Kosher and kosher-style delis on Long Island
The warm, peppery pastrami sandwiches at Pastrami Plus are served with pickles and cole slaw. Credit: Agaton Strom
A proper pastrami sandwich is not that easy to find anymore. Who would imagine the day would arrive when a kale and quinoa salad would be easier to come by than warm spicy meat stacked between two slices of rye? Yet it's true: Kosher and kosher-style delis are steadily vanishing from the Long Island restaurant scene. "Today on Long Island, there's maybe 15 percent of what there was 25 to 30 years ago," said Ronnie Dragoon, CEO of Ben's Kosher Delicatessen & Restaurant. Dragoon launched his first store (now closed) in Baldwin back in 1972 and currently has three Long Island locations.
"Years ago, customers came in two and three times a week," said Dragoon, adding that today's norm is once every two weeks. "There's no question that diets change and tastes change."
Which may be why you'd be hard-pressed to name a kosher or kosher-style deli that's opened on Long Island over the past decade. The losses, though, are piling up: Deli King in New Hyde Park, Andel's in Roslyn Heights, Deli on Rye in Albertson, as well as Commack Kosher Caterers Deli & Market in Commack and Delsen's in Bay Shore. All specialized in the cured meats and hearty dishes that Eastern European Jews brought to the New York metro area a century ago.
Yet there are still vibrant places to kvell over pastrami/corned beef/knishes/matzo ball soup. Here are our six favorites, a mix of kosher and kosher-style.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Kosher and kosher-style delis are not the same.
Kosher: A supervising rabbi monitors ingredients, preparation and production of all food to meet kosher standards.
Kosher-style: While not kosher, offers a menu of traditional Jewish foods such as knishes, cold cuts, stuffed cabbage and matzo ball soup. The restaurant is not certified by an outside kosher organization.
ZAN'S KOSHER DELICATESSEN RESTAURANT & CATERER
135 Alexander Ave., Lake Grove, 631-979-8770
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Kosher supervision: Rabbi Jonathan Waxman, Temple Beth Sholom in Smithtown
Zan's began life back in 1983 as a Ben's Kosher Delicatessen. In 2004, owner Pat Ruggiero broke apart from the chain and changed the name of the place to Zan's. Ruggiero, whose dad worked for Hebrew National, takes pride in making everything (except the square Gabila knishes) in-house. His matzo ball and kreplach soups ($4.99) are homey and satisfying, his pastrami sandwiches ($11.99) first-rate. Give the fried kreplach a try, and don't miss the PLT -- pastrami, lettuce and tomato, ($11.99).
Zan's, conveniently located near Smith Haven Mall, also makes a mean corned beef sandwich ($11.99) and turns out excellent hand-cut fries ($4.25) and baked knishes ($3.79).
2568 Hempstead Tpke., East Meadow, 516-644-2644
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Kosher supervision: None
Forget ambience; gustatory gratification is what this bare-bones little kosher-style deli is all about. Credit deli man Sal Gawish, who came to this country from Egypt in his 20s and found a job as a counterman at one of Brooklyn's legendary but now departed delis, Grabstein's in Canarsie. "I worked with the old-school people, who taught me very well," said Gawish, who went on to open his own kosher-style deli in 2003. Here, he makes everything (except square knishes) himself. His fat-frilled, peppery pastrami on rye ($9.99) deserves an A-plus. So do crisp nutty-sweet hand-cut fries ($4.25). Matzo ball soup ($4 cup; $5.75 bowl) is good, split pea soup even better. Gawish's admirably flaky potato knish ($3.50) may also be had stuffed with pastrami ($3.50) for an artery-clogging debauch.
641 ½ E. Park Ave., Long Beach, 516-431-4411
Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day
Kosher supervision: Rabbi Israel Mayer Steinberg of Vaad Harabonim Lemeshmeret Hakashrut
Lido Deli has been keeping Long Beach in (homemade) knishes since 1930, when Wally Goetz's grandfather, Hugo Weinberg, opened the store. Another of Weinberg's grandsons runs Grand Kosher in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where the deli's luscious pastrami, corned beef and tongue are cured. The Gourmet's Delight sandwich, $14.50, features all three, with coleslaw and Russian dressing. If you dine early, you may be able to catch some of the succulent dark-meat turkey before the day's fresh roasted bird is gone. Have it on rye bread with a smear of mustard and mourn a lifetime of dry turkey sandwiches.
BEN'S KOSHER DELICATESSEN-RESTAURANT
59 Old Country Rd., Carle Place, 516-742-3354; 140 Wheatley Plaza, Greenvale, 516-621-3340; 7971 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury, 516-496-4236
Hours: Carle Place and Greenvale: Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Woodbury: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day
Kosher supervision: Rabbi Israel Mayer Steinberg of Vaad Harabonim Lemeshmeret Hakashrut
In 1972, Ronnie Dragoon opened his first deli in Baldwin, naming it after his father, who owned Ben's Deli on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Why use his father's name? "What kind of a kosher deli would be named Ronnie's?" he asked. "Ben's, Sam's, Harry's, those are kosher-deli names." Dragoon's empire now includes three Long Island restaurants, one in Manhattan, one in Bayside, Queens and one in Boca Raton. There is no central commissary; every store makes its own knishes and soups, cures its own corned beef and pastrami. Enjoy both on the Deli Double, $16.99, served on twin junior rolls.
KENSINGTON KOSHER DELICATESSEN
27 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck, 516-487-2410
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day
Kosher supervision: Rabbi Aaron Metzger of the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets Division of Kosher Law Enforcement
It may be Long Island's barest-bones deli: a narrow storefront featuring a long counter, a few tables and a team of friendly employees. It certainly has the shortest menu: a dozen classic sandwiches, and another dozen featuring various combinations of the classic fillings (here's the place to order a chopped liver and pastrami on rye), hot dogs with sauerkraut, three soups and a handful of sides. But Kensington Deli has been getting the job done in style since 1975 when Paul Saberito opened the store with (now silent) partner Oscar Rathaus. About 10 years ago, Saberito came up with the newest item on the menu, the so-called Paulie Special, $12.40, featuring house-baked brisket, gravy and horseradish sauce on a toasted sesame-seed roll.
196 Merrick Rd., Merrick, 516-377-4300
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. .to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Kosher supervision: None
While this deli serves non-kosher items such as bacon, it has a style and history similar to kosher-style delis. The late Abe Yamali, who owned the former (and kosher) Pastrami King in Kew Gardens, launched this attractive Merrick restaurant in 2002. His son, Joe, is now in charge, offering both a traditional deli menu and a "contemporary" repertoire "We decided to make a more expansive menu to appeal to a large audience," said Yamali, noting that two people sharing the same table might order pastrami on rye ($10.95) and angel hair with shrimp ($22.95). Meat and dairy products mix freely here, with bacon appearing in any number of dishes. But you can still get a fine house-cured pastrami or corned beef sandwich, as well as a house-made knish ($4.50). Modern takes on deli classics include pastrami Reuben sliders ($11.95), pretzel-crusted pickle chips and corned beef "poppers."
Correction: An earlier version of this story did not include Ben's Kosher Delicatessen-Restaurant in Bayside, Queens.
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