Andrew J. Lederer

(Didn't work this post over too much, so I apologize if it's a little rhythmically unbalanced.)


Junior's, a restaurant in Downtown Brooklyn, has long been considered by many to have the best cheesecake in the world. Some now favor the offerings of relatively new competitors but I think when you get into that lofty realm of goodness, they're all the "best"; the only differences are the eater's personal tastes and variables like newness/surprise, etc.

I don't go there that often and, until recently, whenever I did, enough time would have passed since the last visit for me to doubt the claims of greatness. My natural skepticism would kick in and I'd challenge the cake with my eyes before piercing it with my fork and taking the first bite.

But then, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . . . . . . . .

I didn't know. I'd forgotten.

It's that good.

In fact, it's too good; simultaneously dense and creamy. I'd take a couple of bites and then, spiritually and physically, I'd be done, fulfilled, sated. But still, in front of me, would be practically an entire slab of cheesecake.

Of course, I'd have to eat it; there are cheesecake lovers starving in China. But why couldn't they sell it by the forkful? Probably 120,000 deaths annually could be prevented.


When my sister was in town last week, I discovered that Junior's had opened a new outpost in Times Square, right across the street from her hotel. we immediately made tentative plans to eat there on Saturday, which was exciting, but deep inside I worried that, if successful, this new location at the "crossroads of the world" would dilute the importance of the '50s original.

Alternately, I considered the possibility that this midtown branch could fail, bringing down the entire operation. This had happened (of course, the full story is more complicated) with Lundy's, a venerable Sheepshead Bay seafood restaurant which expanded to Times Square, then vanished from both Manhattan and Brooklyn, weakening the culinary link between --



in between the last paragraph and the one to follow i had a meeting regarding various edinburgh possibilities that are very exciting. summer looks good. gonna do several shows and be involved in an advisory capacity with several others. even helping to facilitate one or more american comics' edinburgh debuts. but this morning i couldn't afford a cup of coffee, even though i had decided to use the collectible coins i talked about yesterday at their face values. (see the sicker you get for latest money issues.) flyin' now, though, on starbucks' light roast. (see caffeine abuse for more on me and coffee.)



-- the city today and the New York of yesteryear.

At one time, as I understand it, Lundy's was the largest restaurant in the world. When it reopened in the '90s, after a decade or more as a rotting hulk, it only took up a portion of its former structure and was still impressively large.

My friends and I used to stop there for mussels in medium sauce. I saw Woody Allen there a few years ago. Now it's gone.

I don't want the same thing to happen to Junior's".

But damn, they've created a perfect space in a spectacular location, right in Shubert Alley, one of the most famous thoroughfares in the theater district. It used to be the home of Charley O's, where comics I knew from the old 44th St. Improv used to go to see Steve Allen do his radio show during the late '80s. (At its new location Charley O's is or was home to Joe Franklin's Comedy Club.)

And they've got a great, wide-ranging, straightforward menu; one that would be welcome in that area even it it were not "Junior's".

And the prices are not typical Times Square gougery.

I think this place is gonna succeed. And as the Atlantic Yard development proceeds in Downtown Brooklyn (which, btw, in its present form, I'm against) the original Junior's will see it's customer base grow.

This will not, I think, be a "Lundy's".

So, we went on Saturday and I got a brisket sandwich better/moister than I've had at the original and a delicious egg cream and then I was lucky enough to have my nephew fall ill (not from Junior's menu) and ended up not do reluctantly eating almost a whole piece of cheesecake myself. And you know what? It wasn't hard.

And my sister paid.

Man, sometimes I don't even realize what thrilling adventures I have until I read 'em here.


Interesting Note: The original Junior's has fought back against a lot of hardships, including a major fire and the deterioration of its neighborhood. (When it opened, across the street was the Brooklyn Paramount, where Alan Freed, who mainstreamed the term rock'n'roll, used to put on his big shows.) The neighborhood has since rebounded, yet ?Junior's, which weathered the worst of it as a 24-hour restaurant, now shuts down. A friend and I have periodically tried to figure out what the deal is with that.


Ooh -- one more thing. This girl at the next table, overenthusiastically loud and talking to her gay-sounding friend as if they have some actual understanding of/connection to show business, waxing rhapsodic about a friend or some she knows who has a collection of photos of herself with unbelievably big, awesome celebrities like Jeremy Piven and Ashley Simpson. (The loudmouths also ruined "The Departed", which I haven't seen yet, for me. They should move back to wherever they're from.)

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2 February, 2007 @ 19:51:30 GMT
http://blogs.chortle.co.uk/andrewjlederer