Sunday, March 12, 2017

PJ Clarkes Burger

 

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PJ Clarke's

Upper East Side of Manhattan

New York, NY

photo Copyright Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Are you a True Downtowner who has found themselves for one reason or another has found themselves on the Upper East Side and needed a good place to have a drink and grab a good Burger. You need a good joint, not a obnoxious Sports Bar with 20 annoying Flat Screen TVs. You're not from BumFu_k Iowa, so Applebee's or Tj McFunsters just won't do. You're a Downtowner, you need a inexpensive, unpretentious, non-contrived place with a Cool Vibe. Well for years now, my Go-To all-around place on the Upper East Side (for the Rare Times I'm in that neighborhood) is without question PJ Clarke's. The ambiance is beyond compare, wonderfully well worn, charming, and awash in History.

PJ Clarke's was one of Sinatra's Favorites along with the 21 Club, Jilly's and Patsy's on 56th Street. And speaking of Sinatra who recorded a wonderful version of "One For My Baby" which was written at PJ Clarke's on a Cocktail Napkin by the great Johnny Mercer in 1941.
When I go to PJ Clarke's, I'm thinking of a Burger, a Beer, and an order of Onion Rings. With all the rage of Burger's these days, PJ Clarke's has been serving one of New York's tastiest Burgers for close to a Hundred Years. Even Jackie Kennedy loved PJ Clarke Burgers and ate them often. And Nat King Cole Proclaimed after eating a tasty Bacon Cheeseburger that it was the Cadillac of Burgers. "You know Nat, I agree." And combined with the wonderful ambiance, History, and allure of the place, PJ Clarke's just ca not be beat. Try it!
by Daniel Bellino Zwicke
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ONE of FRANK'S FAVORITES
"Frank Sinatra That Is" !!!
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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Kevin Zraly BRUNELLO Seminar



Yes there was a Triple Header of Brunello the other day. Well two days and for me any way. The Main Event of Benvenuto Brunello, or as we New York Italian Wine People call it, simply "The Brunello Tasting" which is held every year in New York and a few other chosen cities around the globe. The tasting is for the release of the latest and current vintage of one of Italy's and the World's Great Wines, Brunello di Montalcino ... Wines made of 100% Snagiovese Grosso aka Brunello. Wine made only in Montalcino (nowhere else in the World). Wine made in the highest standards of winemaking and according to the standards and specifications of The Consorzio Del Vino Brunello Di Montalcino and the Italian Goverment.  Brunello must be aged for 2 years in oak barells and 2 years in bottle before being released 4 years after the vintage and 5 years for Brunello deamed Riserva. Thus at this Brunello Tasting in 2013, The Brunello Consorzio and its producers .... KEVIN ZRALY TALKS BRUNELLO    "Brunello Seminar-Tasting Gotham Hall"


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"THIS GUY KNOW WINE !!! "


"DON'T TOUCH IT, DON'T TOUCH IT" !!!



