THE CARNEGIE DELI

Our hotel in midtown was located across the street from Carnegie Hall, and half a block from the famous Carnegie Deli. We had walked by it, and it was packed with tourists, but neither of us had been there before, so we decided to check it out for breakfast when we figured there'd be far less people. And at 10:30 in the morning, though there were people inside, it was totally packed and we were seated right away.

There are certain things that Tom craves when we go to NY. He misses pizza from Brooklyn and hot dogs from street vendors. The other thing he misses is the pastrami, and so that's what he ordered for breakfast. (He wasn't the only one, lots of people around us had ordered sandwiches for breakfast). Meanwhile, I attempted to order a breakfast sandwich, which apparently wasn't possible. On the menu, they listed all different type of egg sandwiches....eggs with bacon, ham, bologna, etc etc., but when I tried to order one with turkey, the waitress was super confused. Did I want a turkey sandwich with an egg on it? I finally gave up and just ordered a turkey sandwich.

As you can see, it's piled high with turkey, which is what the Carnegie Deli is famous for, these super huge sandwiches. But it wasn't that good. Though it's stuffed with meat, it still served on slice toast, so it's basically impossible to eat. The turkey wasn't all that moist or flavorful, and I had to deconstruct the thing just to eat it. It tasted better when I put some Russian dressing from it. Meanwhile, Tom had a much better time with his Reuben.

As you can see, it's enormous and covered in cheese. He really enjoyed it (though he felt it could've used less cheese) and was so proud of the fact that he finished it, he made me take a photo of it.

Though I didn't have the greatest meal there, I think I could do some better ordering the next time we visit a NY deli. Tom definitely liked his food, but also a warning, it's not cheap eating at places like this. Tom's sandwich cost over $20, and breakfast for 2 with tip came out close to $50. Ahhh NY, it's so easy to spend money there.