Gourmet Delis Draw the Crowds in New York

On New York’s West Side, on any day of the week, out-of-towners are lined up at gourmet deli counters, picking up large orders of smoked salmon, sturgeon, pate, caviar, foie gras and prepared foods, to be ice-packed and carried home on the plane to Las Vegas, Little Rock, Seattle and dozens of other destinations.

The West Side deli circuit is a top New York shopping attraction. Keen competition between the shops keeps quality high and prices fair.

Barney Greengrass, “The Sturgeon King,” has been located at 541 Amsterdam Ave. (near 86th Street, phone (212) 724-4707) since 1929. Here, you get the feeling that deli is more than a business--it’s a way of life and a family tradition. The original Art Deco shop decorations, mirrors and windows, are still in place, and perfectly ripe cheeses (about a dozen carefully selected varieties, plus the famous cream cheese and chopped vegetables, and mild Cheddar with horseradish spread) are kept fresh in the original white enamel icebox, now wired for electric cooling.

Founded Shop in 1908

Barney Greengrass, who founded the shop in 1908, would sell only the best and developed a large celebrity clientele. Although he never fished for compliments, there have been many testimonials, including Groucho Marx’s well-publicized comment: “Barney Greengrass may not have ruled any kingdoms or written any great symphonies, but he did a monumental job with sturgeon.”

Regulars today include Tony Roberts, Dick Schaap, Shelly Winters, Itzhak Perlman and other notables. They deal with Barney’s son, Moe, and Moe’s son, Gary, who take turns manning the fish counter and cash register.

The Greengrasses are, by nature, nurturers. Gary says he used to take two sandwiches to school--one for himself and one for everybody else who wanted a bite. Those sandwiches were made from the shop’s high-quality stock of smoked salmon (eastern or western nova or lox are sold for $30, $22, $20 per pound, respectively), genuine lake sturgeon ($38 per pound) or whitefish salad ($8.50 per pound). Also available are sable, chubs, herring and other fish. The list of products is not extensive, but only the finest quality is sold.

Higher Prices

Although prices are somewhat higher than elsewhere, business is brisk, especially on Sundays, when people line up to purchase the fixings for a traditional New York brunch, or to sit down in the dining room for some famous Greengrass “novy, eggs and onions” ($9), served with a fresh bagel and a glass of strawberry-colored borscht ($1.75).

Everything, including the “novy, eggs and onions,” can be ice-packed for a long trip home or to be shipped by overnight mail. Orders are taken over the phone or by mail, a catalogue is available. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; no mail orders are sent on Fridays.

Since it opened in 1939, Zabar’s has grown into a West Side institution. The store is expansive, in both stock and space. Zabar’s has taken over buildings adjacent to its original shop at 2245 Broadway (at 80th Street, (212) 787-2000), and crammed each newly acquired foot with foodstuffs and utensils. The air is thick with the tempting aromas of 40 kinds of salami, about 500 cheeses, 14 blends of coffee, freshly baked breads, hand-dipped chocolates, two dozen warm-from-the-oven entrees, including eight chicken recipes, appetizers, six varieties of smoked salmon and a slew of pickles.

Dangling from the ceiling, like stalactites, are gadgets, teapots, basters, imported sponges, copper pots. Shelves are stocked with dozens of kinds of virgin olive oil, vinegars, preserves, mustards, spices, teas, biscuits, honey. The quantity and variety of merchandise is overwhelming.

Zabar’s is divided into departments. On the first floor, you’ll find foods--the cheese counter, the chocolates counter, the deli with meats and prepared foods and the fish counter. Each has a line, and each requires a numbered ticket. To save time, go around to all the counters and take a ticket right away. Then stand in the shortest line, so you don’t lose your turn.

If the lines are very long, go upstairs to shop for small kitchen appliances, cookware, utensils, tableware and all sorts of gourmet accessories. Zabar’s has 40 kinds of coffee makers, seven brands of humidifiers, a complete selection of food processors, grinders, mixers, mincers, mashers and gadgets galore, guaranteed to fascinate.

There are several exclusives (Cristal cookware from Switzerland, and the De Mayere line from Belgium, for example), and, overall, prices are better than just about anyplace else. In fact, Zabar’s is so proud of its prices that the store displays the newspaper ads of other distributors, with Zabar’s prices prominently written in magic marker.

The food prices are good, too. For example, prepackaged smoked salmon from Ireland, Scotland or Norway, sells for $13.95, $15.95 and $9.99 per pound, respectively. Zabar’s also does the largest caviar sales in the United States, with fresh Beluga caviar priced at $1,100 per two-kilo tin, or $60 per 4 ounces.

Zabar’s has a mail-order catalogue, but many of the items available in the store, including all the fresh foods and cheeses, are not listed. and the catalogue doesn’t really capture that very special Zabar’s ambiance. Open daily, until midnight on Saturdays.

Fairway, at 2127 Broadway at 74th Street, phone (212) 595-1888), is just as crowded as Zabar’s. At least half the store is filled with fresh produce, piled high in open bins. Among the ordinary tomatoes and potatoes, you’ll find a selection of exotic fruits and vegetables. Fairway pioneered the presence of many of these items in New York markets, and is always on the lookout for new things. The story now stocks five unusual types of mushrooms.

While these are fine for New York nibbling, the shops other merchandise is perhaps best for taking home. Fairway is filled with nooks and crannies, little sections where unexpected selections of goodies are to be found. For example, Fairway packages its own line of spices, at prices that can’t be beat, there are 45 blends of coffee for sale, and three kinds of cooking chocolate at about $4 per pound. There are 100 cheese, about 20 of which are chevre , as well as fresh pasta and fresh breads bought from a dozen small suppliers throughout the city. Balsamic vinegar and olive oils sell for slightly less than they do at Zabar’s; other prices are comparable.

Fairway labels its merchandise appealingly, with instructions on how to use things or information about their origins. This is a very popular store, and is open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight (10 p.m., weekends).

Several blocks away is the Silver Palate at 274 Columbus Ave. (near 73rd Street, phone (212) 799-6340), which was founded in 1977 by two women who love food. Their initial concept was to provide West Siders with gourmet take-away food to be heated and eaten at home. The business has expanded into an international empire, supported by world-wide sales of Silver Palate pickled veggies, preserves, sauces and other handsomely packaged goodies.

Still, this original, postage stamp-sized shop, has a larger selection of products than any other store. The walls are lined with variously sized Italian jars, with attractive red-and-white labels listing intriguing contents: Sweet and Rough Mustard, Pickled Wild Cherries, Chestnuts Grand Marnier, Rain Drips on Roses Cheer, Marathon Nuts and others.

In addition, there are the freshly prepared foods, ranging from appetizers to entrees and sweets. All are inventive, using top-quality ingredients with unusual spices. The Hungarian goulash, for example, laces a mixture of beef and lamb with caraway seeds, and the curried chicken salad has seedless purple grapes. Not all of these recipes are in either of the Silver Palate’s award-winning cookbooks, but, once tasted, they would be easy to imitate. You always come away from the shop with new cooking ideas. The shop is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m., weekends).

People who hate airplane food might want to stop at the Silver Palate on their way to the airport. In addition to delicious entrees, the shop bakes spectacular cakes and cookies, including a sweet and tart lemon, crunchy chocolate chip, and nut crescent. These are great travelers, and ideal gourmet gifts for friends and family. But one wonders how many of them actually make it all the way home.