Marvin Saul: RIP an LA Deli Legend
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
It always saddens me when a member of the Jewish deli passes, and today I feel it particularly strongly. Marvin Saul, the beloved owner of Junior’s Delicatessen, in Hollywood, CA, died last week.
Here’s from his obituary in the LA Times:
Marvin Saul was a uranium miner who had gone bust when he flipped a coin in the late 1950s to decide where to strike out next from Utah. Heads meant Los Angeles; tails Dallas.
Heads, and generations of future deli-goers on the Westside, won out.
With 35 cents in his pocket, Saul arrived in Los Angeles, did odd jobs and by 1957 had cobbled together $300 to open a small sandwich shop. Two years later, he established Junior’s, an eight-table delicatessen that grew “into a sort of IBM of the bagel and blintz world,” the Wall Street Journal reported in 1990.
At the time, Saul explained the restaurant’s success by saying, “I try to give people great food and a little schmaltz.”
Saul, who had continued to work three days a week at the Westwood eatery, died of a heart attack Dec. 8 at his home in Encino, said his son David. He was 82.
“He was really an incredible host. It’s a great big restaurant, but he’d treat it like his own dining room at home,” said filmmaker Mel Brooks, who has frequented Junior’s for decades. “He was so sweet and wonderful, albeit a little pushy on the soup. He’d always come to our table with a new soup, and we had to try it or we’d hurt his feelings.”
“Junior” was Saul’s childhood nickname, and he gave it to the restaurant he originally opened on Pico Boulevard. In 1967, he moved the deli several blocks to Westwood Boulevard near the 20th Century Fox studio, where it has long been considered a landmark — and a place to spot the occasional celebrity.
I met Marvin back in 2007, when I was out west, researching Save the Deli. He greeted me with open arms, proudly showing me around Junior’s, lifting the pot on every soup, and pulling up a ladle, to show me the flanken he’d made, or the navy beans he’d personally selected. He was a true host, a man who made his customers feel at home, whether they were old time deli hams like Mel Brooks (whom Marvin arranged an interview with, when I was there), or an unlikely figure like Mr. T, who met Saul when he came to film Rocky 3, and was treated like a son. “I always called him Father,” Mr. T told me a few years ago, out of respect and love.
Junior’s lives on with the Saul family, who have been running the place for several years, and in the hearts of his customers, who will never forget his smile, his firm handshake, and the first kibbitz of the day.
Alef Ha Sholem Marvin. We’ll miss you.
Some close, Some Open, Some Are Reborn
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011Hope everyone had a great summer. Here’s a few news items to kick off fall.
The New York Times reports today that Kutsher’s, the legendary Catskills resort, is opening a high end restaurant version of itself in tony Tribeca. Promising “hand-cut pastrami, and matzoh-crusted fried chicken, and a Romanian tenderloin cooked with prime skirt steak and served with a roasted garlic and wild mushroom knish,” along with gefilte fish, it could give Sammy’s Romanian steakhouse a run for its schmaltz. Here’s hoping they hire Freddy Roman as head tummeler.
As if this month wasn’t bad enough for Vermont, Burlington’s Sadie Katz deli has just closed. Oy.
And finally, I didn’t write about this a month back, out of sheer laziness, but Lorne Pancer is back in the deli business north of Toronto at Pancer’s Deli Emporium, up in Maple. Or Vaughan. Let’s just call it Yucchuputz and go for some corned beef. The original Moe Pancer’s Deli is still in business, so it’s basically a booming market for Pancers’.
A Save the Deli Inspired Odyssey
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
What’s your inspiration for eating deli? In many cases it’s a deep hunger, or a nostalgic need that can only be sated by Jewish delicatessen.
I realize that Save the Deli (the site, the book, the 3D movie) has fueled many of those cravings over the past several years, and why not, that’s the essence of our mission here. Occasionally one of you will write to me about your visits to delis. Sometimes, you even chronicle those journeys (I’m thinking of you Teddy).
