Tongue & Pastrami at the Carnegie Deli

Most people who grew up in the tristate area have heard of the famous Carnegie Deli of NYC. From the elite to the layman and the foodie to the hungry, the Carnegie Deli satisfies all!

This recent trip to NYC was my very first time at this deli. Living in NJ for 20 years never even brought me to this sandwich haven. But after numerous times seeing on the Travel Channel in shows such as Bizarre Foods, No Reservations, and Man Vs Food. At every angle, I’ve been exposed to what amazing food the Carnegie Deli has to offer.

Just around the corner from to Dream Hotel where we enjoyed the rooftop lounge, the bright lights of the deli called out to us. Walking in at 3AM, the deli was scattered with a handful of patrons and the restless servers and kitchen staff. You could tell we weren’t the only ones there to soak up all our alcohol. The walls were adorned with many picture of famous diners. It was like a “Who’s Who” for the Carnegie Deli. As we were seated, we were greeted by Desmarie, a twenty-year veteran server at the deli. She was the brightest soul in the room. I fell in love immediately. I actually kept telling her that I loved her and that I wanted to call her ‘Angel!’ she just nodded with approval.

My best friends, dancers/instructors from the Dance With Me studio in SoHo of NYC, decided to share one of the mammoth sandwiches. They ordered a Hot Pastrami and Swiss served on rye with a side of thousand island dressing and coleslaw. They were a bit disappointed that the Swiss cheese wasn’t melted but hey, they don’t advertise, “Have It Your Way!” as you walk in! They both agreed that it was definitely tasty and did the right job for the night. They definitely made the right choice splitting one sandwich because they were only able to finish their own half.

Questioning what I should order, I asked Desmarie for her opinion. Beef tongue? In an instant, she offered a sample of the thinly-sliced, full-flavored beef tongue. It was a winner. But since I felt just still a little squeamish, I ordered half Hot Pastrami and half Beef Tongue! With a side of sauerkraut, sour pickles, and the original Carnegie Deli mustard, I was all set!

“How do I attack this thing? Do I fork-n-knife it or just tackle it with hand-to-mouth?”

It was just what I expected. The warm, sweet, salty, and peppery flavor of the pastrami paired well with the beefy, almost bologna-style, flavor of the tongue. The pastrami helped somewhat mask the thought that you were eating tongue. Delicious nonetheless, this sandwich was everything I imagined. Oh, and if you don’t have it with the Carnegie mustard, you might as well not eat there at all!

One of my friends commented that they liked Katz Deli pastrami a lot better. Now, I’ve never eaten at Katz and remember, this is my first time at the Carnegie Deli. But all it did was give me a reason to visit Katz! Have you eaten at both places? I want to hear your opinion. Leave a message here and tell me if it’s worth it to visit Katz Deli or keep to Desmarie’s loving attitude at the Carnegie Deli!