Yuval Dekel and Liebman’s: Tongue in the Bronx with a side of Heavy Metal
Thursday, May 3rd, 2007
Though the Bronx was once a hotbed of delicatessens, today there is but a small slice left of its illustrious past. Sadly, there are only two delis that remain, in the upscale enclave of Riverdale, just north of Manhattan on the Harlem river.
One of these is Leibman’s, a half century old joint on West 235th Street, where elderly Jewish clientelle shlepp in and out laden down with huge bags of takeout. Though the Liebman family is long gone, the quality here is almost unsurpassed in the five boroughs, thanks to the watchful eye of young owner Yuval Dekel.
The Israeli born Dekel is a bit different from your standard New York deli owner.
First off, he’s young…not yet thirty, though to be fair, I’m not either.
Second of all, his real passion is drumming and writing music, which he does in the New York heavy metal band IRATE. It’s a far cry from knishes to death rock, but the proof is in the kishke, and Liebman’s is probably the best kosher spot in New York.
When I visited last November I was surprised by the quiet, soothing atmosphere. It wasn’t a gritty New York place, competing to be the loudest or rudest. Young staff (many of whom were Yuval’s relatives from Israel and his wife’s from Georgia) served dedicated old customers classic dishes. There was incredible sweet and sour cabbage rolls, the matzo ball soup is packed with chickeny flavor, and because Dekel was a baker before his father passed away and left him the store, the bread is outstanding…moist…dense…crisp…the perfect palate for the corned beef and pastrami that is cured IN THE STORE. The chopped liver is creamy and splendid, while the tongue is cut so thin and cooked so perfectly it melts like foie gras.
One of the best things Liebman’s makes is a hush puppy…tiny knishes stuffed with hot dogs. Liebman’s dogs alone are outstanding, not salty, extremely juicy, but the hush puppy treatment just raises the woof into another league. This is the type of place where you could just sit and eat for days and never get tired. Top tier, though entirely local because it’s far from Manhattan’s centre.
Well worth the visit. And there’s good news…Dekel says he plans to write a crazy death metal song about kvetching deli clients. Should be a classic.
Liebman’s
Kosher Restaurant and Catering
552 West 235 Street - Bronx (Riverdale) New York
www.liebmansdeli.com
Yuval’s band IRATE’s My Space page.
Schmaltz by Southwest: Arizona, Texas, and New Orleans
Sunday, March 25th, 2007Charlotte, North Carolina
It’s been a while since my last area roundup, due partly to the fact that I have driven across the entire country in a week, and largely to the fact that the following week I spent by the beach in Florida. So sue me.
Now I’m in for my final night in the south, before heading north to DC and then back home to Toronto in time for pesach. It’s been a hell of a trip, but at this point I can barely keep my eyes open.
This dispatch covers what I found once I left Las Vegas and before I arrived in Miami. As the crow flies that is about 2500 miles, though I took the longer route, which had me driving most days for about 5-10 hours at a time.
There aren’t a lot of delicatessens along the southern US border, packed as it is with sagebrush, vast tracts of inhospitable desert, drug smugglers and illegal aliens. But in the enclaves of Phoenix, Austin, Houston, and New Orleans there was haymish tastes to be found. (more…)
The King of Kibbitz: Freddie Roman
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007Boca Raton, Florida
Freddie Roman: legend of standup, king of the Catskills, Vegas stalwart and opening act for the likes of Tom Jones, Shirley Maclean and Sammy David Jr…not to mention the dean of the Friar’s Club.
Freddie Roman: deli lover, deli maven, deli macher. No one on earth can match the encyclopedic knowledge of delis, past and present that Freddie Roman contains in his noggin. You say a city he’ll name a deli. “Atlanta…oh yeah, Tom Jones and I stocked up on matzo ball soup for his jet from this place thirty years ago…”
And so, a classic deli joke, as told to me yesterday by Mr. Freddie Roman, comedic and delicatessen king. (with credit to originator Myron Cohen):
A man comes in to the same deli for twelve years every night and orders a matzo ball soup. One night he pulls on the waiter’s sleeve and says “Taste the soup.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the soup” the waiter says,
“Taste the soup” the man insists, shoving the bowl toward the waiter.
“What the heck are you talking about?” the waiter says, “it’s the same soup you’ve been eating every night for 12 years, nothing’s the matter with it, we make it the same way.”
“Taste the soup,” he says again, sending the waiter over the edge.
“Ok Ok stop hollering, I’ll taste the soup!…where’s your spoon?”
“Ah Ha!”
*sorry Freddie, I butchered it.
I Left my Blintz in San Francisco
Thursday, March 1st, 2007Deli Men of the Golden Gate
Los Angeles, CA
Finally out of the misery of winter and into sunny So-Cal. Just went for a run along Venice beach, with the sun, surf, and sandpipers reminding me that I’m a good few thousand miles from home. In a few hours I’m setting out for the first of many interviews at some of LA’s finest delicatessens, but for now I want to talk about my day in the city by the Bay.
San Francisco’s Jewish community has never been a heavy hitter in terms of North America. Still, it is decent sized enough to warrant a good deli scene, though like Chicago that has failed to come together over the years. The pickings are slim, though I managed to check out three places run by three different generations of deli men, all of whom warrant a visit when in the Bay Area. (more…)
Knishes in the Gravy Belt: two deli men in middle America
Friday, February 16th, 2007Boulder, Colorado
When I pulled into Denver a few nights ago I felt blessed. The drive from Kansas City had been a brutal 9 hour ordeal through the centre of the United States. At first it drizzled, and then poured sheets of rain. I passed time listening to right wing talk radio “…the homosexual agenda in the public schools wants to expose our children to…”, counted the anti-abortion bilboards, and weighed them against the equally numbered sex shop bilboards. By the time I was halfway the freezing rain kicked in, which soon turned to slush, which then turned to snow, and then just mixed back and forth. Accidents were everywhere, the road was a skating rink, but I finally arrived in Denver with my car encased in a cocoon of ice. Amen.
During those days between Chicago and here I met two deli men who operate in areas where owning a Jewish delicatessen is a lonely business. Middle America is the gravy belt. Aside from some outstanding Bar-B-Q it is the home of white bread, white folks, and spiceless meat. Hardly a place where deli can thrive. And yet…. (more…)
Sy, Rose, and Ari: legends of Motown
Sunday, February 4th, 2007Day 6 of Deli Road Trip-Chicago, Il
I’ve finally arrived in Chicago after a freezing white knuckle drive on icy roads where I saw more accidents than ever before in my life. Now I’m in the comfort of an airport hotel room, watching Da Bears fumble away a Superbowl.
Detroit and its surrounding suburbs provided a great start to the road trip, being a city full of character, quirky Yids, and a deep love of corned beef and double baked rye. I saw gleaming suburbs, quaint college towns, and the stark urban blight of an abandoned city, where the lines of race and economics are as stark as ever.
I’d like to use this post to start a feature I call “Profiles of a Deli Man”, and in this case a woman. A Deli Man is more than just a deli owner. He/she is the embodiment of the delicatessen’s ideal; someone whose very core is linked to their deli. A deli owner may run a delicatessen, but a Deli Man will live for their delicatessen. A Deli Man can work any job in a deli, from cooking the matzo ball soup, to cutting sandwiches and waiting tables. He is a tireless and selfless creature and the Jewish delicatessen exists today because of the Deli Men out there.
In Michigan I met a host of deli owners and workers, who were all very kind and interesting, but I want to talk about three figures in particular who stand out in my mind as exceptional Deli Men (and Deli Woman). (more…)
