Comments on: Rascal House: The Final Indignity http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/ Dedicated to the preservation of all salted and cured Judaic meats Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:21:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: Jay Parker http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8027 Jay Parker Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:35:57 +0000 http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8027 A short Deli history; New immigrants arriving had 3 needs to fulfill; food, shelter and work. This business supplied all three (my grandparents lived in the back of the store). A work day was just that, a day (24 hrs). Open in the ery early A.M.; wives would shop for lunch items for their working husbands,(there wrer only Ice Boxes), and close late (1:00 A.M.). And in between restocking shelves, beer, soda... and of course making product to sell the nextday. They just made a living. They couldn't spell "food cost" .. it wasen't a business... it was a living. Kosher delis were woven into the social and religious fabric. We, unlike any other restaurant were involved in the Jewish Life Cycle.. Brit.. bar/ bat mitzvah wedding and shiva. Business models and profits took a back seat, we had to be there for the community. Years later we see major enterprises like Jerry's who forgot or traded our traditional role for greater profits. I'm all for making profits, but not at the cost of our historical place in the Jewish community. Jay Parker Ben's Best Deli A short Deli history; New immigrants arriving had 3 needs to fulfill; food, shelter and work. This business supplied all three (my grandparents lived in the back of the store). A work day was just that, a day (24 hrs). Open in the ery early A.M.; wives would shop for lunch items for their working husbands,(there wrer only Ice Boxes), and close late (1:00 A.M.). And in between restocking shelves, beer, soda… and of course making product to sell the nextday. They just made a living. They couldn’t spell “food cost” .. it wasen’t a business… it was a living. Kosher delis were woven into the social and religious fabric. We, unlike any other restaurant were involved in the Jewish Life Cycle.. Brit.. bar/ bat mitzvah wedding and shiva. Business models and profits took a back seat, we had to be there for the community.
Years later we see major enterprises like Jerry’s who forgot or traded our traditional role for greater profits. I’m all for making profits, but not at the cost of our historical place in the Jewish community.

Jay Parker
Ben’s Best Deli

]]> By: Matt Brookman http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8030 Matt Brookman Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:29:57 +0000 http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8030 This was a sad dad indeed. The Rascal House didn't need to close and Jerry's Deli's are pure poison. Since Jerry's took over the Rascal House, the food slowly declined. He killed this one great deli where people came from around the world to enjoy and now will replace it with a high end market. Is this is a good businessman? Maybe Epicure will be more succesful, but I have a hard time understanding it. If places like the rascal house keep closing what will happen to jewish culture and the recipes and traditions that our ancestors brought over with them to this country? This is indeed a shonda and I hope people wont support his new product. Long live the traditional jewish deli! This was a sad dad indeed. The Rascal House didn’t need to close and Jerry’s Deli’s are pure poison. Since Jerry’s took over the Rascal House, the food slowly declined. He killed this one great deli where people came from around the world to enjoy and now will replace it with a high end market. Is this is a good businessman? Maybe Epicure will be more succesful, but I have a hard time understanding it. If places like the rascal house keep closing what will happen to jewish culture and the recipes and traditions that our ancestors brought over with them to this country? This is indeed a shonda and I hope people wont support his new product. Long live the traditional jewish deli!

]]> By: Ziggy http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8033 Ziggy Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:45:49 +0000 http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8033 Dovid, It does not suprise me. These people are not real deli people. They are grubber yings who only care about money and always have, They killed a great instutution who at one time, was in the top 5 highest grossing restaurants in the country. They can blame the times, but that is not what killed the Rascal House. The blame falls on them for not keeping up the standard of food and service that the great Wolfie Cohen kept. They cut corners on qualtiy and their volume suffered because they turned it into another Jerry's Famous Deli. To add insult to injury they now pick the place clean to extract every penny from the dead. Such a spit in the face and truly a dark day in the history of delis. Dovid, It does not suprise me. These people are not real deli people. They are grubber yings who only care about money and always have, They killed a great instutution who at one time, was in the top 5 highest grossing restaurants in the country. They can blame the times, but that is not what killed the Rascal House. The blame falls on them for not keeping up the standard of food and service that the great Wolfie Cohen kept. They cut corners on qualtiy and their volume suffered because they turned it into another Jerry’s Famous Deli. To add insult to injury they now pick the place clean to extract every penny from the dead. Such a spit in the face and truly a dark day in the history of delis.

]]> By: jordan http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8087 jordan Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:33:41 +0000 http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8087 this is a very sad story.i fear there will be more to come.parents no longer take chidren for the traditional dining expierence of great deli food.sushi is top pick now.we need to turn this around.i moved from new york to south florida 4 years ago,and was shocked to learn my childrens friends never heard of a knish.this is a shame!!!!!!!!one bright note.i believe the original owners of pastrami queen new york are opening in boca raton.hope its true.what a treat that would be. this is a very sad story.i fear there will be more to come.parents no longer take chidren for the traditional dining expierence of great deli food.sushi is top pick now.we need to turn this around.i moved from new york to south florida 4 years ago,and was shocked to learn my childrens friends never heard of a knish.this is a shame!!!!!!!!one bright note.i believe the original owners of pastrami queen new york are opening in boca raton.hope its true.what a treat that would be.

]]> By: Nick danger http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8156 Nick danger Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:22:46 +0000 http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-8156 Knish? How about stuffed derma? My kids looked at it and (almost) wouldn't taste it; when they did, they were not totally grossed out. It does take time to develop a taste for many things, deli included. Ben's in Boca is worth it, if you haven't been. Knish? How about stuffed derma? My kids looked at it and (almost) wouldn’t taste it; when they did, they were not totally grossed out. It does take time to develop a taste for many things, deli included. Ben’s in Boca is worth it, if you haven’t been.

]]> By: Vadim http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-12292 Vadim Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:17:01 +0000 http://www.savethedeli.com/2008/04/02/rascal-house-the-final-indignity/#comment-12292 I'm truly stunned. I can't believe the feeble minded civic leaders of S. Florida allowed this to happen did not designate the Rascal House as a landmark! This is a tragedy. I loved the Rascal House. I live in Brooklyn, but everytime I came to Miami I would stop by. I looked forward to visiting S. Florida just so I can visit my beloved deli. The Delano -- F* them--- the Rascal House had character. It had history. I ate here with my mother. I ate here with my wife, and my best friend too. The Rascal House was as much a part of me as my family. It was my S. Florida tradition. I loved everything about it, right down to the Jackie Gleason poster. I hope the Starkmans a cursed for life and choke on their filthy money. Lord knows, they don't have enough of it already. F U Starkmans. I’m truly stunned. I can’t believe the feeble minded civic leaders of S. Florida allowed this to happen did not designate the Rascal House as a landmark! This is a tragedy.

I loved the Rascal House. I live in Brooklyn, but everytime I came to Miami I would stop by. I looked forward to visiting S. Florida just so I can visit my beloved deli. The Delano — F* them— the Rascal House had character. It had history. I ate here with my mother. I ate here with my wife, and my best friend too. The Rascal House was as much a part of me as my family. It was my S. Florida tradition. I loved everything about it, right down to the Jackie Gleason poster.

I hope the Starkmans a cursed for life and choke on their filthy money. Lord knows, they don’t have enough of it already. F U Starkmans.

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