Frank Bruni, the Times’s top restaurant critic, awards the new 2nd Avenue Deli one star today, which isn’t bad considering it is, despite all the history, still a deli. We popped in there for food and photos just before it reopened at its East 33rd Street location and found the sandwiches (pictured) as monumental as ever; a second visit turned up no sign of the free bowl of gribenes (chicken skin fried in chicken fat)......

At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients that you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes. Don't tell us you've never heard of kopcheny jazik! Even though Gothamist has spent more than our fair share of time at old-school Jewish delis we've only recently begun to enjoy this Russian cousin of deli tongue. In case you're wondering, the ruddy colored smoked veal tongue is pronounced "KOP-chornee YAH-zeeg." We always slice it......

Looking back over the year in food, 2007 was chock full of tasty goodness. The locavore movement was in full swing, truffles were over the top expensive, and Gothamist readers continue to get pissed off about foie gras. There was a lawsuit over lobster rolls, we got a new Whole Foods, the vendors at the Red Hook ball fields were threatened, rats ran crazy at Taco Bell, and the DOH went ballistic. Chumleys fell,......

The initial news of the legendary 2nd Avenue Deli’s reincarnation led us to stockpile Lipitor as visions of pastrami, chopped liver and gribenes danced through our heads. And when we feasted our eyes on the sneak preview of this fresser’s paradise, we could hardly wait to go and devour more of the menu. Even though it’s been open for a little more than a week, Gothamist paused to recover from holiday feasting before hitting......

An opening for the new 2nd Avenue Deli is in sight! This week, they've been putting the final touches on the new Murray Hill location, but today Gothamist stopped by for a quick preview of the legendary deli. During the friends and family only preview, they don't have a their full 5-page menu ready yet, but they did have the classic items including matzah ball soup, pastrami and tuna sandwiches. One new item is......

Good news for old-school New Yorkers: the new 2nd Ave Delicatessen is expected to open sometime next week in its new Murray Hill Location on 33rd Street, near Third Avenue. Lovers of the deli’s famous matzo ball soup and pastrami sandwiches were devastated last year when, after a half-century in business, the 2nd Ave and 10th Street legend was snuffed out. The closure came in the wake of a bitter rent dispute between deli......

This week's New York Mag runs down some of this season's upcoming restaurant openings -- better start planning now. We've already given you the scoop on Will Goldfarb's Picnick and Peter Hoffman's Back Forty, due in September and October respectively, but we're looking forward to some of the other spots highlighted by Rob and Robin, especially noodle shop Bun, from Mai House chef Michael Huynh and his wife, Thao Nguyen, and El Quinto Pino, from......

Last night, as part of a fund-raiser for the Church of Stop Shopping, Reverend Billy visited the Chase branch that is where the Second Avenue Deli used to be. dogseat has a great series of photographs (you can seem them on his Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Flickr set) of Reverend Billy and the gospel singers outside the branch. And they're on top of the Yiddish Walk of Fame. Sigh, progress......

With yesterday’s innocuous New York Times review of Katz’s Deli and the news last week that the 2nd Avenue Deli will be "recreated" in Murray Hill, it seems that forces of pastrami have won some kind of cosmic victory over the over the forces of real estate; forces that threaten to destroy old-fashioned New York dining institutions. The outer boroughs are home to a scattering of delicatessens where the pastrami sandwiches rival, and at times......

Some exciting news from the NY Sun: The 2nd Avenue Deli may have a 2nd life as a restaurant in Murray Hill. Annie Karni reports that the Lebewohl family is about to close on 162 East 33rd Street, a five story walkup building near Third Avenue. Clearly, buying is better than paying $33,000 in monthly rent, which is what caused the deli to close last January (the rent was increased from $24,000 and there......

They say New York is home to a million stories, and so far this year, we've published 7021 of them here on Gothamist. So in case you missed any of those, let's take a little stroll back in time, and review the most significant stories the past 12 months, shall we? Here's part one of a semi-chronological look at 2006; part two will go up tomorrow: Nixzmary Brown and the Problem with the Administration for......

First, Rectangles closed and becomes a North Fork Branch, now this. The Post gets the props for being the first to break that the former Second Avenue Deli is going to be filled by another Chase bank branch. Earlier in the month the Villager ran with the story that the Deli was going to be filled by dental-chain Vital Dent and a food space. But that contract wasn't signed then, and we guess it......

East Village residents, you lost the chopped liver, but now you get teeth cleanings: The Villager finds out that the old 2nd Avenue Deli space will be split into a dental office and food space. Vital Dent, a dental franchise that has been seen more and more in the city (Vital Dent took over the old Chambers Street Burritoville location a while back), could be opening in September if the contract is signed next......

A woman who had just picked up coffee from an East Village Dunkin' Donuts was forced into a car by a man posing as a police officer. She managed to escape when police pulled over Richard Padilla's car - he had cut off their car at 119th Street and 2nd Avenue - yelling that he had raped her. Padilla had told the woman he had a gun and kept her captive in his car from......

The NY Times fills in some more holes with the 2nd Avenue Deli's real estate trials, which seemed to culminate in yesterday's gutting of the 2nd Avenue and 10th Street location. It turns out that owner Jack Lebewohl "owed $107,000 in back rent and other charges and that eviction proceedings had begun even before the deli closed." Well, then that $9,000 increase on $24,000 rent would have been really hard to deal with. Next tidbit:......