The Great Kevin Zraly held a Brunello Seminar at The New York Brunello Tasting 2013 ...And for the few lucky enough to attend, it was quite a great event. Great, yes great, and Mr. Keven Zraly in my book is quite great when it comes to knowledge of wine, his Love and approach to it, drinking, tasting for his own pleasure and knowledge as well as the Drinking, Tasting, and Education Kevin imparts on those in his classes, readers and owners of his famed Windows On The World Wine Course (Book), and anyone as I've Just said "Lucky Enough to Attend One of Mr. Zraly's Wine Seminars," in this case for one of Italy's and The World's most esteemed wines and one of Kevin's 3 Favorite Wines (Kevin's words) Brunello di Montalcino.    "Don't Touch It! Don't touch it !!!" shouts Kevin Zraly, near the beginning of his seminar. He know there are always people on every level of experience at any one of the many wine seminars he has conducted over the years, including the most experienced and at least one or maybe several people who have never ever been to a Seminar Wine Tasting like this in their lives. This maybe their first one, "Don't Touch Don't touch!!!" It's quite funny and a bit shocking the way Kevin does these as he sets the tone for his style of wine seminar, which is "No Muss No Fuss No BS," and as Mr. Zraly says no English Poetry, in an effort to say there will be none of that overdone pontification, just straight normal talk, and talk even a beginner could grasp about wine, and with Kevin his approach will make you love the object and the subject of "Wine" even more. That's what a great wine educator does. There are not many better than Kevin Zraly, "if any?"    Yes, the seminar was quite wonderful. If being at the most important Brunello Tasting of the year wasn't enough, and being the first in the World to taste the 2008 Vintage and 07 Riservas, in a beautiful setting like Gotham Hall, in The Greatest City in The World, and as the Head of The Brunello Consorzio stated this glorious day, "New York Is The Greatest and Most Important Market in The World For The Producers of Brunello di Montalcino." Yes Sir "It Is." Yes those at The New York Brunello Tasting were among-st the first in the World to taste these fine wines, and Mr.  Zraly made that point, as well as stating how wonderful the Wines were, that we were very fortunate to be drinking them, and that Brunello was along with Bordeaux, one of his 3 Favorite wines in the World to drink. Myself and Michael Colameco (Who is The fine host of "Real Food" one of TV's Best Cooking Shows on PBS) sitting next to me at the seminar, we both surmised the third  of Kevin's 3 Favorite Wines of The World had to be Burgundy. This we need to find out.     "Smell it 3 times. Cover the glass with your hand. Sniff! Toast the person sitting next to you and drink. Think about it for 1 minute at 15 second intervals. Do you still taste it? What do you taste?" Well, we tasted 8 very fine offerings of this fabulous wine, Brunello di Montalcino. The wines were all wonderful, and being at Benvenuto Brunello in such a gorgeous setting as Gotham Hall and being led in a Tasting of Great Brunello by one of the World's Greatest Authorities on Wine, this was a combination that was unbeatable. Being in the Italian Wine and Restaurant Business for more than 25 and writing for another 8, I can tell your that I've been to many a incredible wine event, like: a Vertical Wine tasting and Luncheon with the Marchese Piero Antinori, Dinner at Spark's Steak-House with Jacopo Biondi Santi and his wines, as well as lunches and dinners on many great wine estates in Italy. The kind of events people would kill to be able to attend, I've been to many, and this Brunello Seminar tasting with kevin Zraly shall be filed in my head with some of those other great wine moments. It was most enjoyable, and I'm so glad I made it (almost din't go).    So Bravo Brunello! And Bravo Kevin for your passion, love of the wine, and the way you lead others, in your very Zraly Direction. Daniel Bellino Zwicke BRUNELLO SEMINAR with KEVEN ZRALY .. January 31, 2013 .... Afternoon Seminar WINES: BRUNELLO di MONTALCINO 1.   Palazzo - 2008 2.   Fanti -2008 3.   Tenute Sivio Nardi - 2008 4.   Donatella Cinelli Colombini - 2008 5.   Uccelliera - 2008 6.   Palazzo - Riserva 2004 7.   Col D'Orcia 2001 8.   IL Poggione Riserva 1999 An overall assessment and thoughts on the 8 Brunello's we tasted. First off, they were all very good to wonderful to remarkable. A great line-up including some excellent producers and very fine vintages of recent years. It seemed an overall consensus that pretty much everyone (Writers, Restaurant People, Wine Professionals,and Hobbyists) in the room liked each and every wine we drank, all wonderful wines, and with Kevin "Cheer-Leading" us with his love of wine and Brunello, I believe everyone enjoyed these wines even more than if they had tasted all 8 in another manner than this great tasting-seminar.    As all wines were wonderful, I must admit that there were 3 wines that we all got a bit more excited and super-charged over. These wines were; the Brunello Uccelliera 2008, the Brunello Col D'Orcia 2001, and the Brunello IL Poggione 1999 ... Without going into any, as Kevin Zraly would say "English Poetry" these 3 wines were just wonderful. The kind of wines you light up over and just saying "Wow," is enough to say that they had everything you want in a great Brunello or any great wine, great aroma, Wonderful Taste combined with "Perfect Balance," and simply greatness.    Again, a great tasting, overall Benvenuto Brunello, lots of great wines, wonderful people, and a fine Seminar-Tasting of Brunello conducted by Mr. Kevin Zraly. 

