Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12

Re:Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (Baah Ben)

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:02:09 GMT

Great article..thanks Acer..This is not good news.

Re:Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (acer2x)

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:02:52 GMT

Irving's is in danger of closing:

http://www.savethedeli.com/2009/06/05/irvings-to-save-a-deli/#more-602

Re:Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (DAMDAM)

Wed, 20 May 2009 20:18:38 GMT

Jut to let everyone know that I did go to Harolds on Mothers dad and spoke with Harold himself regarding his health salad. Harold was the owner of the claremont diner in Verona and it is the same salad.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (DAMDAM)

Tue, 05 May 2009 21:08:54 GMT

DOES ANYONE HAVE THE RECIPE?

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (John Fox)

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:43:09 GMT

leethebard

John, now you got my curiosity up...please find the time to tell that story!!!!

Late 2006/early 2007 a new restaurant opened in Newburgh, N.Y. called World's Best Hot Dogs and Hamburgers. A few Roadfooders who lived nearby went and gave the place rave reviews for hot dogs, hamburgers and fries. When asked where they got their dogs from, they would only say a provisions company from Connecticut. They did not claim a special recipe. I made a call and tried to get some information. Beforehand some of the Roadfooders told the owners that I might be able to discover the source of the dogs. The 2 partners read the posts and had some fun challenging some of the guys to guess the dogs.

I'm familiar with some of the Connecticut brands, so I thought I had a shot at guessing the brand. When speaking with one of the partners on the phone, I was only able to confirm that they used 2 sizes; one a smaller dog with casing that they prepared dirty water style, the other a longer skinless dog that they charbroiled. You could also get the longer dog with a marinated sauce. I was told that both dogs were from the same company and were all beef. I asked if they were from a small butcher shop (where in all probability I wouldn't be able to guess the brand), or from a known commercial producer in which case I might be able to determine the source. I was told that they came from a known hot dog company.

In January of 2007 a fellow Roadfooder and I made the trip up to Newburgh to visit 3 places including World's Best. My friend used the bathroom while I looked at a menu. We did not identify ourselves as Roadfooders. When it was my turn to use the restroom I went through the door and instead of turning immediately to my left (where the bathroom was located), I mistakenly walked to the end of the small hallway thinking the bathroom was through the door at the end. Instead I wound up in the kitchen where I saw boxes CLEARLY LABELLED SABRETT! No one was back there, so I took a quick peek in the refrigerator where I saw packages of the long Sabrett dogs.

Of course I didn't tell the partner that was there on this particular day. And since they didn't volunteer the info, I didn't post it here, only that I did know the brand. We eventually identified ourselves as Roadfooders and spoke with the owner. His partner was not there. When asked what I thought I was eating, I replied "Sabrett". The smaller snap dog prepared in water tasted exactly like the many dirty water Sabretts I sampled the previous summer as a member of the S.W.A.T. Team. I would have guessed this even if I hadn't seen the packages. The longer dog also had the familiar Sabrett flavor, though it would have been just a little harder to identify being charbroiled. The marinated dog (which was good, but I preferred the unmarinated ones) would have been hard to identify.

When I replied "Sabrett" the owner had a shocked look on his face. He then told me that he would never use Sabrett, that his dogs were much better. I told him that I had many Sabretts and that these were Sabrett. Then we left the subject alone. The dogs were very good and the fries were some of the best I've had. I didn't get to sample the burgers.

A few months later I was back with more Roadfooders on a New York Hot Dog Tour. This time the other partner was there. He didn't know me but mentioned to our group that someone was in there and mentioned that they used Sabrett. I identified myself and told him that I stood by what I said. He laughed condescendingly and said that although he used Sabrett mustard, the dogs weren't Sabrett. I didn't tell him of my discovery but since he came off as a wiseguy, I told him that I would bet him money that the dogs in his refrigerator were Sabrett. He wouldn't take the bet. He made up some excuse that it wouldn't be worth the money for someone to know the brand that he used.

Afterwards I did post on another site. I gave the place a good review and briefly mentioned that the dogs were Sabrett. Shortly after, the partner that I offered to bet posted that while he appreciated my review, I was wrong about the brand. I replied that I was sure of what I posted although I didn't mention that I saw the packages and labels. I got no further response.