Today I got an email from Richard Blackman, who, along with childhood friends Gary, Malcolm, and Larry, left the pastures of suburban DC recently and drove up to the wilds of New York city to eat as much deli as possible in 48 hours.
CBS recently aired a broadcast about three of New York City’s finest delis. I dare you to watch without your mouth watering! But my friends and I did CBS one better – actually five better. We did a taste test of 8 delis in 36 hours.
It’s Saturday 9 AM and three of my elementary school friends, Larry, Malcolm and Gary, and I (all in our 50s now) jam into Gary’s 1994 Corolla on the way to New York City in search of the best deli sandwiches, side orders, and pickles. Five minutes into the trip we began an animated conversation – how will we rate the delis? How many total points would we use? How many points per sandwich, what about pickles, what about salads? We also discussed other criteria beside food. Do we add points for atmosphere, or cleanliness? And what about staff – do we add or subtract points for surliness? After an hour of lively discussion, we agreed that we would place the same order at each deli: three sandwiches (hot corned beef, brisket and pastrami), coleslaw, potato salad, and pickles. We also agreed that the taste of the food would be the only item evaluated, and that we would use 100 points total per person per deli — a maximum of 24 points for each sandwich, 14 for pickles, and 14 for side orders. With 4 raters, each deli could score a maximum 400 points.
Even before we set out, I had already won the first argument: we knew that we could not eat everything we ordered, and we would need to take two coolers rather than one for leftovers.
We’d been planning this trip for a year, inspired by David Saks’ book, Save the Deli, which gets a mention in the CBS video above. We chose the eight delis based on internet reviews, a poll of “deli-savvy” friends, and my own personal experiences.
Our first stop was Hobby’s Delicatessen and Restaurant in Newark, NJ. Salivating with pent-up anticipation after 200 miles on the road, Hobby’s did not disappoint. Hobby’s is truly an original. After walking past the obligatory deli case, with all the tasty food morsels, the co-owner, Marc Brummer, seated us in the spacious dining room. Marc is a deli-owner who loves his work and has “deli” running through his veins. He and his brother started in the business when they were teenagers, and have now taken over the business from their dad, who, although he’s in his 80’s, still offers helpful advice. Marc schmoozed with us throughout the meal and it was a blast. We asked if he was a “Hobby.” It turns out the deli used to be called Hocky’s, but a previous owner had to change the name and could only afford to change two letters in the sign—hence Hobby’s. Marc is a Brandeis graduate, and Larry is too — a high-five moment. This is a fun place to go, and you must spend time talking with the owner.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THEIR JOURNEY’S TALE
Mile End Opening Night: Beginning of “The End”
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Though it once boasted hundreds of Jewish delicatessens, it’s been a long time since Brooklyn has celebrated a new deli opening in the borough. Most now exist in the southern reaches of the BRK, down in Mill Basin, Flatbush, or Coney Island. But last night, Jewish deli returned to downtown brownstone Brooklyn, when Mile End finally opened its doors.
It’s been a long time coming, ever since Brooklyn Law School student, and Montreal Jew, Noah Bernamoff began curing smoked meat in his Park Slope apartment, smoking on his roof, and serving it to friends last year. There were months of experiments, lease negotiations, construction headaches, and inspection delays. But finally, yesterday, Mile End was in business. (more…)
LA Times: Dual Duty Waiters at Langer’s and Canter’s
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Salvador Lopez, photographed during his lunchtime shift at Langer’s. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times / January 7, 2010)
This has to be one of the coolest deli stories I’ve seen in a long time:
Double-dipping waiters sandwiched between two delis
Langer’s and Canter’s share workers, who contend with different clientele and menus. Which pastrami is better? Don’t ask.
By Robert Faturechi Los Angeles Times
Salvador Lopez, a waiter at Langer’s, has the routine down pat. After a hectic lunch shift serving sandwiches on rye at the pastrami mecca next to MacArthur Park, he negotiates a series of surface streets — up Normandie, across Beverly — to make his way into the Fairfax district.
He beelines into the locker room of another renowned Jewish deli, shedding the signature Langer’s bow tie for a tight-fitting black T-shirt that reads: I ♥ Canter’s.
