Last stop: Ann Arbor (plus a belated press roundup)
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Ann Arbor, MI
Well friends, it’s been over a month since I hit the road, and I am simply exhausted. Here I am on the final day of the book tour. Thanksgiving dawns tomorrow, then Chanukah, and then I head to Mexico for some surf and sand.
It kicked off on Oct 19th with the launch party in NYC, then on to DC and the White House, plus Sixth and I.
Toronto saw a party at Caplansky’s, San Francisco a reading at Saul’s, LA did lunch at Langer’s
We hit up Manny’s in Chicago and 3G’s in Miami, in Philly, I spoke at the Free Library (see below), in Montreal we brought out the city’s best delis
Then I hit the Jewish book tour of JCCs: Houston, Milwaukee, Denver, Boulder, Richmond, Tampa, Buffalo, and Toledo
Now I’m readying myself for the final stop: Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor. I’ll be briefly talking tonight at 5pm, while Sy Ginsburg hands out samples of his world famous corned beef. I began this whole journey across the delis of America three years ago this January here in Ann Arbor, at Zingerman’s with Sy. It’s fitting that it concludes here.
I want to thank everyone who helped put this together. My publicists Taryn Roeder, Elizabeth Anderson, and Lori Glazer. Ashley Dunn in Canada. Carolyn Hessel and the JBN folks. All the deli owners, JCC volunteers, and people who made it special. Ronnie Dragoon and the Ben’s Crew. Ronna and Beverley. And Jelvis, the Jewish Elvis.
The book is now officially a bestseller on the LA Times List (#6), but I need your help to make it a bigger hit. So if you haven’t purchased a copy, please do so, either at your local bookstore, or online here.
So now, a few stray treats from the road. In case you missed me, or miss me. (more…)
NY Magazine: Northern Exposure
Monday, November 23rd, 2009Here’s a little something I wrote for New York Magazine about an exciting new deli opening in Brooklyn. You’ll hear more about Mile End in the coming weeks. Until then, enjoy:
Northern Exposure
A tiny meat counter in Boerum Hill introduces deliphiles to pastrami’s Canadian cousin.
(photo: Hannah Whitaker/nymag.com)
Montreal’s smattering of Jewish delicatessens—anchored by the legendary house of smoked meat, Schwartz’s—are astoundingly old-school in their approach to Yiddish food. Meats are cured in-house and sliced by hand; wall-mounted menus list only a few key sandwiches, steaks, and sides; and there’s nary a salad or unpickled vegetable in sight. At the heart of the tradition is Montreal-style smoked meat, a cured brisket that’s fattier than corned beef and moister than pastrami. (more…)
Save the Deli: National Bestseller
Saturday, November 21st, 2009Well folks, the tour is almost over. It’s been a month since the book has been out, and I’m finally back in nyc for the weekend. Monday I speak at the Toledo JCC, tuesday at Zingerman’s, and then the road and me part ways for a while. It’s been quite a ride. I’ve been waking at dawn and eating breakfast in airports for far longer than I’d like to remember, but it’s been wonderful meeting all the hundreds of deli lovers who came out to support Save the Deli.
And it’s paid off. The book is now officially a National Bestseller. It cracked last week’s Los Angeles Times Bestseller list at #9 and now it’s at #6.
My therapy post
Sunday, November 15th, 2009Yesterday, I posted in response to a review in the Globe and Mail by Jacob Richler that was so negative, it crossed the line into personal.
My response was equally as personal, but I soon realized there was no good to come out of it…save some cheap therapy. I have now deleted that post.
If you want to read Richler’s review, you can find it here. You can comment on the Globe’s website. Or here.
If you care to read the other reviews and articles on Save the Deli, check out the press page.
And if you want to read the book and write your own review, don’t forget to pick up a copy.
Daybreak on the Deuce
Friday, November 13th, 2009…the most unfortunate name for a morning show anywhere.
The Universal World Records Are IN!
Friday, November 13th, 2009Almost four weeks after the killer launch party at Ben’s, the records from the Universal Record Database are verified and posted.
Here we go:
Lindsey Weber repeated the phrase “I’ll have whats she’s having” 22 times in 30 seconds.
Mark Lamster complained to a deli waiter eight times in 30 seconds. He delivered 12 complaints but the last four were not within the designated time. My personal favorite is “Gilad Shalit is having a better night than me.” So tasteless, yet so masterful.