Did you know that Mayor Bloomberg proclaimed that January 10 is now "BBDO Day"? BBDO, the ad agency behind Pepsi, FedEx, and Bank of America, was named the US agency of the year by AdAge and global agency of the year by Adweek, and made a lot of money last year, meaning that January 10, which Gothamist will remember as The Day the 2nd Avenue Deli Cleared Out is actually BBDO in the city's files......

By the time we got to the 2nd Avenue Deli, the sign was totally torn down and a "dismantling" truck had arrived. But 2nd Avenue Deli owner, Jack Lebewohl (right), was on the street, talking to reporters (he confirmed that it was in fact closed) and receiving condolences from neighborhood residents. Every few seconds, someone would stop in shock, ask what was happening, and then something along the lines of, "What a crime!" or......

A shuttered 2nd Avenue Deli was an unfamiliar site on an otherwise regular Thursday - except that people knew that owner Jack Lebewohl was engaged in a kind of protest against his new owners, Jonis Realty, over a $9,000 increase in rent to $33,000 per month. The NY Times sets up the situation as an inevitable turn of the real estate market, with some interesting details: Some sort of rent increase was part of......

Noooo!!! The 2nd Avenue Deli has been closed since Sunday - and may stay that way - because owner Jack Lebewohl thinks his new rent is too high. Lebewohl told the NY Times, "My current rent is $24,000 a month for 2,800 square feet. They want $33,000. I can't afford that." He added that he felt the restaurant would need to renovate in order to meet various health codes, which have been getting stricter. The......

It's our favorite weekend of the year, Halloween weekend! Ghosts are always roaming our streets and sitting on our ancient pub stools in this city, and this is the best weekend to go out and see them face to invisible face in some good 'ol fashioned walking tours. Yeah, we ain't afraid of no ghosts! Seventh Annual Midnight Madness with Dr. Phil (not the Dr. Phil of you're thinking of). Greet Halloween at Midnight! See......

Fascination article in the NY Times about how video has given a truer perspective on what happened during the Republican National Convention protests. The video has both shown that the police did not employ "explicitly violent" tactics as well as helping prosecutors get guilty pleas or convictions from some protesters. But there were some cases where video actually cleared some people, like this story about Alexander Dunlop who was swept up into the fray......

Yes, we know it's a lame title, but we couldn't think of a witty way to tie this week's food events together. And we know that Tuesday is generally Joe's Eating In column, but he's got this "job" thing that seems to have reared its ugly head, (not to mention his 10th foodie this past Sunday -- congratulations, Joe!) so you'll have to hang tight for a few days. Now, without further ado, some of......

- Making cupcakes that look like pandas, koalas and bears - Finding out what other species there are after hipsters: Robert Lanham's Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees and Other Creatures... - An interview with comedian Dave Gorman - NYC Transit Authority wants a ban on subway photography - The hot concerts in the city this season - Partying with Penthouse Pets - 2nd Avenue Deli provides alibi for unjustly arrested man during the Republican Convention......

More reason to keep every single receipt for at least three months: A Columbia architecture student proved he was not a Critical Mass biker protesting President Bush (and the lack of transportation alternatives) by showing his 2nd Avenue Deli receipt. One August 27, Alexander Pincus was arrested outside the deli, where he had just purchased $96.50 worth of food for his sick girlfriend. He was taken to Pier 57 with hundreds of others. The Daily......

New York Restaurant Cookbook: Recipes from the Dining Capital of the World, by Florence Fabricant (Rizzoli 2003). Gothamist does not travel for brunch. Basically, unless it's below 16th Street and east of 5th Avenue, we don't go there. First of all, we're hungry. Second of all, we're hungover! (damn blogger parties!) So, if it hadn't been for the New York Restaurant Cookbook, we would have forever been denied the tasty (and Atkins-friendly!) goodness that is......

Clearly the allure of 50 cent pastrami sandwiches you could feed a family of four with and 40 cents for some incredible matzoh ball soup is powerful, as New Yorkers lined up along Second Avenue for the Second Avenue Deli's 50th anniversary celebration. The Daily News spoke to people on line, and one mentioned overnighting some Second Avenue fare to his mother in Peru: "My mom cut up the pastrami sandwich and gave it to......

In honor of their 50th anniversary, the 2nd Avenue Deli is celebrating with 1954 prices for their food today. The Post reports that items like hot dogs will be 15 cents each and goulash will be $1.25. Deli owner Jack Lebewohl (pictured right, with a spread that the Post claims will cost just $2) says, "A 50th anniversary comes only once a lifetime." That is true. Lebewohl has invited Paul Reiser and his mom (Lower......

Mayor Bloomberg and Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz have put their stomachs as well as sports prides on the line. Mayor Bloomberg's office released this press release about their friendly wager: Mayor Bloomberg says, "My confidence in the Bronx Bombers is so high, I am tempted to wager the Brooklyn Bridge. Since Miami is really New York’s farthest suburb, I thought all those transplanted New Yorkers might be tempted by a taste of home. For......