Famous 4th Street Deli to Close

[cinghiale]

Well, it's been sold actually, according to today's Inky.

IMO, that place blew. Simply godawful food. I dunno how it got to be such a hangout for politicos and wannabes.

The owner of Kibbitz is buying it, and according to the article, he's a stickler for authenticity. So, maybe we'll have a good deli finally in the QV.

[jmbrightman]

kibbitz room in Cherry Hill has great, authentic NY style corned beef and pastrami, also fantastic potato pancakes. half sandwich plus one side for $9 is a great lunch. about time we get good jewish deli downtown. the best thing Famous had to offer is the cookies.

[Holly Moore]

I'm glad for David. Anyone who has put in the hours he has needs some time off.

I disagree that Famous "blew," though I will be interested in what Cowan does with it. I'm a fan of Kibitz.

But Famous 4th Street is/was an institution and did some things very well. Many of the people there are "institutions" too.

And their chocolate chip cookies are the world-wide gold standard.

[cinghiale]

But Famous 4th Street ... did some things very well.

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Just curious: such as? How many grease stains would you give their pastrami sandwich, for instance?

[Holly Moore]

But Famous 4th Street ... did some things very well.

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Just curious: such as? How many grease stains would you give their pastrami sandwich, for instance?

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Never had it.

I would rate their breakfast 3 grease stains. And their cookies were one of the first to receive a coveted 5 grease stains.

[Sfuffy]

Never had it. 

I would rate their breakfast 3 grease stains.  And their cookies were one of the first to receive a coveted 5 grease stains.

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I have to concur on their breakfasts (esp. their giant omelets) and the cookies (a business Auspitz is keeping). But I was always underwhelmed by their deli - in large part due to my North Jersey roots and aversion to the Philly preference for dry, thin-sliced, tightly packed corned beef. And what self-respecting Jewish deli never has knishes whenever I try to order one.

The Kibitz on Chestnut seemed to be on the right track when Cowan owned it (except for the soft rye bread which disintegrated under the juicy meat) so I'm looking forward to the changes (though a bit saddened to see that many of the long-time employees at the Famous may not be kept on). It would be nice to have a better Jewish deli to go to in my 'hood.

[deprofundis]

I've never had the deli food at 4th St, but their cookies are very good. I don't know if I would give them 5 grease stains, but I've never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn't like. I'll try and get there for the deli food before they close this Wednesday. I've been to the Kibitz Room in Cherry Hill; I assume it's the same guy buying 4th St. Kibitz definitely makes excellent NY style Jewish deli food, so the change can't be all that bad. Their corned beef and brisket are awesome. $9 for a half and a soda sounds high, but their half sandwiches are like three someplace else! And their matzoh balls are the size of softballs! lol

[gbredben]

Any idea what's going to happen to the shop in the Reading Terminal?

[Holly Moore]

Any idea what's going to happen to the shop in the Reading Terminal?

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Article says David is keeping the cookie business. I'm hoping they will still be available at 4th Street. While David always maintained that the cookies were exactly the same at both locations, I'm of the opinion that the ones at 4th Street were way better.

[philadining]

Any idea what's going to happen to the shop in the Reading Terminal?

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Article says David is keeping the cookie business. I'm hoping they will still be available at 4th Street. While David always maintained that the cookies were exactly the same at both locations, I'm of the opinion that the ones at 4th Street were way better.

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I'm with you, Holly, I had always guessed that they were fresher on 4th street, but i can't prove that... Either way, I'm relieved to know the cookies will continue.

I liked their corned beef well enough, I'm generally in that thin-sliced, cold corned beef camp. I always liked Koch's better, but sometimes you don't have 3 hours to wait in line! I'll be curious to try the new incarnation, and glad to know it will be open later.

[phungi]

I always loved the bbq pastrami and the good garlicy brisket from Famous in the NE, but do not know if it was linked to the 4th street location.

If it is the same owner as the Kibbitz room taking over, I look forward to their face-squinching sour tomatos from the pickel bar.

[rlibkind]

. . . . But I was always underwhelmed by their deli - in large part due to my North Jersey roots and aversion to the Philly preference for dry, thin-sliced, tightly packed corned beef. And what self-respecting Jewish deli never has knishes whenever I try to order one.

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I concur completely. The CB and pastrami were overrated at best. Worse, the service was beyond awful. I had been there about half a dozen times over the course of four or five years, suffering through lackadaiscal service each time. But an experience in 1990 ended my occasional patronage forever: we waited 30 minutes for a waitress to even take our orders while she was busy serving "regulars" who came in long after we did, despite my repeated efforts to gain her or any other any server's attention. Yes, it was a busy Sunday morning, but the service was inexcusable as well as excreble. As we stormed out I told David (and all who could hear me; I speak loudly) we wouldn't be back. I've kept my vow. I will, however, be happy to give it a try when it's up and running under new management.

The Kibitz on Chestnut seemed to be on the right track when Cowan owned it (except for the soft rye bread which disintegrated under the juicy meat) so I'm looking forward to the changes (though a bit saddened to see that many of the long-time employees at the Famous may not be kept on). It would be nice to have a better Jewish deli to go to in my 'hood.

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I've only stopped by Kibbitz on Chestnut once, soon after Cowan opened it. The pastrami was good, but overly salty. It turns out he wasn't using NY/NJ style pastrami at all; he was "importing" it from Vienna Beef in Chicago. He said the Philadelphia customers preferred that style. (I don't; like Sfuffy, I'm a North Jersey native raised on the likes of Goodman's and Kartzman's.)

