CARNEGIE DELI                  Deli

Like many other things “New York”, the Carnegie Deli has an outsized reputation, outsized sandwiches, and walls covered in photos of celebs from David Letterman to Barack Obama. Since 1937, this deli has become the tourist’s (as well as the native New Yorker’s) idea of an authentic NY deli, with "ginormous" sandwiches built from huge stacks of fresh, tender corned beef or pastrami between two slices of rye, and bowls of gratis sour pickles and tomatoes. Immortalized in copious films and books, the menu includes aptly named sandwich combos such as the Woody Allen--from the film "Broadway Danny Rose".

Even if this cuisine may not be considered gourmand (the prices are), this restaurant certainly deserves inclusion here for the quality of the meats (home-cured and briny, rich, but not overly fatty), the crispness of the pickles, and the wholesome satisfaction of the food. The range of the Eastern European menu includes all the necessary items of a great deli, such as creamy chopped liver, rich matzoh ball soup, dreamy cherry and cheese blintzes, tender beef brisket, homemade hard salami, potato latkes, and smoked sturgeon.

The fast-talking, street-smart wait staff and the ramshackle ambiance are all part of the Carnegie Deli experience. There’s no wine list, but a full range of Dr. Brown’s sodas substitutes nicely. And try to leave room for the melts-in-your-mouth cheesecake.

854 7th Avenue at 55th Street      (212) 757-2245