A long time ago in what feels like a lifetime away I used to work on the Upper Westside. When the day was a bit too blustery, or when my stack of work was a bit too high, or when I got a little too tired of dodging the usual Upper Westside riff raff: film crews, prep school kids and nannies wielding SUV sized strollers which too often doubled as weapons, I would disappear into Artie’s for a reprieve.

Artie’s Delicatessen (2290 Broadway @ 83rd Street) just celebrated its 10th anniversary this past October but it feels like it’s been around for much, much longer. With hanging salami’s hanging from the ceiling, pastrami made from a closely guarded secret recipe, and traditional Ashkenazi Jewish fare such as potato kugel, red counter stools along with restaurant seating, and a not bad wine list, Artie’s has the right feel, smell, and of course taste, of an authentic New York Jewish Deli and then some. And, unlike its counterparts the Carnegie Deli and Katz’s Deli Artie’s is almost completely devoid of tourists and thus the obligatory endless lines which means getting a meal in a hurry, or sitting down and really taking your time are both plausible options.

My personal Artie’s favorite – a 4 order of Cheese blintzes with apple sauce and sour cream – appears to have sadly disappeared from the menu, but the potato pancakes and knishes almost make up for its loss. Almost.

Artie’s is close to Central Park, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, The Museum of Natural History (and the Hayden Planetarium which is located in the Museum of Natural History).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 8:28 pm and is filed under NYC. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.