Lopez is not a delicatessen double agent, funneling trade secrets on Russian dressing and blintzes. The 29-year-old is one of several waiters who openly works at two of the delis that compete for the title of Los Angeles’ best.
The delis’ unique shared employee pool speaks to the changing demographics of their neighborhoods. Langer’s, surrounded by drug dealers and vendors selling fake IDs, is open for lunch only. Canter’s, in a once-sleepy neighborhood now home to cafes and clubs, draws a younger crowd well into the wee hours.
Sharing workers makes sense, the deli owners say, because top talent is rare. A good waiter who understands the makings of a mean Reuben is hard to find.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY OVER AT LATIMES.COM
Passing of a great deli man: Arnold Dworkin
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Sad news today. Arnold Dworkin, the gregarious deli man who headed up Kaufman’s Bakery and Deli in Skokie, Il, passed away yesterday.
Arnold had been ill for the past several years, and the deli was (and remians) in the hands of his daughter Bette and wife Judy.
He will be missed.
The funeral will be on Thursday, at 11:00 a.m. at Am Yisrael Congregation, 4 Happ Road, Northfield, IL.
For the shiva, please call 847-835-2081
Alef Ha Sholem Arnold. You brought joy and corned beef on rye into the lives of many.
As always, the best tribute to the man is through his deli. Please pass by for a visit.
Happy “Special” Birthday Ruth Wilensky
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Yesterday I wrote about a great deli man. Today, I’ll toast a great Deli Woman. Possibly the greatest of all.
Tomorrow, Oct 3rd, Ruth Wilensky, of Montreal’s venerable Wilensky’s Light Lunch, has a very significant birthday. How significant? So significant I have sworn not to reveal the number, but let’s say it ends in a 0 and most of us only dream of getting there. So happy birthday to you Ruth! (more…)
Sam Brummer: The Meaning of Mentch
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
There are deli owners and there are Deli Men. How do you measure the worth of a Deli Man? He lives deli, he makes no compromises, and he preserves it for future generations.
By any accounts, Sam Brummer would be a certified Deli Man par excellence. After fleeing the Nazis from Poland in 1939, Brummer found himself in the Bronx, and learned the deli trade at Clifton Deli in Lakewood, NJ; Kartzmann’s in Newark, and the Globe, near Wall Street. Over the ensuing decades he moved into Hockey’s Delicatessen in Newark, turning it into Hobby’s, which he still runs today, with his sons Marc and Michael. When other white businesses fled downtown Newark, especially after the 1968 riots, Brummer stayed, an anchor of the community. When other delis supplanted homemade meats for stuff bought from purveyors, he insisted on curing corned beef and tongues in the store…slowly…in a low cure of salt, sugar, and spices. He works there every day, even after recovering from a recent open heart surgery.
By all accounts, a Deli Man of great renown.
But there’s a few crucial details left out. (more…)
The New Caplansky’s
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Living in New York has many advantages. Theater, museums, opera…all the cultural accouterments I can read about in New York Magazine and never go to.
But it also has its disadvantages. Rats, traffic, and rent that makes Tokyo jealous.
Here’s another one, being away from my hometown Toronto, I don’t get to Pancer’s, Yitz’s, Wolfie’s, Center Street, Steeles Deli, or other local delis as often as I used to, and that’s a real shame.
So it’s taken me a few weeks to check out the new Caplansky’s, which I did on two visits back. Here’s my impression:
Me and Perlow down by Pastrami Queen
Friday, July 17th, 2009
Yesterday I had the pleasure to meet up with a longtime virtual friend in this deli crazy world, and have a nosh. Jason Perlow is an extremely well known food blogger from New Jersey, and was an early supporter of Save the Deli. His blog, Off the Broiler, is massive, and the man can eat!
We met at Pastrami Queen, an excellent little kosher deli on the Upper East Side, so that Jason could interview me for his site about the book. You’ll see the interview (actually podcast) come October, but I want to share with you the joys of our meal, as written by Jason himself in Off the Broiler. (more…)
