Carnegie Deli Closing

I was horrified today to learn that the Carnegie Deli in New York will close at the end of the year. The slow death of the deli has been documented many times, but this one is an icon and an important piece of New York history. When I lived in New York I did a serious deli crawl over several years and decided that the best pastrami sandwich was Katz's on the Lower East Side, but the best corned beef sandwich hands down was at the Carnegie.

The owner apparently is tired of the long hours and just wants to stop. Why in the world doesn't she just sell the place to someone who wants to carry on the tradition?

I've been dreading this for a while. At least it got my mind off the election for a minute. Also, all indications are that Katz's is still going strong. They own the building and the next generation has recently taken over.

[Robin Garr]

When we lived in NYC, Ken, I was a fan of Sarge's and Second Avenue. I understand that Second Avenue has moved to Third Avenue, but Sarge's may be the last remaining "non-tourist" deli at the upper end of the hierarchy.

Just to keep things in perspective: The owner was fined for stealing gas to cook with and the deli was forced to shut for 10 months until the pipes could be fixed:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/10/nyreg ... tdown.html

Yes, delis are becoming fewer and further between.

I know, Jeff. They also had a drug ring operating in the apartment above the deli. (No known connection to the Carnegie.) But I'll forgive a lot for a corned beef sandwich that good.

I'm going to NY at the end of the month. One last visit.

On a better note, a restaurant here in West Palm Beach just announced that they are going to bring in Katz's pastrami once a week and serve it on Tuesdays. We'll see how that works out.