Steve
12-11-2007, 06:52 PM
A Dream of Pastrami.
Vegas gets New York's finest.
By Thom Wise/Las Vegas Magazine
“This is insane!”
That’s what one, very content, customer explained when she had her Reuben sandwich set in front of her at the Carnegie Deli.
Indeed, there’s a certain insanity to the joy of diving into a mountain of food. And even more so when you find out that this is a “real deal” deli—straight from New York City, as authentic as it comes.
The corned beef and pastrami are flown in directly, as are the knishes, salami and the cheesecake-that-has-to-be-eaten-to-be-believed. (It must have something to do with the water back there, because nothing tastes the same as corned beef or pastrami from back east.)
The restaurant look is a close approximation of the venerable, original Carnegie on Seventh Avenue and 55th Street, with black-and-white-tile floor and tables that can slammed together to quickly accommodate a party of four, six or eight.
The main difference might be only that the staff in New York is renowned for their brusqueness, whereas the folks who work here in Las Vegas are way more chipper and full of western hospitality.
The word delicatessen derives from the German word for delicacies—as in tasty morsels and plenty of delights.
Any meal becomes a palate-pleaser at Carnegie and, for the price, there aren’t many comparables. Bear in mind that most of the entrées are somewhere between elephantine and ginormous ... easily enough for at least a snack later, if not another meal.
The full menu includes breakfast (served all day), lunch and dinner options, so you really can’t go wrong any time you go. The challah French toast, for example, arrives with three Texas-toast-thick slices of delicious egg bread and a pitcher of maple syrup. Other options include fantastic cheese blintzes, hearty latkes (potato pancakes with choice of applesauce or sour cream) or a real N.Y.-style bacon-and-egg sandwich.
The spotlight shines bright on the sandwich board, which includes pastrami, corned beef and brisket, along with more acquired tastes such as chopped liver and beef tongue. (Yes, Virginia, people eat tongue.) There are also “gargantuan combos”—and they mean it—such as “Nova on Sunday” (salmon and sturgeon with cream cheese) and the “Carnegie Haul,” with pastrami, tongue and salami. (Whatever you do, don’t order your pastrami with mayo. Russian dressing, OK, but no mayo, OK!?)
Entrées include a roast half chicken atop a bed of homemade stuffing; chicken in a pot, which is a big bowl of chicken soup with matzo ball, noodles and vegetables; or the “Nosh Nosh Nanette,” an Everest of turkey and gravy with cranberry sauce on the side.
Whatever you do: Leave room for at least one slice of cheesecake. You’ll love it ... trust me, said the Yiddish mama.
(And if there’re any leftovers, box ’em up and ship ’em to me!)
Carnegie Deli
Where: Mirage
When: Open 7 a.m. - 2 a.m. daily
Info: (702) 791-7111
http://www.lvshowbiz.com/feature3.html
Vegas gets New York's finest.
By Thom Wise/Las Vegas Magazine
“This is insane!”
That’s what one, very content, customer explained when she had her Reuben sandwich set in front of her at the Carnegie Deli.
Indeed, there’s a certain insanity to the joy of diving into a mountain of food. And even more so when you find out that this is a “real deal” deli—straight from New York City, as authentic as it comes.
The corned beef and pastrami are flown in directly, as are the knishes, salami and the cheesecake-that-has-to-be-eaten-to-be-believed. (It must have something to do with the water back there, because nothing tastes the same as corned beef or pastrami from back east.)
The restaurant look is a close approximation of the venerable, original Carnegie on Seventh Avenue and 55th Street, with black-and-white-tile floor and tables that can slammed together to quickly accommodate a party of four, six or eight.
The main difference might be only that the staff in New York is renowned for their brusqueness, whereas the folks who work here in Las Vegas are way more chipper and full of western hospitality.
The word delicatessen derives from the German word for delicacies—as in tasty morsels and plenty of delights.
Any meal becomes a palate-pleaser at Carnegie and, for the price, there aren’t many comparables. Bear in mind that most of the entrées are somewhere between elephantine and ginormous ... easily enough for at least a snack later, if not another meal.
The full menu includes breakfast (served all day), lunch and dinner options, so you really can’t go wrong any time you go. The challah French toast, for example, arrives with three Texas-toast-thick slices of delicious egg bread and a pitcher of maple syrup. Other options include fantastic cheese blintzes, hearty latkes (potato pancakes with choice of applesauce or sour cream) or a real N.Y.-style bacon-and-egg sandwich.
The spotlight shines bright on the sandwich board, which includes pastrami, corned beef and brisket, along with more acquired tastes such as chopped liver and beef tongue. (Yes, Virginia, people eat tongue.) There are also “gargantuan combos”—and they mean it—such as “Nova on Sunday” (salmon and sturgeon with cream cheese) and the “Carnegie Haul,” with pastrami, tongue and salami. (Whatever you do, don’t order your pastrami with mayo. Russian dressing, OK, but no mayo, OK!?)
Entrées include a roast half chicken atop a bed of homemade stuffing; chicken in a pot, which is a big bowl of chicken soup with matzo ball, noodles and vegetables; or the “Nosh Nosh Nanette,” an Everest of turkey and gravy with cranberry sauce on the side.
Whatever you do: Leave room for at least one slice of cheesecake. You’ll love it ... trust me, said the Yiddish mama.
(And if there’re any leftovers, box ’em up and ship ’em to me!)
Carnegie Deli
Where: Mirage
When: Open 7 a.m. - 2 a.m. daily
Info: (702) 791-7111
http://www.lvshowbiz.com/feature3.html