Finally there’s “David Sax pulled a line of sausage 162 links long out of a sausage box.” That’s not the name of the record, and I should remind everyone that the deli owners pulled the sausage out.
If you want to try to beat any of these records, make sure you document your attempt and upload it to the Universal Record Database at urdb.org
Torontoist says “Save the Last Deli”. A review with illustration.
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Illustration by Sasha Plotnikova/Torontoist.
Cool pic huh? Supposedly that’s me. I didn’t realize I was that grey. Or weird looking.
It goes along with a review of the book by Torontoist. I think it’s a pretty good one.
Freelance journalist and native Torontonian David Sax received death threats from New York, blushing gratitude from LA, and lots of chatter from cities in between, all due to his newly released book, Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen. Within its pages, Sax passes judgement on which towns have the best delis (hence all the civic pride), but his real concern is how these emporiums of comfort food are rapidly disappearing from our culinary landscape, disconnecting Jews and the population at large from a vital aspect of Jewish culture. During his travels across North America and Europe, Sax had moments of despair (his working title for a time was The Death of the Deli), but he met too many dedicated and passionate people, fighting to keep the tradition alive, to give up that easily. (more…)
Rabbi Jarrod Grover’s Save the Deli sermon…Shabbat special
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
Good Shabbos everyone. I know I shouldn’t even be on the computer, but as I’m back in Toronto for 24 hours, and it’s such a nice day, I wanted to share something with you. Two weeks back, my friend Amanda Blitz told me that her rabbi, Jarrod Grover, delivered the Saturday sermon at Toronto’s Beth Tikvah on the topic of Save the Deli. Well if that’s not the coolest thing I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is.
And so, after a few weeks of transcribing, the good rabbi has sent me the text of that sermon, which I’m sharing here with you on this Shabbat:
Rabbi Jarrod Grover
Bereshit 2009
TWO TALES OF SELF-DESTRUCTION
This Shabbat I want to share with you two stories. One from our parsha and one that is a true story about a particularly modern trend. And both stories, I submit, are stories of self-destruction. (more…)
My Schmaltz Stimulus, PBS Arts Beat, The Art of Living, Edible Manhattan, and Tampa’s JCC
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009Philadelphia
In just two hours I’ll be talking at the Philadelphia Free Library, and boy and I thankful that the Phillies won last night. Otherwise it’d be a pretty hostile crowd. You haven’t heard from me in the past three days because I’ve been in Miami, where they have a little thing called sunshine and sand, where my ass was plopped when I wasn’t at deli related events. A good time had by all.
Tomorrow is Montreal, and the source of all this deli love, which is going to be great. Thursday night I’ll be talking at Paragraph bookstore, and the folks from Schwartz’s, Snowdon, Lester’s, Wilensky’s, and Abie’s will be slingin’ meat. It should be awesome. Come on out.
Now for the news roundup. (more…)
What you missed in LA/ Chicago recap/ here we go Fla
Friday, October 30th, 2009Here I sit in Chicago, rainy as anything, but pleased to be here. Last night we had a great turnout at Manny’s, with the Raskin family on hand, and the Dworkins representing Kaufman’s. Then we had a nice nosh and drinks at 11 City Diner. God bless Chicago.
For those of you who missed the Langer’s event in LA, here’s a little taste, courtesy of Ed Fuentes at Blog Downtown.
Save the Deli from blogdowntown on Vimeo.
There’s also a great report from my good amiga Sara Wilson, at LA Magazine.
Meat and Greet
“The gangs are waiting for me back in New York!” joked David Sax, author of the new book Save the Deli, (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) before a crowd of about 50 who’d gathered to fress and hear him speak at Langer’s Delicatessen yesterday afternoon in what has to be the most unorthodox Vroman’s Bookstore reading of all time. Sax was referring to the scornful reaction from New York’s deli-going denizens incited by perhaps the ballsiest assertion in his new book: that L.A. is the best deli town in the country. Sax, who is from Toronto (full disclosure: we’re old friends from that city; he now lives in Brooklyn), refuses to take sides. “I’m not even from New York! I’m a neutral third party, like all Canadians!” CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF SARA’S REPORT FROM BOTH THE NATE N’ AL EVENT IN LA AND LANGER’S
(more…)
