January 4, 2007
2nd Avenue Deli May Be Reborn in Murray Hill
Some exciting news from the NY Sun: The 2nd Avenue Deli may have a 2nd life as a restaurant in Murray Hill. Annie Karni reports that the Lebewohl family is about to close on 162 East 33rd Street, a five story walkup building near Third Avenue. Clearly, buying is better than paying $33,000 in monthly rent, which is what caused the deli to close last January (the rent was increased from $24,000 and there was also the matter of some back rent). It's all about the equity! Here are some details from the Sun:
The owner of the 2nd Avenue Deli, Jack Lebewohl, will not be running the new deli, but according to a spokesman for the family, Patrick Smith of Rubenstein Associates, "There is family involvement." It was Jack's 26-year-old son, Joshua Lebewohl, who applied for an on-premise liquor license transfer from the Community Board, which was approved in November. "Jack has other businesses he's pursuing right now," Mr. Smith said. A close family member who currently owns a bagel store may run day-to-day operations at the deli, and Joshua Lebewohl, who works full time as a lawyer, will likely remain involved in some capacity.Spanish tapas bar Marbella is there now. Community Board 6 documents note, "The applicant provided an extensive menu to show us this would primarily be a food establishment selling delicatessen food with possibly a service bar," but it's not clear if it'll be kosher or actually called the 2nd Avenue Deli.
Whether or not it's the 2nd Avenue Deli, we just hope some favorites from the old menu will return, like the corned beef, mushroom barley soup and incredible tuna fish.
And the old 2nd Avenue Deli space will probably be a bank, since the Vital Dent deal fell through.
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It is boarded up now here is a shot from a few weeks ago.
I don't care where they end up, as long as they have the same recipe for Matzoh Ball Soup.
I hope their old landlords never have a day's luck with their former space.
How exciting, one of my favorite eateries returning, and moving to my neighborhood too! I so hope this happens... and I agree with Sharon on hoping the old space brings the landlords there no luck.
Yay, $15 sandwiches and $10 pints of soup are coming back!
People pay absurd amounts for specialty foods. $15 for a sandwich like this deli served is not outrageous. I grew up going to the 2nd ave with my grandparents. Recently, I took my boys to the Carnegie and walking in I was flooded with the memories and warmth from the smell of the corned beef & pastrami. I wish they were able to reopen further downtown, but it will make me very happy to bring my boys to the 2nd Ave and tell them the stories of eating there when I was young.
I hope they can find some of the waitstaff. They gave the place a sense of timelessness.
Rest in peace Abe.
Abe was a first class mench. New York City lost quite a bit of what it had to offer the day it lost this man. An era of softness and kindness ended that day in the restaurant world. Abie had plenty of success in his lifetime, and no one deserved it more than he did. The tears keep coming for this gentleman of gentleman, a man who set the standard for charm and civility for so many like myself who looked up to him in some decades of confusion, greed, and complication in the history of American Jewish living in New York City.
Good memories always!
Best wishes to his wife and daughters and many thanks to the Lebewohl family for all of their efforts towards re-establishing this eatery that is so worthy of the title "institution".
I can't wait to go back to the deli and order my steaming hot matzoh ball soup with Kreplach, and my twin double sandwich.