Monday, December 10, 2007

Eating Vicariously: 2nd Ave Deli reopens in NYC

You can't throw a bad Seattle bagel without hitting a local foodie bitching about the lack of good deli in Seattle.

2nd Ave Deli's broiled chicken livers and onions, via nycnosh


And they're right, of course. But it's about more than just having a place to feast on stuffed cabbage and knishes; deli is about attitude. This interview with Jeremy Lebewohl, who's reopening New York's best deli, sums it up nicely.

Sour or half-sour?
What kinda question is that? Sour!

Considering all that, is this a good deli moment?
People have asked me, “Do you think opening up a deli filled with fatty foods is a smart thing to do in modern times, when people are on diets and eating tossed salads and all this type of stuff?” I happen to think that now is the perfect climate. If you go to a lot of in-vogue restaurants, you’re going to see pork belly, and barbecue is back in a big way. Food tastes move in cycles. When I was a kid, in my house, in all my friends’ houses, there were all kinds of cookies and Entenmann’s cake and bags of potato chips. That’s what you ate. Then all of a sudden, God forbid you eat anything but a Diet Coke and maybe a crouton if you’re lucky. That’s not the way to live.


Amen.

NY Mag on the reopening of 2nd Ave Deli

[where: 10016]

1 comment:

Leslie said...

"Diet Coke and maybe a crouton...That’s not the way to live." should be embroidered on a pillow.