Again, Bravo!






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MY FAVORITE BRUNELLO


Fattori Barbi Brunello di Montalcino




Update on the Seminar :


I first wrote this peace the day after the 2013 BENVENUTO BRUNELLO TASTING at GOtHAM HALL in NEW YORK .. Those of us in the business in New York simply call it The BRUNELLO TASTING .. It was a wonderful tasting as usual seeing all my friends who make Brunello in Montalcino, hanging with them and my New York Friends and Colleagues of Italian Wine and restaurants here in Manhattan .. This day was most memorable as the great Kevin Zraly was conducting the Seminar on Brunello .. Kevin really knows his stuff and he's a delight to listen to, unlike some of the very mediocre seminar presenters of other years, one of which, I don't know the women's name, but I walked out on her Seminar a couple years ago, She was SO BAD and seemed as though she didn't know what the hell she was talking about and didn't really know much about Brunello or Italian Wine for that matter .. I was mistified how this women was ever picked to head the Brunello Siminar, not knowing what the Hell She was talking about. Anyway in 2013 those of us attended the Brunello Seminar conducted by Kevin Zraly got to see a true Pro at work .. I sat with Michael Collemeco and we shared notes and opinions of the great Brunello's on hand. Now that day was a true delight. Thank you Kevin !


Daniel Bellino-Zwicke







                                                        3abb1-screen2bshot2b2016-10-302bat2b2-25-182bpm

SUNDAY SAUCE

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke


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Friday, March 10, 2017

Chili Dogs n Chili Con carne

 

Chili con carne (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtʃili koŋ ˈkaɾne];[1] English: chili with meat), commonly known in American English as simply "chili", is a spicy stew containing chili peppersmeat (usually beef), and often tomatoes and beans. Other seasonings may include garliconions, and cumin. Geographic and personal tastes involve different types of meat and ingredients. Recipes provoke disputes among aficionados, some of whom insist that the word "chili" applies only to the basic dish, without beans and tomatoes. Chili con carne is a frequent dish for cook-offs and is used as an ingredient in other dishes.

In Spanish, the word chile from the Nahuatl "chīlli" refers to a "chili pepper", and carne is Spanish for "meat".
As far back as 1850, a recipe consisting of dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers and salt, which were pounded together, formed into bricks and left to dry, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail, was found.
The San Antonio Chili Stand, in operation at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, helped popularize chili by allowing Americans to appreciate its taste. San Antonio was a tourist destination and helped Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West. Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas as designated by the House Concurrent Resolution Number 18 of the 65th Texas Legislature during its regular session in 1977.








Dudes COWBOY CHILIE Recipe

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?
aka
The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK


Chili Parlors

Before World War II, hundreds of small, family-run chili parlors (also known as "chili joints") could be found throughout Texas and other states, particularly those in which émigré Texans had made new homes. Each establishment usually had a claim to some kind of secret recipe.
As early as 1904, chili parlors were opening outside of Texas. After working at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, Charles Taylor opened a chili parlor in Carlinville, Illinois, serving "Mexican Chili".[5] In the 1920s and 1930s chains of diner-style "chili parlors" grew up in the Midwest.
Cincinnati chili arguably represents the most vibrant continuation of the chili parlor tradition, with dozens of restaurants offering this style throughout the Cincinnati area. It can be traced back to at least 1922, when the original Empress Chili location opened.
In Green Bay, Wisconsin, the chili parlor Chili John's has existed since 1913. As with Cincinnati chili, it is most commonly served over spaghetti with oyster crackers, but the recipe is less sweet with a higher proportion of fat. The original proprietor's son opened a second location in Burbank in 1946, which is also still in existence.
Until the late 2000s, a chili parlor dating to 1904, O.T. Hodge, continued to operate in St. Louis. It featured a chili-topped dish called a "slinger": two cheeseburger patties, hash browns, and two eggs, and smothered in chili. As of 2014 no O.T. Hodge-branded locations remain, though one still exists under the name Chili Mac's.




