Remembering the great UWS Jewish restaurants

[Fat Guy]

I was just looking through the Zabar's Passover-and-Easter leaflet, which contains a touching Passover remembrance by Saul Zabar. In it he recalls some of the restaurants that used to be around Zabar's:

There were these great Jewish-style restaurants up and down Broadway. The huge Tip Toe Inn was at 86th Street where the Gap is now, the C&L was where Fairway is, and Steinberg's Dairy Restaurant was were Laytners is today and Schrafft's was Barnes and Noble. Barney Greengrass at 86th & Amsterdam is still Barney Greengrass (and into their 3rd generation).

It made me remember the Famous Dairy restaurant on 72nd Street.

It took me a few seconds to realize it, but I was also very pleased to see Saul Zabar speak so freely and kindly about his competitors. I know plenty of people in the industry who, if they owned Zabar's, would never speak of Fairway or Barney Greengrass. Kudos to Saul Zabar for letting journalistic integrity triumph even in his own advertisements.

[robert brown]

That's a bit of a coincidence in that I was spending Passover with a fellow who grow up on Broadway and 76th St. in the 1940-50s. He mentioned those places as well as Gitlitz which I only vaguely recall since I wasn't born in New York. Murray's must have been around then as well. Is there any others we havn't mentioned?

[emmapeel]

It took me a few seconds to realize it, but I was also very pleased to see Saul Zabar speak so freely and kindly about his competitors. I know plenty of people in the industry who, if they owned Zabar's, would never speak of Fairway or Barney Greengrass. Kudos to Saul Zabar for letting journalistic integrity triumph even in his own advertisements.

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Another thing that impresses me about Saul Zabar is, he is also kind to his customers. I always buy my coffee there, and used to prefer the Columbian (now the Ethiopian). I bought two pounds and it seemed off, but drinkable. Next time I bought one pound and it was again, off. I called to complain. I was just in that kind of mood. Some manager took my complaint and I thought that would be the end of it until Saul Zabar called me and assured me nothing had changed, but he was concerned about what I was experiencing. "Would you please come in and have a cup with me at the cafe next door, so we can get to the bottom of this?" I never went, but I still buy the coffee. Customer service like that for a $6.00 bag of beans (is it the cheapest in the city?). If that store ever closes its doors, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mine.

[Pan]

Emma, did the coffee get better again after that?

Fat Guy, when I saw the title of this thread, the first word I thought of was "Gitlitz." That delicatessen, on Broadway near 77 St., made pastrami that made #3 in New York Magazine's list of good and bad pastrami places in New York back in the 70s. I wasn't much of a pastrami eater in those days, but I always enjoyed my family outings there.

[emmapeel]

Emma, did the coffee get better again after that?

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Nah, that's why I switched to the Ethiopian or the fake Blue Mountain. They are a little more at $6.98 lb, but still a bargain and delicious.

[Luckylies]

what's fake blue moutain? I love the real stuff ($$$$$$$$) - but I also like to drink my coffee with food, in an apartment

[emmapeel]

what's fake blue moutain? I love the real stuff ($$$$$$$$) - but I also like to drink my coffee with food, in an apartment 

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That's really funny. Are you sure you should cook for a living Luckylies? Or maybe you can earn some $$$$ at the comedy club. Zabar's selection has two "fake" coffees one is "Blue Mountain Style" which is very smooth and I make it really strong, and and "Kona Style". There is also one called Mocha Style--never had it. I can't afford $30+ per pound for the real thing either.

[Josh]

He mentioned those places as well as Gitlitz which I only vaguely recall since I wasn't born in New York.

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You may find this link of some photos someone took in 2003 interesting, then. Duane Reade takes its sign down and reveals...

[wesza]

I'm pretty sure that the "Gitlitz Deli" was located at one of my Uncle Levy's original Deli Spots. The type of location and exterior was similar to many of his shops on Broadway.

After the depression he started opening Deli's all along Broadway featuring various Brands of Kosher Provisions such as "Zion", "Hebrew National", "Hod Karmel" and "Morgan David".

He often opened stores every 3 Blocks or with restrictive conditions that would not allow other store carrying the same "Brand" within a 10 Block radius. That was why he opened stores with different Brands every few Blocks. It seems that during that time frame customers had Brand preferences and loyalty.

I remember him telling me that he regularly had a waiting list of Clients who wanted to open stores on Broadway with products from a specific purveyor.

He apparently opened about 55/60 Deli's all of which he financed, had a crew who taught many buyers how to set up and operate the Deli's. He also had arrangements with suppliers who serviced the stores with Breads, Salads, Condiments, Linens and Beverages.

It was very much like Franchises but he actually provided more services as it was important to him that every store operated profitably to pay their mortgage and fees. There were stores still operating in the 1950's with original families still doing business. I am curious if any are still open today.

He sometimes needed to actually turn over various stores several times until he was able to find the right match capable of operating successfully at each location.

I wish that I had spent more time talking and learning about his business especially since no one in his own family had any interest or involvement. I do wonder how many eGullet posters have been effected by his business acumen.

He used to say that after he opened the Deli's and the everything else followed in the next few years it became a neighborhood.

Irwin

[menton1]

They were on the LES, not the UWS, but they fit right in with this topic. Anybody have fond memories of Ratner's and the lesser known, but just as good, Rappaport's?

[Pan]

Of course I have memories of Ratner's! I would have thought that most any Jew who grew up in New York of New York-born parents (Brooklyn-born, in my parents' case) would have been taken there at some point, but I could easily be wrong. I'm not sure I was old enough to be impressed by the food. It was more of an ambiance experience for me, the feel of an old-time Lower East Side delicatessen (in this case, dairy). Going there from the Upper West Side was a big excursion. Now, if they were still around, I could walk there in 15 minutes easily.

[menton1]

Anyone remember the more-obscure Rappaport's?

[Daniel]

Did anyone ever hear or go to a place called Gourmet Appetizing.. My grandfather's brother use to own it.. My father use to work there when he was younger.. It was between Yonah Shimmels and Russ and Daughters.. I would love to hear about it good or bad..

[markk]

Well, I'll throw a 'scare' into the thread.

Does anybody remember the "French Roumanian Restaurant" on Delancey Street?

I'm going back to the 1950's and 60's here. It was a Jewish restaurant, on the south side of Delancey Street just a few blocks after you come over the Williamsburgh Bridge, but I don't remember if it was Kosher or not. It was obviously one of many restaurants whose sole survivor is "Sammy's Roumanian". We would start with chopped liver, and then always have the "mush steak", which apparently (I learned this from Fat Guy, I think) is a boneless rib-steak. I would say that as I child I ate here almost every weekend for the first 13 or 15 years of my life (I was born in 1951).

Any memories, anybody?