In other words: serious feast potential.įor a large part of my life I lived within walking distance of Barney Greengrass, and have been going there for occasions large and small since the 1980s, so it was my great pleasure to place an order last weekend for, frankly, way too much food for my current solo quarantine situation in Crown Heights. There are at least ten different kinds of smoked fish, a whole slew of salads and cream cheeses, tins of caviar, jars of pickled fish, sliced meats like pastrami and corned beef, a variety of breads and bagels, and sweets like chocolate babka and black & white cookies. Pretty much the entire Barney Greengrass menu is available for same-day delivery, pick-up, or next-day shipping. "We have been doing mail order since my grandfather's days, though back then the shipping labels said 'if not delivered in three days never mind!!' I am grateful for the work Fedex has done during this difficult time." Gary says that he got shut out during the first round of PPP loans, and has tried again on the second round, though "nothing has come through yet."įortunately, the Greengrass family has a long history of shipping smoked fish around the country, and that part of business has seen a nice uptick of late, "thanks to many customers who moved from the city to their summer homes," Gary said. But even the over-the-counter business, or shopping in the store, is down almost 80%" from the pre-pandemic days. Our restaurant is closed, and that impacts us the most. Despite keeping the doors open for take-out and delivery, Gary says that "overall, business is down 50%. Right now, like most every place in town, Barney Greengrass is hurting. I asked her if that was her version of social distancing?!" "I had a customer call me up the other day," Gary told us, "and she ordered four Nova Scotia sandwiches with cream cheese, tomato, and extra extra onion. That includes Gary's behind-the-counter schtick, which delivers more groaners per minute than the entire Borscht Belt in its heyday. Gary Greengrass, who mans the register and answers the phone to this day, has taken the business into the 21st century, and brought it online, though both the character and attitude of the place remains steadfastly old school New York. In 1955 it was Moe's turn to run things and, among his other passions and skills (mostly involving smoked fish), he amused all with his card tricks by the register even after turning over the store to Gary in 1982. Never looked for anything special.The Greengrass family have been making New Yorkers happy for 112 years now, with three generations of "Sturgeon King" royalty hawking their smoked fish and appetizing dating back to 1908, when Barney opened the namesake shop first in Harlem, then moving to the current location on Amsterdam Avenue in 1929. “TV makes you famous, but he never acted that way. ”He was true to who he was he was a regular guy,” Greengrass says. Greengrass told CNN that Bourdain “made everyone feel at home” when he came to dine. On your way out the door, get some of their chopped liver to go. Be sure to get a basket of toasted bialeys-and maybe a heap of nova and sturgeon. Grab a copy of the Sunday Times and the New York Post and sit down for some eggs scrambled with browned onions and lox. In a list of recommendations for reviews site the Infatuation, he said, “The quintessential New York City breakfast is at Barney Greengrass. Over the years, Bourdain mentioned the restaurant, located at 541 Amsterdam Ave, between West 86th and West 87 streets, over and over again. he touched a lot of lives,” Greengrass says. “His approval meant a lot to people in the food world.” “It was like the Queen of England putting a seal on a box of crackers,” Greengrass says of Bourdain’s endorsement and promotion of the restaurant. Bourdain frequented the 110-year-old shop over his years living in New York. Still, it felt meaningful, Greengrass says. Owner Gary Greengrass tells Eater that it was a bit of an accident, but they just so happened to set the food on the very table that Bourdain ate at when he highlighted the spot on A Cook’s Tour. NY1 reporter Van Tieu tweeted a photo of the spread on Friday, shortly after the restaurant made Bourdain’s regular meal for a shoot. Upper West Side Jewish deli icon Barney Greengrass set up an empty table with Anthony Bourdain’s regular order today: Novia Scotia lox, an egg scramble, and some bagels.
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