Later that year World's First went out of business. A few months ago I happened to be looking over this old thread when I saw that this guy had responded! He claimed that he was now willing to bet me $5,000.00 and would show me the proof. Two years later!! Like he didn't have time to go and take the packages out of his refrigerator and put something else in there. He even told me that I could e-mail him personally rather than post on the forum to save me the embarrasment. I asked him if he opened again and I revealed how I knew for sure that I was eating Sabretts. I got no response. I contacted a Roadfooder who lives nearby and was told that this place did not open back up. Yet this guy wanted to take me up on my bet 2 years later. Strange indeed.

I don't mean to disparage people who own hot dog establishments or make broad generalizations about them. Some of them I consider friends. Some freely share information regarding where they get their dogs. Others respectfully decline to give information. Others are misleading while some outright lie. Many can't believe it makes a difference to me and consider me strange. I was told by one woman "It's none of your damn business!".

The important thing is if it's a hot dog that you like. But I like knowing just to satisfy my curiosity. And also so I can obtain the same dog if I want to make it at home.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (John Fox)

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:37:15 GMT

Ellen,

First off let me say that I like Mark and have talked with him for quite a long time on 3 different occasions at Irving's. When they were open only a few weeks and before I even went, I spoke with him on the phone and asked him about his hot dogs. I wanted to know the brand, where he got them from, etc. He was very cordial and nice to talk to, but he wouldn't tell me who made his dogs or where they came from. Which I totally understand from his point of view.

When I went to Irving's for the first time I spoke with Mark for a little while before ordering. He excused himself to speak with someone else. While waiting for him to return, I asked one of the guys behind the counter what brand of hot dog was served. He didn't know. At this time another employee walked by me with a package of hot dogs. I stopped him to look at the label which was not visible since the package was upside down. I asked the employee to turn the package right side up so that I could see the label. As he was doing this, Mark saw what was happening and ran over to stop his employee, but it was too late. I saw the package with the Sabrett label.

This was when Mark told me about the special recipe. I went into the whole bit about speaking with the various people I mentioned in my previous post. I also promised Mark that since he didn't want anyone to know where he got his dogs from and that I found out without him freely giving me the information, that I wouldn't post about it or mention it on a forum like this. The only reason that I'm doing so now is that Mark told me it would be ok to do so. But he did insist that his dogs were made to a special recipe. He even named a person at Marathon that I spoke with. At this point I thought that there was a possibility that Mark indeed was given a special recipe dog and that Marathon had changed it's policy. Mark offered to take me with him to the factory and I accepted. He also said to call the company if I wanted and to post about it.

When I left, I realized that Mark never asked for my number, he just said he would get in touch with me in the future. At some point before my next visit I spoke with someone at Marathon who reaffirmed what I had been told by them previously. When I first called there it was because I had bought a 5 lb package of Papaya King franks at one of their restaurants in Manhattan for double the price of what I paid for at a distributor. I was told that they were the same exact dogs and I called to find out. The person I spoke with thought that I was looking to open my own place and told me that I could have the same EXACT franks that Papaya King used and that there were no special recipes. We had quite a long conversation and he went into the reasons why people claim they have a special recipe made for them even though they don't.

It's been my experience that many owners of hot dog establishments claim all sorts of things. That the mustard is homemade when I've seen the gallon jars behind the counter. Some have claimed that they make their own dogs on premise and later admitted that they didn't when I asked to see the sausage making equipment. I can give numerous examples, and I will tell about one in another post.

I have thought about the possibility that Mark may have been told his dogs were a special recipe. But then that would mean that the person from Marathon would be lying. Not only would that be bad for business, but he might be open for a potential lawsuit. I was told up front that Sabrett makes only 2 recipes. And this was when they thought I was opening my own place. When I called after speaking with Mark I was told that Marathon did not change their policy and I was given some reasons why.

So many people have claimed what Mark has that I'm not really surprised, although Mark was so convincing that he had me thinking that perhaps he did have a unique dog. That's why I called the company. On other occasions with other people making the same claims, I don't even bother.

