New York's Greatest Deli?
In every gritty Police Procedural drama I’ve ever seen on TV, the protagonists end up at that icon of all things New York - a deli! And New York certainly has a lot of them. When I told friends I was heading to New York, they recommended several delis considered the best of the best. One of them was Carnegie Deli.
Carnegie first opened in 1937, and a look at the decor and staff suggests it hasn’t changed much since then. I’d been warned that Carnegie had morphed from a deli famous for its food, to a deli famous for being famous. The food was meant to be great, but the rest of the experience varied widely depending on with whom you talked. Naturally, the only way to find out the truth was to try it for myself.
Carnegie was busy, even for a quiet Monday afternoon. Once in the door, the smell of cured and preserved meats hits you in a good way. The queue for take-out crowds the front of the shop, with tables at the rear. I took my chances on a table, so I could watch the human entertainment.
When it came to ordering, it was almost culinary destiny that I had to try the pastrami. I didn’t specifically ask for it “on rye”, but I suspect that’s what I got anyway. Normally I’d pay attention to details like that, but I was overwhelmed by the sheer bulk of the sandwich that confronted me. I used the little measuring app I have on my iPhone, and determined the pastrami was 11cm thick in the sandwich (that’s just over 4 inches in old money). Add the pickle on the side, and the other trimmings, and I suspected I could feed a small crowd with this sandwich. It was like trying to eat a phone book.
The pastrami itself was fantastic. It benefited hugely from the Carnegie approach to making their own pastrami, as it had a strong, complex flavour (nothing like the bland excuse for pastrami that’s sold in my part of the world), and was succulent … to the point that the bread (rye or otherwise) started to go soggy. I suspect this wouldn’t have happened if I’d been able to eat it more quickly … but eating what must have been close to half a kilogram of meat was beyond me, so I started slowing down. In hindsight, sharing a sandwich like this would be the perfect solution, though I’d heard that the staff frown on that. Of course, my plans for the second great New York tradition had also impacted my appetite. What would a deli lunch be without New York Cheesecake for dessert!
The cheesecake was also huge, closer in size to a small boat! It had that rich, dense and sweet consistency that a good cheesecake should have. It also probably took the output of a small dairy to create! I came close to finishing it, but again was defeated.
Carnegie isn’t cheap by Deli standards, with a sandwich and cheese cake coming in at over $30. While the flavour and provenance of the food is fantastic, I can’t help but think that they’d be better off with more modest serving sizes at more modest prices. But then that wouldn’t be New York! I guess that’s the price for being famous.
Carnegie Restaurant and Deli
854 Seventh Avenue (Cnr 55th St)
New York, NY
+1 (212) 757 2245
Find Carnegie Deli on Google Maps