Alex Witchel covers the re-opening of the 2nd Ave. Deli in this article. If you're like me, and you miss that deli like you miss your (goy) bubbe, it'll break your heart and make you hungry for some matzoh ball soup (with noodles and carrots).
I am pretty thrilled that it's opening just one block from my work. Here are just a handful of the article's really cherce quotes:
Abe Lebewohl to a conference of food writers: "'What am I gonna tell you?' he said. 'My food will kill you.'"
One employee on Abe: "[He] came to this country with a dollar and a dream except for the dollar."
Russ and Daughters' Mark Federman on keeping it all in the family: "I just think it’s right that there’s a Russ angsting over every piece of fish that goes out the door.”
Steve Cohen, general manager for 2nd Ave. Deli on who's in the kitchen: "They are Puerto Rican, Chinese, Haitian, Indian and from Central America. It’s the U.N. back there.”
Cohen again on the clientele: "But my favorite was when we had five nuns eating matzoh balls served by a Lebanese waiter — in a kosher deli. That’s New York.”
Hi Ganda,
I really enjoyed meeting you at the Gourmet Institute at the blogging panel. I was so distraught when the 2nd Ave deli closed :-( as it was a classic for me. But lucky for me now, it is close to where I work! Keep on reporting the good news about food. I'll keep reading.
Rachael