The next time I went to Irving's and met Mark I waited to see if he would bring up the subject and/or invite me to the plant. He didn't, so I concluded that maybe he was uncomfortable discussing it. And besides, I got my answer. Unless of course the people at Marathon weren't being truthful to me. Which I doubt.

The next time I go to Irving's, I will bring up the subject. As for the taste, different sizes and methods of cooking will account for that. Perhaps a different casing as well. Shortly before closing Matt from Amazing Hot Dog switched to a larger Sabrett and it tasted beefier and less spicy than the smaller ones. This was my observation as well as Matt's. And Marathon did not tell him nor did he request a special recipe dog. In the case of Irving's, it was a new size. Marathon told me that they had to make a new mold, but used the same recipe. Maybe the new size was justification for claiming a unique or "special dog made for us." Though I don't believe it is a special recipe.

Maybe I'll call CSI for help in cracking this one.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ellen4641)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:12:53 GMT

Hey, JOHN FOX:
I'm going to take the side of Mark, the owner of Irving's, in this "special recipe" debate...
and here's why....!
here's the facts, as I see them:

This is the very first restaurant venture for Mark Singer, so in all fairness to Mark, YOU know way more about hot dog suppliers/special recipes/brands, etc..
Mark had to pretty much take a crash course in hot dogs..
JOHN FOX has been a hot dog expert for at least 5 years, maybe more..

So I do believe that MARK may also have been CONVINCED by the Sabrett factory guy that they are giving him a special hot dog recipe!
(look how many were "convinced" that Bernie Madoff was such a decent guy to invest with...)

I think that you owe it to Mark, and to yourself and us Roadfooders (and loyal John Fox fans) to take MARK up on his offer to take you to the factory!!!
I do remember you saying in a previous thread (maybe even in page 1 of THIS one!)
that you realize you never gave him your number, or something to that effect...
I would love for you to get to the root of this ; if you believe that Mark is BLUFFING you, then call him on his bluff!!!

Also, with this tough economy nowadays, is it remotely possible that Sabrett's may have changed it's policy?
I agree with Ken that it was a VERY beefy hot dog, much more so than other Sabrett's I've eaten... my Aunt and Uncle raved about it, saying it was the best hot dog they ever had!

So I do

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (Bossa Nova)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:26:52 GMT

...and name names!!!!

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (leethebard)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:05:08 GMT

John, now you got my curiosity up...please find the time to tell that story!!!!

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (John Fox)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:25:41 GMT

Baah Ben

John - If you think about it, to stop daily production and make a special run, just for Irving's one store, can you imagine how many dogs you'd have to order from Marathon to do that? How dumb does he think the general public is? Obviously, very dumb. Hey, he may be right, but in your case, he's talking to someone who has forgotten more about hot dogs than he and his partner will ever know.

I love that you called the guy on it and wanted to go to the factory with him. Beautiful! He must have s__t.

Hey, we use to tell our customers we had the hot dogs (Pitts) made special for us, too! When they came in on common carrier (1000 lbs) I had my guys get them into the building and into the basement fast as hell. I also had them black out Marathon's name on the boxes, too.

Baah Ben,

I was told that it was considered too labor intensive to make special recipes. The equipment would have to be cleaned so that there wouldn't be any cross flavors, etc. Different recipes are not unheard of though. Grote & Weigel does it for Galloping Hill Inn. But then again GHI goes through over 1000 hot dogs a day.

I totally understand people who want to keep the brand a secret. But I also want to know as a consumer what I'm eating. And if I can find out, I will. And I'll share the information, though most customers don't seem to care.

When I get some time, I'd like to share a little story about some restaurant owners who tried to have a little fun with some of us Roadfooders regarding the hot dogs they sold. They sort of challenged us to find out and weren't happy when we did.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (dannybotz)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:21:32 GMT

thanx man i know for sure they will be top notch whatever they are!! look forward to having you grace my stand one day!

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (John Fox)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:18:06 GMT

dannybotz

John thanx for the update! I have been to Irvings and really enjoyed it but i thought I recognized those dogs!!! Just a thought john and I dont know if youll share but if you were going to start a hotdog/ lunch breakfast truck with a steamtable and a flat top what dogs would you serve and how would you prepare them?? I seems natural to ask the king about what dogs hed serve in his kingdom! im actually looking in the branchburg flemington area along rte 202 corridor!!