 

Beans



Beans, a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine, have been associated with chili as far back as the early 20th century. The question of whether beans "belong" in chili has been a matter of contention among chili cooks for a long time. While it is generally accepted that the earliest chilis did not include beans, proponents of their inclusion contend that chili with beans has a long enough history so as to not be considered "unauthentic".[12] The Chili Appreciation Society International specified in 1999 that, among other things, cooks are forbidden to include beans in the preparation of chili for official competition—nor are they allowed to marinate any meats.[13] Small red or pink common beans are commonly used for chili, as are black-eyed peas, kidney beans, great northern beans, or navy beans.
Most commercially prepared canned chili includes beans. Commercial chili prepared without beans is usually called "chili no beans" in the United States. Some U.S. manufacturers, notably Bush Brothers and Company and Eden Organic, also sell canned precooked beans (without meat) that are labeled "chili beans"; these beans are intended for consumers to add to a chili recipe and are often sold with spices added.



Tomatoes

Tomatoes are another ingredient on which opinions differ. Wick Fowler, north Texas newspaperman and inventor of "Two-Alarm Chili" (which he later marketed as a "kit" of spices), insisted on adding tomato sauce to his chili — one 15-oz. can per three pounds of meat. He also believed that chili should never be eaten freshly cooked but refrigerated overnight to seal in the flavor. Matt Weinstock, a Los Angeles newspaper columnist, once remarked that Fowler's chili "was reputed to open eighteen sinus cavities unknown to the medical profession."


A Classic CHILI DOG
LEARN HOW to MAKE a DUDES COWBOY CHILI DOG



Chili dog is the generic name for a hot dog served in a bun and topped with some sort of meat sauce, such as chili con carne. Often other toppings are also added, such as cheeseonions, and mustard. The style has multiple regional variations in the United States, many calling for specific and unique sauce ingredients, types of hot dogs, or types of buns and referred to regionally under region-specific names.





TEXAS WEINERS

PATERSON, New Jersey


Texas Wiener

See also: Texas Tommy (hot dog)
In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the "Texas hot dog,", "Texas chili dog." "Texas hot'," or "Texas wiener" is a hot dog with chili or hot sauce; it is served in variations with assorted condiments. The Texas wiener was created in Paterson, New Jersey, before 1920 and in Altoona, Pennsylvania, by Peter "George" Koufougeorgas in 1918 and originally called Texas Hot Wieners. The "Texas" reference is to the chili sauce used on the dogs, which actually has a stronger Greek cuisine influence due to the ethnicity of the cooks who invented it. It is considered a unique regional hot dog style. From its origins, the invention spread to the Pennsylvania cities of Scranton and Philadelphia.
JOHNNY And HANGE'S

TEXAS WEINERS

Paterson, NEW JERSEY

Coney Island Hot Dog

 
In southeastern Michigan, a Coney Island hot dog is a European-style Frankfurter Würstel (Vienna sausage) of German origin with a natural lamb or sheep casing, topped with a beef heart-based sauce, which was developed by Greek immigrants in the area. It has several local variations, including Detroit style, Flint style, and Jackson style.


