brought them to the restaurant or placed an order for pickup. And I would proudly declare that they were getting the best pastrami in New York.

It's not as if New York is left without any good pastrami. There's still Sarge's on Third Avenue. Liebman's in Riverdale. And the pastrami at the aforementioned Ben's chain is good too.There are others, but I'm not going to try to name them all. The fact is that good pastrami -- good Jewish deli in general -- is getting harder and harder to find. Demographics change. That's life. But it's not just a demographic shift. Under Mayor DeBlasio (and Mayor Bloomberg before him) there has been a push for more and more bicycle lanes. One of the prices of those bike lanes is reduced parking. Queens Boulevard in Rego Park has long had a shortage of street parking, and the added bike lanes have exacerbated the problem. I would be surprised if BB is the only business closing.

Blair the kids and I will go back this month for one final meal there. Probably with our neighbors.

A few random thoughts about Ben's Best:

• Whenever I would place an order for pickup, I would leave a tip. For some reason, they always called it a "subway." I never found out why.
• I would occasionally chat with Jay Parker, the owner. If I'm not mistaken, it was his father who founded the business. Jay has some connections to politics. I believe he is friendly with former governor George Pataki. I'm pretty sure that Jay was, at one time or another, called on to provide the deli meat to satisfy a governor's (or mayor's?) bet regarding a sports championship.
• There was a stretch of time when I was going for acupuncture in Forest Hills. On occasions when I took the subway, I would have to walk to the subway afterwards. Some of those times I would make my way to the local station by Ben's Best so I could grab a quick sandwich. Don't tell Blair.
• I remember seeing the episode of DD&D featuring Ben's Best. I watched it with father-in-law, proudly telling him that that's my favorite patramiteria. I don't remember much about the episode, but Jay showed off his recipes for meatballs (it included white vinegar) and kreplach.
• One of my favorite pictures of Ethan is of him as a toddler, wrestling a piece of corned beef into his mouth. That's it at the top of this post.

I will miss Ben's Best.