I haven't really thought about it. There are so many ways to prepare dogs and so many good brands. When I make dogs at home I prepare them a variety of ways. Probably my favorite is on the backyard grill after heating the dogs in water. I also like a good beef and pork dog prepared on a griddle since these tend to be more tender. Whatever you do, I would suggest using a quality dog (one you like) with natural casing. Stay away from the tiny cocktail size franks that are 11 and 12 to a lb. Or if you do serve them, price them accordingly; not like you would an 8 to a lb dog like some do.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (Baah Ben)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:25:00 GMT

John - If you think about it, to stop daily production and make a special run, just for Irving's one store, can you imagine how many dogs you'd have to order from Marathon to do that? How dumb does he think the general public is? Obviously, very dumb. Hey, he may be right, but in your case, he's talking to someone who has forgotten more about hot dogs than he and his partner will ever know.

I love that you called the guy on it and wanted to go to the factory with him. Beautiful! He must have s__t.

Hey, we use to tell our customers we had the hot dogs (Pitts) made special for us, too! When they came in on common carrier (1000 lbs) I had my guys get them into the building and into the basement fast as hell. I also had them black out Marathon's name on the boxes, too.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (dannybotz)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:19:00 GMT

John thanx for the update! I have been to Irvings and really enjoyed it but i thought I recognized those dogs!!! Just a thought john and I dont know if youll share but if you were going to start a hotdog/ lunch breakfast truck with a steamtable and a flat top what dogs would you serve and how would you prepare them?? I seems natural to ask the king about what dogs hed serve in his kingdom! im actually looking in the branchburg flemington area along rte 202 corridor!!

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ken8038)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:51:31 GMT

<<I will give you an update on the Pastrami King!!!
(which became the Pastrami Queen when it moved from Queens, to Lexington Ave in manhattan.... )
I imagine that is the same one you are thinking of, Ken? >>

I think so, but I could have sworn it was still called Pastrami King for a while when it was in Manhattan.

I didn't even think of the Passover/Easter situation. Although I am of the "Easter" persuasion, we didn't have a big feast a/c our families being pretty well scattered around this year. Hopefully you are right and that is the reason it was so slow.

But, the Office Depot you mentioned is closed, and it does look deserted in that shopping center.

John, thanks for the insight on the dogs. I'm sure what we had was the 5 to a lb. dog. It did taste "beefier" than what I would expect an all beef hot dog from Sabrett would taste, but maybe that was just due to the larger size.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (John Fox)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:38:43 GMT

I was to Irving's a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed a pastrami reuben.

About the hot dogs. The first time there I saw a package that was labelled Sabrett. I was told that the dogs were made special for Irving's by Sabrett and that they were just waiting for the new labels which they've gotten by now. I've gone into detail in the past about how Sabrett makes only one recipe for beef dogs and one for beef/pork dogs. Although they come in different sizes and with or without a casing, all of the places (Katz's, Papaya King, Gray's Papaya, etc.) that serve a beef dog from Marathon (the parent company of Sabrett) are using the same recipe frank despite claiming it is a special recipe.

Customers have been told about a special recipe frank numerous times by people who own/work at places in attempt to have you believe you are getting something that you can't get anywhere else. I don't like being misled. I am 100% positive that no place gets a special recipe frank from Sabrett. This has been confirmed to me by a couple of Sabrett distributors (who I did not believe years ago), someone whose father delivered franks to places in New York, and the person actually in charge of private label at Marathon.

When I brought this up at Irving's, Marc was adamant in claiming that the franks were made special for them. He mentioned that maybe the policy changed and even offered to take me to the plant when the next batch of hot dogs were being made for them. He was so convincing that I almost believed him. I said that I would love to go with him to the plant and see for myself. He never contacted me to go. Afterwards I spoke to my contact at Marathon who laughed and said that they still don't make special recipes for their customers and that Irving's gets the same recipe beef dogs that everyone else does. Only difference is that they now make a long 5 to a lb dog (similar to the old Syd's dog) that they didn't make previously.

