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Tasting New York is pricy

Remember Lyn's Delicatessen? Or Bernard's New York Deli? I would guess that for some, the disappearance of both meant the disappearance of pastrami sandwiches from their diet.

Start counting up the delis on Oahu -- chief among them Brent's and Gee ... a Deli (both in Kailua) -- and you probably won't even get as far as your pinky. Delis, born out of New York City's German and Jewish immigrant experience, are just not a big part of our cultural landscape, although affection for pastrami and corned beef is universal among meat eaters.

In a quest for pastrami, I know souls who have surrendered to Subway and Zippy's, but somehow, it's not the same as sitting at a table with a vat o' pickles at your elbow.

A Taste of New York Deli & Market has the requisite pickles and brings even more diversity to Kaimuki's colorful dining scene. With so many restaurants crowded around the 11th Avenue area, someone really should consider building a parking garage there to manage traffic coming in from Aina Haina, Hawaii Kai and points west.

A Taste of New York is inside the former Aina Haina Garden Shop, in a space occupied earlier by Sis Kitchen. That means people trying to find it must look beyond Waialae Avenue's street-front spaces.

The tasteful, subdued colors of Sis Kitchen have been replaced by a blue-and-orange color scheme of the sort one might associate with circus or termite fumigation tents. It's tolerable by day, but garish by night when combined with overhead lights. But then, delis have never been known for decor. It's all about the food.

When it comes to food, the menu is rather limited. Where's the sturgeon? The bagels and lox? Remember, this is only "A Taste of" New York, and this far away from the real thing, consider yourself lucky to have this much, unless you have $600 for plane fare.

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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Hiroko Akagi, left, and Mieko Markwarp lunch on sandwiches at A Taste of New York Deli in Kaimuki.

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IN READING the menu, you'll be immediately drawn to the "Famous Triple-Decker Sandwiches," named after celebrities, as served at Stage Deli in New York. These are combinations the celebs came up with, such as corned beef, pastrami, chopped liver and onion (Joe DiMaggio, $16.95); tuna, bacon, American cheese, lettuce and tomato (Gloria Estefan, $13.95); and salami, beef tongue and pastrami (Al Roker, $16.95).

Having recently returned from a trip to New York, I have to admit the cost of food is high there. Fifty bucks will often buy you a low-end, mediocre meal. So maybe New Yorkers wouldn't bat an eye at these prices, but this is Hawaii. I can already hear the chorus of disbelief. "Twelve dollars for a sandwich!"

There is some relief to be found in grilled cheese ($7.95) and tuna salad ($7.95) sandwiches, but let's face it, that's not what you're here for. The classic New York sandwiches -- your roast beef, smoked ham, corned beef and pastrami -- will cost you $11.95. That includes a choice of excellent potato salad, cole slaw or small bag of chips, but even with 11 ounces of meat, these sandwiches arrive looking flatter than the price demands. You can have that bulked up with coleslaw and Russian dressing, but that will be $1 more. (The going rate in town is about $9.50 to $9.99 at Brent's or Mazal's Kosherland; Gee ... A Deli's is a bargain at $4.95.)

You may become addicted to A Taste of New York's pastrami and corned beef -- you get a choice of either when ordering a Reuben ($14.95).

Skip the sandwich if you're getting a salad because they're entree-sized. I loved the Broadway salad ($10.95) with its mix of lettuce, black pepper-coated grilled chicken, slices of real bacon, a sliced hard-boiled egg, cheese and tomatoes. I'd wish for better cheese, but in an American institution, American cheese is what you get. You might also opt for a Caesar salad ($7.95; $2.95 more with grilled chicken added) or chef salad ($9.95) including turkey, ham, American and Swiss cheeses.

And deli meat is not the only attraction. You must have dessert of cheesecake, made on the premises, that might be compared to a small hatbox or chef's hat. If you thought Cheesecake Factory offered the biggest slices in town, the cheesecake here, as in the Big Apple, towers at least 8 inches high and you can't miss it in the glass showcase when you walk in.

Naturally, you're gonna pay for this much cheesy goodness. It's $9.95 a slice -- add $1 more for cherry or blueberry topping -- or $80 for the whole shebang. Staffers say they've seen four people share a single slice. At prices like this, I imagine many of the students, artists, mama- and papa-sans and young families who populate Kaimuki will have to share.

Make two trips if you must. Otherwise, two sandwiches, a slice of cheesecake and two Dr. Brown sodas will cost a couple about $40 in one sitting, and I don't think that's what people have in mind when they say, "Let's go out for a sandwich."

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A taste of new york deli & market 1137 11th Ave. / 737-DELI (3354) Food Service Ambience Value Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily Cost: About $25 to $40 for two