Autobiography of a Delicatessen

Book excerpt: SERIOUS EATS: I got all misty-�eyed a few times, as the significance of such a New York icon was illustrated in word and image... THE NEW YORK TIMES: A book as overstuffed as Katz's pastrami on rye. A great visual record of how a restaurant runs, this first-ever book about Katz's Delicatessen indelibly captures the unique spirit and appeal of the Lower East Side classic. Timed to coincide with Katz's 125th anniversary, this special edition brings a bit of Katz's right into your own home. Located on the corner of Ludlow and East Houston, this NYC institution opened in 1888 and is the oldest and most beloved delicatessen in America. Famous for its mouth-watering pastrami and mouth-puckering pickles (as well as its traditional Friday evening hot dogs) Katz's has been serving Jewish comfort food to generations of hungry customers, from locals dropping in for their usual and tourists from around the world, to a veritable who's-who of celebrities and politicians whose visits are immortalized in hundreds of photographs along the walls. The 384 pages of this elegant and hefty tome contain over 600 striking photographs by Baldomero Fernandez: the people on both sides of the counter; the storied cutting stations; the distinctive signa≥ the remarkably small kitchen; and more. Part-owner Jake Dell reveals the deli's rich and compelling history, and discusses traditional Jewish deli foods, including the different preparations for pastrami and corned beef. Travel Channel star Adam Richman provides a very personal and evocative foreword. What you won't discover is what the little circles on the tickets mean. Baldomero calls them hieroglyphics. What they mean and why they even use them, is still a mystery to me. That's just part of Katz's! No need to be a New Yorker. This book will prove equally irresistible to both the regulars and to the uninitiated. Published in association with Glenn Horowitz Bookseller.