Amazing Hot Dog used a shorter fatter 4 to a lb dog from Sabrett. For some reason, even though they are the same recipe, the bigger sized Sabretts don't seem as spicy as the smaller ones you get at Papaya King, Gray's, Katz's, or Boulevard Drinks. But be sure that they ARE the same recipe despite what Marc or anyone tells you.

Also be aware that you can get these dogs at any Sabrett distributor (without the special label) much cheaper. This also goes for the beef/pork dog served at the Windmill and Hot Grill. You can get the smaller 10's (Served at Papaya King and Gray's) real cheap at Restaurant Depot. This is where many hot dog establishments get theirs.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ellen4641)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:16:39 GMT

Hi Ken!!
So glad you made it to Irving's, and enjoyed succulent pastrami with your daughter!
Remember, Ken, it IS still the 8 day Passover holiday, which could contribute to the deli being slow...
plus the fact that today was the day after Easter, when many are recuperating from big feasts..

I don't celebrate Easter in the religious sense, but I did have a real good prime rib buffet at the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City (NJ) ......
so even I pigged out for Easter..

With all that being said, though... ........I am a bit concerned, too, about the fate of these last old school type Jewish style deli's...

I will give you an update on the Pastrami King!!!
(which became the Pastrami Queen when it moved from Queens, to Lexington Ave in manhattan.... )
I imagine that is the same one you are thinking of, Ken?
the owners sold it, and opened a Pastrami Queen in Boca Raton, FL about 6 months ago!
I went there last month, and it has excellent
homemade pastrami!!!!
(small 7 ounce sandwich though , $9.95; I recommend paying $2.00 more for the extra meat)

The NYC Pastrami Queen is still open, just different owners..
(and I was wondering why it did'nt taste as good to me when I was there last year!)
the previous owners had sold it, and moved to Florida...
after taking a short hiatus, they thankfully decided to resurrect the Pastrami Queen again!

YES, I too loved those beefy hot dogs at IRVING'S.
I even brought home a package of them...
my aunt and uncle were visiting me from Florida at the time, and it made a great dinner for us a few days later.... (they have'nt had the pleasure of going to Irving's yet)

There IS a Toys R Us in that Irving's deli shopping center...
and an Office Depot..
but both those stores don't seem like they would be conducive to feeding over into the Deli operation..

when I was there, they did have some nearby office workers pop into Irving's.

Once again, I think today (the day after Easter) was a real OFF day all around for restaurants. ..... plus many of us are still scrambling to finish our taxes...!

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ken8038)

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:12:15 GMT

I thought I'd bring back this thread, because I finally got to Irving's today for lunch.

My daughter was with me, we both had pastrami sandwiches and as Ellen said, they were terrific! Very very tender, melt in your mouth tender. Among the best I ever had. For what it's worth, my favorite ever was Pastrami King, during the time they were in Manhattan, I've never been to the "new" location on Long Island. This was close, maybe just a little less flavor, but definately the best I've ever had in New Jersey.

For good measure we split a hot dog (it's about a foot long) which had a real good beefy Deli taste. The only disappointment was the sauerkraut, it did not have much flavor at all, it definately needed more curing, or something.

Oh, also, it was great to have the big selection of Boylan sodas on tap. I've seen the root beer occasionally at other places, but Irving's had at least 6 different varieties on tap, including diet white birch and diet black cherry. With Free Refills!

I'm a little worried about how they are doing though, we were there at about Noon and we were the only customers. OK, it was a Monday, but still...

And the shopping center is virtually deserted, most of the other storefronts are vacant.

Anyway, thanks again to Ellen for being the pioneer at Irving's, it's definately worth a stop.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (MiamiDon)

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:30:30 GMT

Ellen4641: I crown you.... Miss Pastrami 2008!!

CCinNJ: Thanks for the Claremont/Health salad recipe! Looks like a good accompaniment to a mile-high pastrami sandwich.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ellen4641)

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:21:22 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Baah Ben

Ellen - The meat looks WONDERFUL! But, it looks like it's been machine sliced..Fine by me.

I went back to Irving's on Nov. 17th for a return visit..
(I'll post a few pics ASAP)

Just wanted to iterate that the pastrami is DEFINITELY HAND SLICED.
(right in front of your eyes, a la Katz's style)
I watched his knife-work!

