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The other day, deep in Rego Park, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, Stanley Moscowitz and Walter Israel sat down at a Formica table for lunch at Ben's Best Kosher Deli on Queens Boulevard.
Moscowitz, who's 53 and grew up in nearby Forest Hills, ordered first: matzo ball, tip of the tongue, roast beef, rye, Russian, onions and Dr. Brown's diet cherry drink.
David Sax has a new book called Save the Deli. He's made it his mission to preserve and celebrate authentic delis across North America.
Israel ordered pastrami on rye bread. His son Jason ordered pastrami on white. In his defense, Jason did not ask for mayonnaise, but the combination of pastrami and white bread enjoys a certain status as the epitome of faux pas in Jewish delicatessen shtick.
Writer David Sax, who has a new book called Save the Deli, introduced NPR's Robert Siegel to Ben's Best. Sax is on a mission to save and celebrate the Jewish delicatessen. Quoting the late comedian Milton Berle, Sax says, "Anytime someone orders a pastrami sandwich on white bread, somewhere a Jew dies.
(edited for copyright)
I grew up in a small town in central MN...I had no clue what a deli even was. When I moved to Minneapolis and worked downtown, there was a fabulous deli called the Brothers connected to Daytons at the time...That was my quickie box lunch when I could get there and back in time...Corned beef, pastrami, roast beef all on rye, why put something that good on white bread, then the pastries... You could buy the sandwich, or the meat by the pound or whatever, and/or the loaf of bread. I have not seen a real deli in years...I think the big grocery store chains kind of took over with their version of the deli...
Location: Long Island via Chapel Hill NC, Go Heels?
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When I lived on long island, going into queens just to eat at Ben's Best was a treat and a half. Pastrami and Eggs and the Corned Beef on Rye were my two favorites.
A real pastrami sandwich, a potato knish, a half-sour pickle and Dr. Brown's Cream Soda (or if you are really adventurous, a "Cel-Ray"). Aaaahh, the good old days!
A real pastrami sandwich, a potato knish, a half-sour pickle and Dr. Brown's Cream Soda (or if you are really adventurous, a "Cel-Ray"). Aaaahh, the good old days!
OMG half-sours are just non existent outside of NYC! The rest we can get...half-sours, not so much
I know there's a set of rules about this and was wondering...I like my pastrami on rye with thin sliced, grilled onions and some cheese. Provolone perhaps. Or some pungent Swiss thats been sitting out a few days.
Gross right?
Anyways, would this cause the 'real' deli people to shake their heads in embarrassment?
I head it's supposed to be pastrami on rye with mustard. Period.
How I miss NYC and the Jewish delis-real rye bread, delicious pastrami, corned beef, kugel, knishes, pickles. At least once a week we ate at one in Times Sq. that was awesome.
Good cold cuts/deli meats are hard to come by here-and good bread's non-existent.
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