Monday, June 23, 2008

2nd Avenue Deli (on 3rd Avenue)

Last week, a friend and I decided to meet for lunch at the new 2nd Avenue Deli on 3rd Avenue and 32nd Street in midtown Manhattan. The original delicatessen, opened in 1954 on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street, was a famous institution in New York City but it closed in 2006 due to escalating rent prices during the real estate boom. The restaurant also suffered a tragedy in 1996 when the owner was murdered and the case remains unsolved to this day.

The new restaurant opened recently on 3rd Avenue and 22 block north of the original site but kept its original name as 2nd Avenue Deli. The photo above shows the free appetizers that came with every order -- (from top right): fried chicken skins with caramelized onions, vinegar cole slaw, pickled cucumbers and pickled tomato.

So what are you having for lunch today?