CONEY ISLAND HOT DOGS

KALAMAZOO, Michigan




CONEY DOGS

at

CONEY ISLAND HOT DOGS

KALAMAZOO






The PATERSON FALLS

"See the FALLS, get a TEXAS WEINER


Paterson, New Jersey




TEXAS WEINERS

PHILADELPHIA PA




PHILLY


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The BADSS COOKBOOK

PRIZI WINNING CHILI Recipes

CHILI For a CROWD

SECRET KFC

FRIED CHICKEN Recipe

and More






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Thursday, February 2, 2017

Shake Shack Secret Burger Recipes




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SHACK BURGER

at SHAKE SHACK


NEW YORK CITY  

                                                                                                                 
This article was originally written and published by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke on January 16, 2012      Yes Boys and girls, we've got a Steak'n Shake. In new York that is. Not that very many of you have ever been yearning or heard of it. The popular Mid-West Burger (Not Steaks) and Shake Joint. Well I guess they must be thousands of native Mid-Westerners living in New York who've been dying for one, I'm sure at least 98% of New Yorker's ever heard of these guys. Until I saw them featured on a Food Show once, I'd never heard of them.      Anyway, they opened on Broadway and 53rd Street the other day. Went up there today to check them out.  Was checking out SeriousEats Burgers when I saw the piece and was reminded of them. Since I was just about to finish up my ritualistic Sunday Morning Coffee at Once Upon a Tarte and was thinking about what I was going to do for lunch, here it was. I'd jump on the 1 Train and take it up to 50th Street and try me one of those Steak'n Shake Burgers. A Original Double'n Fires to be exact, as I read in the SeriousEats piece that this was one the thing to get, and for just $3.99, a nice Double Patty Cheeseburger with Lettuce Tomato and onions, along with some Hand-Cut Fries. Got a Coke to go with that. I'll try a Shake on the next visit, along with their other signature Burger the 6 oz. Organic Beef Burger with Fries.     So I get to the Steak'n Shake and I'm happy to see there is no line, and not crowded. Just 1 customer ahead of me. I get to the counter and am greater by a tall Pretty Girl. Wonder if she's a Mid-Westerner? Well, she sure is pretty, and friendly to boot. I order my "Original" Double'n Fries and a Coke, and it comes to just a little over 6 Bucks. Not too bad for a Double Cheesebuger with Fies and a Coca-Cola to boot. And how will it taste. They say they're good. I believe them, and I'll find out soon enough. My buzzer lites up and vibrates, signaling that my order is ready. I get it.      Pull it out of the bag. It looks pretty good. Guess what? It is, pretty Dam Good that is. I like it. Not the best in the World, but very good. The Fries are excellent, Fresh, Crispy, seasoned properly, cooked just right. Yummm, I love em. And as for the comparison to my own top, New York's Best Burger (my Opinion and personal preference), it's the other Shake in the name Burger Joint that for me is new York's Best, and that's Shake Shack. Well, Shake Shack's # 1 Spot is intact. That's my top spot. Hold on now, stop your yelling and screaming. That's my own personal preference. I'm not saying they are the Best in New York, though for me they are the Best, and give me a minute and I'll tell you why. I know some will say Minetta's Black Label Burger get's the Top Nod (I like the Minetta Burger BETTER), some might say The Luger Burger at Peter Luger is Best and I love this one as well, New York's Best Burgers are many, but although I love the Burgers at Peter Luger, Minetta Tavern, The Spotted Pig, even The Corner Bistro now and then, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I really like McDonalds now and then. Yes I do. Hey i have the Balls to admit, they're actually better than many a "So-Called" renowned Burger of much higher prices and supposed High-Quality and Goodness. "Not!"     Now as to why I choose The Shake Shack Cheeseburger as New York's Best, # 1, First Prize, Champ, and I know I'm gonna get flack, hey this is my personal choice. But I'll tell you one thing about Me and Burgers, and this is fact. I know a hell of a lot more than most about this great American Invention. For one, I'm a food professional and former Chef. I have not recently jumped on the Burger Bandwagon in the past few years or so. I've been eating these bad boys for forty years and along with Sunday Sauce and Cannolis, I was weened on these things. My Dad took us to Diners Hot-Dog and Burger Joints all over the North East Coast of the United States chopping on Cheeseburgers and Dogs all along the way.      Now, let me tell you what, without question thee Best Burgers around are 4-6 ounce Patty's 1/2 to 3/4 inch think, no more, can be less. Big Fat-Ass 8, 9, 10 ounce Burgers are over done and plain just don't taste as good as a ones made of 4-6 ounce patties and no thicker then 3/4 of an inch. Also, they must "Cook in Their Own Fat" on a Flat-Top Grill, not a grated grill that lets the fat get lost and creates hard unappetizing grill marks. These Burgers that are usually about 4-5 ounce (can be 6) and that are cooked in their own fat on a Flat-Top Grill and served on a soft either Sesame Seed or Potato Bun, or regular seedless soft bun with White or Yellow American Cheese are tops and these kind of Burgers are known as  Diner Burgers. Forget those Thick-Ass 12 and 12 oz. burgers cooked medium-rare. They are too thick and too much rare ground beef just doesn't taste good, and especially if the meat is Dry Aged Ground Beef. Do you know what Dry Aged Beef is Actually? It's meat that is slowly under control deteriorating, and this kind of meat just doesn't taste good in ground form cooked rare or medium rare. Thick Burgers that are under cooked, do not have near the great taste of thinner burgers cooked through or close to thoroughly cooked at medium-well. Reason being that thinner burgers have a high ration of browned-meat to the whole total some of meat, and this is where the great flavor comes in, the two outside sides of a burgers patty that is browned, 90% of the flavor is here, and the thicker the burger the smaller the good  ratio of browned meat to not-browned is, thus making for a less tasty burger, a half inch  to 3/4 of an inch is best for the Tastiest Burger possible. These are just facts people, not opinions. This is the reason why a Shake Shack Burger taste better than a Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern. For what a Burger is (Ground Beef) and for the BEST way to cook it for Best Tastiest results, the burger should not be too thick, and it should be cooked on a Flat Top Grill to at least Medium or Medium-Well, not rare or medium rare. So there you have it, The Shake Shack Burger is the Best in Town, and the TASTIEST BURGERS all across America are these types of Burgers, about 4-5 ounces, not too thick and cooked on a flat top grill. Basta.    Oh, what about the burgers at Steak'n Shake. Well, they get high marks. They are very tasty, good quality beef, cooked on a flat top grill. Get em.


