Well, Wendi and I got there in time, sort of. My wife, Wendi, the founder of this blog, was scheduled to give a presentation on the Council of Accreditation’s annual conference at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria in midtown Manhattan. Wendi’s Aunt Pam and our friend, Jan Maxwell, told us we had to go to Carnegie Deli. The place attracts a lot of tourists, and there seems to always be a line out front of patrons waiting to get in. We were among them one hot July night. When I read on NPR’s website a few days ago the famous delicatessen was closing, I would not believe it.
I am not sure how long it took us to finally get in the doors back in July, but even when you got inside, there is still a little wait. We heard about how high the corned beef and pastrami sandwiches were. I love pastrami, but Wendi does not like either of them. Jan recommended she get the BLT instead. Wendi and I walked all over Manhattan, were on our feet a lot, and at the end of the day we were standing in line to get dinner. As a rule, I don’t like to wait for a table. I worked in the restaurant business for a long time, and I can cook just as good a meal, if not better, at home. But, because of the recommendations and the lure of eating at the famed Carnegie Delicatessen, we waited … and waited … and waited.
When we finally got a table, it was almost family style. About four tables had been pushed together, and when we were seated, it was pulled just inches away from the one next to it.
I hadn’t realized the deli was in business for nearly eight decades. The NPR piece said the closing is not really due to financial issues, rather the owner wants to do other things instead. Also, if you ever saw the lines outside the deli, you would likely imagine, as I did, the place had always been a mainstay. However, this is what NPR wrote:
The Carnegie Deli opened in 1937 on Seventh Avenue across from Carnegie Hall. But it didn’t’ achieve notoriety until decades later — around the time that director Woody Allen filmed a table full of off-duty comedians there in his movie, Broadway Danny Rose.
I love pastrami, so there was never any doubt what I was getting. Wendi had her eyes on the BLT. With the place being so highly recommended, I thought I should get a side of macaroni and cheese, too. Wendi and I were looking forward to a great meal and a great time in Manhattan, but it really didn’t turn out that way. It was probably a combination of us being hot and tired, and the waiter’s attitude contributed to the less-than-stellar experience.
I am not sure how or when things went south, but it was definitely building. When we finally got in the doors I noticed there were a lot of tables opened. With my experience in restaurants, I would not let people be waiting out the door if there were open tables. If the wait staff could not get to them in a timely manner, then I would let them know. It would be something as simple as this: “Our waiters and waitresses are very busy right now, but we wanted to get you out of the heat and off your feet. Please be patient with us. We’ll get to you as soon as possible. Let me get some waters to help you cool down.”
Part of me thought the manager/owner kept people outside so people would see how popular the place was and want to be part of this incredible experience. So, that got me a little upset. Then, the waiter didn’t like the idea of Wendi ordering the BLT because the place was famous for its corned beef and pastrami. It sort of reminded me about a steakhouse we used to go to. I am a big fan of top sirloin. It is my go-to steak because it is an inexpensive steak that is both tender and flavorful. For the price, you cannot beat it. Every time I went to the steakhouse, I ordered the top sirloin, and the waitress always tried to upsell me to filet mignon. If I wanted the filet, I would have ordered it. While it is very tender, it is not the most flavorful. The waitresses would always talk about how inferior the top sirloin was, and I always thought to myself if it is so bad, then why is it on the menu. Wendi stuck with the BLT and fries.
For me, it was the pastrami and macaroni and cheese. The flavor of the pastrami was not the best I ever had, but the quality of the meat and the tenderness surpassed every other pastrami I ever had.
I am not sure, but to my recollection, I don’t think there were prices on the menu. I could be wrong, but I guess it doesn’t matter at this point; it’s not like you can go to Carnegie Deli and see for yourself. All I was thinking was we were not going to have any idea what dinner cost until we got the bill. It’s not like we have an unlimited source of funds, and as much as possible, we avoid using credit cards. It was expensive. Real expensive. Wooster has an incredible restaurant downtown, the City Square Steakhouse, and we can get two great meals, appetizers, salad and dessert for less than two sandwiches, an order of fries and side of mac and cheese cost us. But, oh well, I am glad we had the experience (even if it did cost us $75 for the food and a $10 tip).
