Philly’s Famous 4th Street opens #2 (guest blogger Matt Brookman)
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
For the past several years, one Matt Brookman of Philadelphia has been writing me regularly, to fill me in on the comings and goings of the Philly deli scene. He’s tight with deli owner/serial opener Russ Cowan, and I asked Matt to file a report from the opening of the new Famous 4th Street Deli that Cowan opened on the 4th. Take it away Matt…
The highly anticipated opening of Russ Cowan’s 2nd location of Famous 4th Street Deli happened on September 4th with very little fanfare the way Russ seems to like it. The opening had been rumored for a while but the exact date was a mystery. Finally the doors opened on Friday afternoon and the patrons soon followed. The weekend was supposedly very busy and if today was any evidence, this 2nd location of Famous 4th Street is going to be a huge success. (more…)
Name that Party…the Vote
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
So, when I asked you all last week to help name the launch party at Ben’s on Oct 19th, I was floored with the fantastic response I received from all you deli lovers. I got about 20 submissions, ranging from the standard (Savor the Deli) to the insanely creative (the great chrain robbery, Meet the Deli Lama, Salvador Deli). The craziest goes to Daniel Berkal, who suggested transforming “Save the Deli” as an anagram into “Hide Salt Eve” or “I’d Sheet Veal”.
But in the end, I have whittled it down to seven ideas, some yours, some mine, and I put it to a vote below. Sweet democracy. It’s come to Save the Deli as well.
(more…)
“The Deli” by Fa-Cock-Ta! rocks.
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009If you took everything this site and my book and all this Save the Deli mishigas is about, set it to some early 1990’s Tone Loc beats, and then laid mildly inappropriate lyrics over it by a Jewish Lady GaGa in character as MC Ethel (”a 52 year old drunk Jewish cougar from Boca and lead singer of the world’s premiere Heeb-hop group, FA-COCK-TA”), then you’d get FA-COCK-TA’s awesome song The Deli.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE SONG AT www.fa-cock-ta.com
The lyrics…oh, they’re genius. They include lines like “My baby’s got some extra baggage, she’s got a bootie shaped like stuffed cabbage” and “It’s Boyton Beach it’s so hot I always, shvitz, but I put up with the heat for a meal at Flakowitz.”
(more…)
Buzz builds in Israel and Miami, plus a great new book and Deli Heaven relaunches
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009להציל את המעדנייה (that’s Save the Deli in the mother tongue)
Sue Fishkoff’s JTA article from the other day got reprinted in the Jerusalem Post, and it’s gotten quite popular. It’s gotten 4.71 out of 5 stars by readers, and already has 31 comments on it. It’s also the Editor’s Pick online, which is a real honor, considering that Israel is hardly a place suffering from a lack of news. The comments, from both sites, are the best part of this. (more…)
Name the Launch Party
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
On October 19th, Save the Deli hits bookstores in the US. That night, the party kicks off at Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen, on 38th St and 7th Avenue.
We’re going to have music by Jelvis, the Jewish Elvis
We’re going to have deli record setting with the Universal Record Database
We’re going to have the launch of Save the Deli, with me, the dude who wrote the book…including a talk and Q&A
We’re going to be having a lot of deli for you all to eat, and something to drink as well
It’s going to be a celebration of Jewish deli culture in New York, the likes of which the city hasn’t seen since the days of the Deli Dealer’s Association.
But first…. (more…)