  Daniel Bellino Zwicke

  BEST BURGER in TOWN .... SHAKE SHACK BURGER

"SORRY BLACK LABEL ....IT'S NOT YOU"



92537-minettaaaaa1

 
MINETTA TAVERN, Macdougal Street GREENWICH VILLAGE New York
photo Copyright Daniel Bellino-Zwicke






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The PERFECT BURGER Recipe

in The BADASS COOKBOOK

also

Recipe to Make The SHAKE SHACK BURGER

 
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in

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

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The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK



in

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

ABIDE in IT !


Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Mr Recipe Spice Seasoning

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Mr. RECIPE

NEW YORK SPICE KING

What are the most important spice to have in your cupboard ?

The Importance of SALT & PEPPER

badass-small

The BAD ASS COOKBOOK

Learn The Secrets of Proper Seasoning

and The Great Importance of SALT & PEPPER

The KEY to MAKING Your Food TASTE GREAT !!!

and Other

SECRET RECIPES

In The BADASS COOKBOOK 

by Daniel Zwicke

Available on AMAZON.com ... Click Here

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

New Chumleys Greenwich Village

BAR at The New CHUMLEY'S
 
 
GREENWICH VILLAGE , NEW YORK
 
 
"Don't Get 86ed" !!!
 
 
 
 
The BURGER at CHUMLEY'S
 
 
BURGER BURGER
LEARN HOW to Make a Better BURGER
 
 
 
 
 
The SECRET ENTRANCE at CHUMLEY'S
 
 
Somewhere in GREENWICH VILLAGE
 
 
get The BURGER BURGER
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK
 
by Daniel Zwicke
 
 
ABIDE in IT !!!
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Sunday, January 1, 2017

No More Pastrami for Woody Allen as Carnegie Deli CLOSED

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Woody Allen & Mia Farrow in Front of THE CARNEGIE DELI