RETURN VISIT to HAROLD'S, Nov. 17th, 2008

I started with the 1/2 BRISKET sandwich (served on FULL bread) and soup combo, "such a deal" for $7.95

The matzoh ball soup was just "okay"; did not WOW me; next time I'll go for the split pea.

There's ED at the counter; he says he "runs the dining room".
He's got the long blonde hair and ponytail, in his 50's ,I guess

And said he used to work at Don's in Livingston, back in the day.
They had great charbroiled burgers there, (long gone, though)
ED'S mom works the cash register at Irvings.
And then Ed said "see that guy. He used to work at Tabachnick's".
Looks like they have room at Irvings for all the former deli guys !!!

I love the way the BRISKET JUICES SOAK right thru the BREAD!

I also ordered a PASTRAMI sandwich, but to take out, as I was stuffed

I did test some of out first, though.

I also took out a package of these "made special for Irving's" hot dogs.They were GREAT! Nice beefy taste, with a natural casing..

My aunt and uncle visited me from Delray Beach, FL for 5 days shortly after I went to Irving's.
I served them these hot dogs , and they loved them so much that they requested them again the next day!!

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ellen4641)

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:14:51 GMT

Happy Holidays to you, too , Rusty! Stay warm in Connecticut!!

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (rpalmer1)

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:49:02 GMT

Ellen, Keep up the good work. I really look forward to your posts. Happy holidays. Rusty

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ann peeples)

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:23:04 GMT

The pastrami looks awesome-reminds me of a place on 50th and Keefe in Milwaukee that is named Kramers.Wonderful pastrami.....Jakes for corned beef, but definately Kramers for pastrami.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (leethebard)

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (Baah Ben)

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:35:54 GMT

Healthy foods..Looks to me that's just what Irving's is putting out there. For me, there's nothing better than a healthy sized pastrami sandwich

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ScreenBear)

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:01:00 GMT

Nope...don't remember the garlic bread/stainless steel box. But I do remember the almond horn pastry...a must for dessert. I'm not a cheesecake fan. But their's remains legendary. Not sure what year the Claremont opened.

The Bear

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (Baah Ben)

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:58:18 GMT

Screenbear - My ex-business partner redid the Clarement Diner for Harold. He and some backers brought it. That's when Harold moved up from his Orange Sandwich shop to the big time.

I remember the Clarement and the Weequahic Diner. The Baumans were legends in the diner business. Do you happen to recall how they use to have a person walking around replinishing your garlic bread. They had it in this square stainless steel box hanging from the person's shoulders..this was in the 50's. There would be lines out the door to get into the Clarement Diner.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (ScreenBear)

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:29:18 GMT

Long before there was a Claremont Diner in Verona, N.J., there was the Weequahic Diner on Elizabeth Avenue in Newark, N.J., also run by the Bauman Brothers, Morris and Leo.

If I’m not mistaken, the famous salad that would become known as the Claremont Salad originated at the Weequahic, and was then simply known as a “Diner Salad.”

It’s a great appetizer or side dish, and always went well with one of the three sandwiches I inevitably chose to eat…. always a difficult decision. The Chopped Liver, the Corned Beef or the Pastrami. Oh, what to do, what to do?

The Bear

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (sodawater43)

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:19:28 GMT

The Clairmont salad and Health salad refered to sure looks like the salad(along with a bowl of pickles) that was put on each table at Wolfies and Pumpernicks in Maimi Beach during with 50's,thru 80's. Those were the days for great deli's.

RE: Irving's Deli (PASTRAMI !) more pics added 12-12 (CCinNJ)

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:12:47 GMT

Awesome report, Ellen.

That pastrami looks delicious!!

Here is the recipe for Claremont Salad from the Claremont Diner Verona NJ.

2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons of salad oil
1 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cucumber (sliced)
1 carrot (sliced)
1 green pepper (sliced)
1 bermuda onion (sliced)
3/4 head of cabbage (shredded)

Shake the sugar, vinegar, salad oil, water, and salt together in a large jar and pour the mixture over the vegetables. Leave the vegetables and mix at room temperature for two (2) hours.

Put it in the refrigerator over night. Done, enjoy !!

You may substitute lettuce and tomato for the cabbage.