Description: Carnegie deli.
Where.
Carnegie deli can be found on 7th avenue near 55th street within sight of the Carnegie hall, in the centre of Manhattan.
It has a distinctive looking shop front which stands out amongst the other shops and establishments nearby. Bright reds and yellows adorn the front of the shop.
History.
In the 19th century delis’ were run by German and Alsatians (Alsacian) from the Alsace region of North East France. Eventually Jews went into the Deli business on account that they were able to trade on Sundays selling packaged goods and canned stuff as well as salamis, corned beef, pastrami, mustards, pickles potato cakes, salmon sausage, cured meats and all kinds of Kosher and non Kosher food.etc etc. They began serving food to eat in.
The Carnegie deli first opened its doors in 1937 and is now being run by the third generation of the same family. The hours of opening are strangely 06:30 to 04:00. Being opposite the Carnegie hall it was frequented often by various icons of film and stage and to prove their patronage the walls are covered with photos of actors and actresses of a by gone age and also of recent fame I might add. Not being a film buff I did not know quite a few of them however I recognised a lot of the older celebrities. It is like a massive wall of fame and quite nostalgic.
Eating in.
From the outside it does not appear to be that large but the restaurant goes quite a way back once inside. The takeaway counter is packed full of cooked cakes and cheese cakes for which they are very famous, pastries and a multitude of various cooked hams, bacon, salamis, savoury cakes of all descriptions. It is certainly a busy restaurant and there must have been at least ten to fifteen waiting staff or more rushing about taking orders at a phrenetic pace, shouting orders through to the kitchen and to the deli counter.
We were seated and asked what we would like to drink whilst being handed the menu.
The menu is the most extensive menu I have ever seen and you can order your food in any number of combinations. There are a multitude of ways you can have your eggs cooked and served for example. The tables were clean and were constantly being filled with new customers an extremely popular place. After perusing the menu for something like fifteen minutes you could tell the waiter was getting a little rattled about us taking too much time although he never said it. In the end as I couldn’t make up my mind I opted for bacon and tomato toasted sandwich. He seemed surprised that that was all I would order. My mate ordered corn beef hash with an egg fried sunny side up of course!!
After about ten minutes gigantic plates appeared in front of our eyes which nearly made them pop out of their sockets. My bacon sandwich contained about half a pound of cremated bacon (I understand if you want bacon the English way you order a ham sandwich) with a couple of sliced tomatoes on the top. It was so big that it was held together with a skewer.
My mate’s corn beef hash was mountainous with the eggs cooked and duly balanced on the top. The portions in this restaurant are absolutely massive, vast, and of gargantuan proportions so be warned. I dismantled my sandwich and removed about three quarters of the bacon to make it manageable to eat. Even then we could not eat our breakfast as it was simply just too large. Thank goodness we did not order anything else. They were quite good coming to top us up with more coffee as is the norm in the US. If you are really interested have a look at their web site and have a look at their menu it’s unbelievable. If you finish all your food they believe they have failed you in some way that is why the portions are so big.
They are renowned for their cheese cakes and there were several varieties on offer. These are not cooked on the premises now but elsewhere and shipped in as are most of their cooked meats. They have a separate place to make all the foods on offer as their menu is so extensive. You can order cheese cakes on line and have them delivered to you or elsewhere and I they have other things you can buy like T Shirts, mugs glasses and other memorabilia pickles etc. They also do catering packs which are quite extensive.
My opinion.
Loved the food albeit too much. I liked the atmosphere, the décor although it was a bit noisy, upbeat and a bit chaotic to say the least.
Would I recommend it?
Yes absolutely just to get the authentic feel of New York.
Price wise it’s reasonable.
Any tips?
Be careful what you order otherwise you are going to be swamped in food.
Check out their website at:-
http://www.carnegiedeli.com/index.html
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