playing hooky, part 2 -- The Carnegie Deli
This was our second visit to the Carnegie Deli.
As I said last time, the space is small and cramped, and even though we arrived fairly early this time, we found ourselves waiting outside, on line, for a good 45 minutes. (Interesting what you can learn while waiting, though -- we found out that the restaurant used to be much larger, but lost their lease for a portion of the premises.) Once inside, service was fairly quick and efficient.
You sit at shared tables, under the photos of celebrities who've dined here. There's no such thing as private dinner conversation. I guess that's part of the "old New York" charm.
This time around, most of our fellow diners were clearly tourists. The foursome from New Orleans talking about how roses were blooming in their gardens. The two gentlemen who usually eat their brisket barbecued, not smothered in gravy. The couple enjoying their matzo ball soup and speculating (incorrectly) how matzo balls are made. the family sharing one slice of oversized chocolate cream pie.
Drew had his usual -- tongue on rye with Russian dressing. A sandwich piled so high with meat it was practically falling apart.
I wanted something different this time around. I ordered the chicken dinner -- a beautifully roasted 1/2 chicken, served on a bed of stuffing, accompanied by a choice of potato and a vegetable -- I wound up with a baked potato and broccoli. Delicious.
So yes, it's touristy, and yes, it's a bit pricey, even for Manhattan. But yes, the food is good, and yes, we will be back.
As I said last time, the space is small and cramped, and even though we arrived fairly early this time, we found ourselves waiting outside, on line, for a good 45 minutes. (Interesting what you can learn while waiting, though -- we found out that the restaurant used to be much larger, but lost their lease for a portion of the premises.) Once inside, service was fairly quick and efficient.
You sit at shared tables, under the photos of celebrities who've dined here. There's no such thing as private dinner conversation. I guess that's part of the "old New York" charm.
This time around, most of our fellow diners were clearly tourists. The foursome from New Orleans talking about how roses were blooming in their gardens. The two gentlemen who usually eat their brisket barbecued, not smothered in gravy. The couple enjoying their matzo ball soup and speculating (incorrectly) how matzo balls are made. the family sharing one slice of oversized chocolate cream pie.
Drew had his usual -- tongue on rye with Russian dressing. A sandwich piled so high with meat it was practically falling apart.
I wanted something different this time around. I ordered the chicken dinner -- a beautifully roasted 1/2 chicken, served on a bed of stuffing, accompanied by a choice of potato and a vegetable -- I wound up with a baked potato and broccoli. Delicious.
So yes, it's touristy, and yes, it's a bit pricey, even for Manhattan. But yes, the food is good, and yes, we will be back.
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