Text size:

Second avenue deli reopens

By David Freedlander, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | dfreedlander@am-ny.com

December 18, 2007

The Second Avenue Deli, the half-century old East Village eatery that closed last year after a rent increase was reborn uptown Monday at its new location on 33rd street and 3rd Avenue with a ceremonial slicing of salami.

Jeremy Lebewohl, who took over operations from his father, said he wasn't worried about any confusion his now misnamed restaurant would cause.

"Nobody asks anymore why is Madison Square Garden called Madison Square Garden when it's not located in Madison Square," he said. "Second Avenue Deli brings up such a nostalgia of what once existed in New York, I think people will be able to find us."

The new place keeps the old mahogany and frosted glass look of the old one but is now open 24 hours and will serve alcohol.

"When this closed it really scared people," said David Sax, a writer working on a book about delis and who came down for the opening. "This kind of food could really disappear."

He also noted that kosher delis in New York are down to the double digits after numbering more than 3,000 at a peak in the 1930's.

"These guys don't run a deli so much as they are curators of a food culture," Sax said. "In a city where everything changes and nothing is sacred this place really came back from the brink."

The devoted fans who crowded into the deli on opening day were grateful for it.

"We've been waiting two years for this," said Avi Altman, 38, of Chelsea, finishing up breakfast with his wife and two kids. "I was nervous, but I tried the chopped liver and it was exactly the same."

Steven Rosen, 48, of Murray Hill, could barely look up out of his soup bowl long enough to sing its praises.

"This is like my grandmother's matzoh ball soup," he said. "I tried to cook it myself when they were closed."

Shaking his head he added, "Not much success."

Famed Jewish delis in NYC:
Katz Deli, Houston and Ludow
-Since 1888

Sarge's Deli, Third Avenue and 36th Street
-Since 1964

Carnegie Deli, Seventhth avenue and 55th Street
-Since 1937

Barney Greengrass, Amsterdam Avenue between 86th and 87th streets
-Since 1908

Ben's Deli, 38th Street and Seventh Avenue
-Since 1996