On my NYC foodie list was a pastrami sandwich at the famous Carnegie Delicatessen. This restaurant is huge with plenty of seating in the back rooms. When we walked in, it was almost packed so we were lucky to get a table. The first thing you notice are all the celebrity photos in frames (most of them autographed) cluttered all over the walls. Literally every inch of wall was completely covered!
There are quite a few choices on the menu. My partner settled on the ‘Carnegie Haul’ – triple decker pastrami, tongue and salami. Layers and layers of meat with a little bit of bread. WOW. Even diners at other tables were suitably impressed.
I ordered the Reuben – pastrami piled high with sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese on top. The pastrami was okay but major overload.
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| The Reuben |
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| Inside the Reuben |
Needless to say, there was way too much meat for a single person to eat! I got through nearly half of the Reuben and couldn’t go on. My partner felt a bit ill during the meal and for the rest of that day – perhaps the cold cuts of meat had been sitting out too long? My sandwich was one and maybe killed any bacteria that might have been on the meat.
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| The leftovers |
We were offered takeaway containers for our sandwiches but were going to a show on Broadway that evening so we couldn’t actually take it with us. We felt guilty for wasting all that food. I hope they have some system to save the scraps/feed the hungry.
On the way out, we noticed a very long sandwich about to be delivered somewhere. Party maybe?
I’m glad I’ve ticked this off my food bucket list. Not sure if I’d go back, my partner definitely wouldn’t, but happy I got the Carnegie experience.
Foodgasm 6/10