[JanMcBaker]

I always loved the bbq pastrami and the good garlicy brisket from Famous in the NE, but do not know if it was linked to the 4th street location. 

If it is the same owner as the Kibbitz room taking over, I look forward to their face-squinching sour tomatos from the pickel bar.

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If you're referring to the deli on Krewstown Rd., that's actually Stein Boys', or more recently, Steve Stein's Famous Deli. It's their only location, so I don't figure there's any relation to Famous 4th St. Deli.

[GregD]

For clarity's sake, the guy who bought the Famous 4th is the founder of the Kibitz-es, but is not the current owner of any of them. Each of them, I believe, has been slightly changed since he sold them, though for better or worse is a mixed opinion. In any event, I wouldn't necessarily use the current incarnation of the Kibitz in Philly or Cherry Hill as a way of evaluating what he'll do at Famous 4th St. Also, I wouldn't bet the ranch that he'll hold onto it for too long.

Best pastrami in Philly? Koch's?

[rlibkind]

. . .Also, I wouldn't bet the ranch that he'll hold onto it for too long. 

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There have always been some true entrepeneurs in the business who either start a new establishment or rescue a dying or under-performing one, get it up and running or turn it around, then sell it out to someone who just wants to be an operator. I had a cousin in NYC who did that in the 1950s and 1960s with coffee shops.

[GregD]

Yeah, those kind of entrepeneurs cause no problems for me; I'm for having well-run restaurants, especially if the entrepeneurs are picking up older places that have lost their edge. And I wouldn't want to commit to a life of getting up at 4 a.m., either. All I was saying is that the article seemed naive to the likelihood that the buyer is purchasing Famous 4th Street for a short-term turnaround.

[deprofundis]

Just got one of the final corned beef specials at the Famous 4th St Deli:

Appearance: 6 (of 10) Looked like a big, sloppy sandwich. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Bread: 6 Nothing really remarkable about the bread. Not a very strong caraway taste. Held up rather well though.

Meat: 6 Average quality corned beef. You can get stuff like this anywhere.

Slaw: 6 Tasted ok. Perhaps a bit too heavy on the mayo though.

Overall: 6. Not bad, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there.

[Sfuffy]

Just got one of the final corned beef specials at the Famous 4th St Deli:

Appearance:  6 (of 10)  Looked like a big, sloppy sandwich. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Bread: 6  Nothing really remarkable about the bread.  Not a very strong caraway taste.  Held up rather well though.

Meat: 6  Average quality corned beef.  You can get stuff like this anywhere.

Slaw: 6  Tasted ok.  Perhaps a bit too heavy on the mayo though.

Overall: 6.  Not bad, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there.

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The slaw:meat ratio appears too high as well and the meat is too heavily stacked in the middle of the sandwich contributing to the sloppy (as opposed to a sloppy joe ) look.

Was Russian dressing included? IIRC, Famous has the ridiculous policy of charging extra for it.

[deprofundis]

The slaw:meat ratio appears too high as well and the meat is too heavily stacked in the middle of the sandwich contributing to the sloppy (as opposed to a sloppy joe  ) look.

Was Russian dressing included? IIRC, Famous has the ridiculous policy of charging extra for it.

Nope, there was no Russian dressing.

[rlibkind]

The slaw:meat ratio appears too high as well and the meat is too heavily stacked in the middle of the sandwich contributing to the sloppy (as opposed to a sloppy joe  ) look.

Was Russian dressing included? IIRC, Famous has the ridiculous policy of charging extra for it.

Nope, there was no Russian dressing.

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One more example why the subject to this topic is so apt.

[jmbrightman]

charging extra for Russian dressing is wrong and annoying. it is akin to charging extra for blue cheese dressing with buffalo wings. just serve it, and bury the cost in the price of the order.

[deprofundis]

According yesterday's Daily News, Famous 4th St Deli reopens Monday!

[Sfuffy]

They were open yesterday when I passed by but with nary a sign to indicate any type of Grand Re-opening - perhaps a soft opening while they get things up to speed. Has anyone had a chance to try it? This week's out for me because of Passover.

[cinghiale]

Made it in last night just ahead of the thunderstorms. Place is squeaky clean and bright, a vast improvement. As are the cases, which feature a good number of meats, fish, salads, and pastries.

Started with the chopped liver special ($7), which has greens mixed in. Serving is about the size of a small meatloaf. Pretty darn good, but not mind-wrecking.

The front of the menu features the usual sandwiches, but at the back they have a series of special sandwiches, where each is named for a restaurant the "family" (?) had in the NYC area over the years. Can't recall the name, but I had a corned beef/pastrami/swiss/Russian dressing monster ($14). Forgot to take a snapshot, but this thing easily measured 10" top to bottom (I barely got through one half). Both of the meats, particularly the pastrami, were quite good. Comes with a side, and I ordered latkes. They're actually more like little potato fritters, but still tasty.

Complementary cookie comes with the check.

The menu is pretty wide-ranging, with more than simple sammich and breakfast fare. Open til 9:00 every night, I think.

[Buckethead]

I was there a couple weeks ago and had a good experience. We just stopped in for coffee and dessert. I ordered the 'blackout' cake, figuring it was just some really dark chocolate cake. It turns out that the name comes from what you see when you hold the cake between you and the sun, or maybe what would happen to you if you ate the whole thing in one sitting. I mean, this 'slice' of cake was easily 7 inches square and 2 inches thick. It was very good, though the frosting was a little too sugary. It took me 3 days to eat the whole thing. Good coffee, too, and the server even brought us a thermal carafe so we could fill back up. He probably figured we'd need it if we had any hope of finishing the cake.