BROADWAY DANNY ROSE

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The CARNEGIE DELI

NEW YORK -- After 79 years of serving up heaps of cured meat to tourists, theater patrons and workaday New Yorkers, the Carnegie Delicatessen will slice its last ridiculously oversized sandwich on Friday. Fans lined up all week for a last bite at the restaurant, which got a star turn in Woody Allen’s 1984 film “Broadway Danny Rose” and remained a stop until the end for out-of-towners looking for the classic New York deli experience. Marian Harper-Levine, President of the Carnegie Deli and a second-generation owner, called the decision to close its 7th Avenue location “incredibly difficult,”   screen-shot-2017-01-01-at-2-22-19-pm   “Along with my daughter Sarri and in honor of my late father Milton, I would like to sincerely thank all of our loyal patrons – tourists, dignitaries, and New Yorkers alike- who have visited Carnegie Deli over the past 80 years,” she said in a statement. “Since my father took over the Deli in 1976, this has been a second home to me and it has been a true privilege and an honor to serve you.” Craig DeGregorio, 38, of Long Island, said he waited for nearly 90 minutes to chow down on its signature dish, a mountainous, $20 pastrami sandwich. “I figured this was the last chance I was going to get to come here,” he said, adding that the visit was also his first. “I really didn’t mind waiting at all. The sandwich was huge. It took two bites to even make a dent.”  The lines in the cold Friday started at 4:45 a.m. Nick from the Bronx said he waited in line for two hours. “I came yesterday, the line was around the corner and I left very sad,” he said. “But I said, you know I’ll give it another shot and I came at 7. Everybody was reminiscent. It was wonderful.”   screen-shot-2017-01-01-at-2-30-02-pm

NO MORE PASTRAMI For WOODY

or ANYONE ELSE

Our Beloved DELI HAS CLOSED

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Woody Allen as DANNY ROSE, The Carnegie Deli

The line was composed of people from all over. “I’m way down in the swamps of South Florida, heard of it, but didn’t know what it was, now I do, so I’m ready to go in,” Steve Osceola told CBS New York. “It is delicious, we will miss it so much,” one woman said. “The best in Manhattan,” a man agreed. When asked whether it’s worth the wait, he responded, “totally, I’d do it again, and again and again.” “It’s worth the wait. My feet are still cold, but this is hot, this is hot,” another woman said. The Carnegie, its walls now lined with photos of celebrities who have eaten there, opened in 1937, drawing its name from Carnegie Hall just a block up 7th Avenue. Aside from the long lines out on the sidewalk (and unusually high prices), the place screams old New York, from its vintage neon sign, to the items on the menu: slices of cheesecake, knishes, tongue and chopped liver, and a $30 reuben. Another patron dining in the final days, Donna Nevens, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, said she wanted to be able to tell her friends she ate at the “world famous Carnegie deli” at least once. “It’s a New York institution,” she said, anticipating she’d order a “Woody Allen,” an overstuffed sandwich of half pastrami and half corned beef. The deli later named the sandwich after the director after he filmed key scenes for “Broadway Danny Rose” there. The deli has also been featured on several television shows, including “Law & Order” and “Dr. Phil.” Although the Carnegie has remained popular with tourists, New Yorkers these days are more likely to go looking for authenticity elsewhere at lower prices. And it’s been a rough few years for the Carnegie. The restaurant reopened last February after being closed for nearly a year amid an investigation into a possible illegal natural gas hookup, discovered after a utility crew found a diverted line while they were investigating a leak. The personal lives of owner Marian Harper and her husband Sandy were thrust into the public spotlight with a messy divorce after she accused him of having an affair with a hostess and slipping her cash and pastrami recipes. The deli was also ordered to pay $2.6 million in back wages to its employees after a labor dispute. Harper has insisted the closure has nothing to do with any of those issues. She’s said her long hours at the deli have taken a toll and she wants to take time to enjoy her life. A spokeswoman for the deli said in September that Harper would focus on licensing the brand and selling products for wholesale distribution. The restaurant is scheduled to close at midnight after a last full day of business Friday. It will still have outposts in Las Vegas, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Madison Square Garden and at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens.    

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OLD SCHOOL JEWISH COMEDIANS

Tell Stories of BROADWAY DANNY ROSE

at THE CARNEGIE DELI

NEW YORK, NY

BROADWAY DANNY ROSE

starring WOODY ALLEN and MIA FARROW

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