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Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse

Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse is a Romanian-Jewish restaurant on Lower East Side of Manhattan that closed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, but has reopened in a new location nearby in Spring 2024.[1][2][3] The original Sammy's was considered a New York foodie institution.[4] Sammy's opened in 1975, in a location occupied previously by another Romanian restaurant on Chrystie Street.[5]

Sammy's occupied a basement retail space on the Lower East Side for 47 years where it served Romanian-style steak and offered entertainment by lounge performer Dani Luv, who also does Borscht Belt-style stand-up comedy replete with Yiddish.[6][7][8][9] The entertainer, whose legal name is Dani Lubnitski, has returned to the keyboard at the restaurant, which is also known for its vodka-fueled nightlife scene (with bottles served frozen in blocks of ice) and garlicky beef.[10][11]

Sammy's is known for fried kreplach, chopped liver, sweetbreads, latkes, ice block-encased vodka bottle service, and syrup jars filled with schmaltz or rendered chicken fat, at the tables as a condiment.[12][13][14][15] The owner is David Zimmerman.[16] Chris Frantz refers to the original Sammy's as a restaurant frequented by music business executives during Talking Heads' time in the CBGB scene.[17]

See also

References

  1. Legendary NY Jewish Restaurant Sammy's Roumanian Closes but Vows to Reopen After the COVID Era JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency), 2021-01-05, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  2. Emma Orlow. NY Icon Sammy's Roumanian Plots Its Big Return to Manhattan Eater NY, 2023-04-27, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  3. Jason Diamond. Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse Is Back, Along With Its Schmaltz Grub Street, 2024-04-22, retrieved 2024-07-04^
  4. Rachel Askinasi. Heartbroken fans of NYC eatery Sammy's Roumanian are mourning the loss of the iconic basement restaurant Insider, 2021-01-06, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  5. Robert Sietsema. New York in a Dozen Dishes Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015^
  6. Pete Wells. Come. Eat. There's Plenty of Food. The New York Times, 2014-09-23, retrieved 2023-12-13^
  7. Matt Duckor. After Sandy, Sammy's Roumanian Steak House Parties On Bon Appétit, 2012-11-04, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  8. Jamie Feldmar. RIP Sammy's Roumanian, Where Every Night Was a Bar Mitzvah Food & Wine, 2021-01-08, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  9. Mimi Sheraton. 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List Workman Publishing Company, 2015-01-13^
  10. Lisa Keys. Sammy's Roumanian, iconic Lower East Side Jewish restaurant, mounts a comeback Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2023-04-27, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  11. Famous Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse New York Magazine, 2019-05-20, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  12. Michael Wex. Rhapsody in Schmaltz: Yiddish Food and Why We Can't Stop Eating It Macmillan, 2016-04-12^
  13. Anthony Rose, Chris Johns. The Last Schmaltz: A Very Serious Cookbook Appetite by Random House, 2018-10-09^
  14. Emily Stone. Did Jew Know?: A Handy Primer on the Customs, Culture & Practice of the Chosen People Chronicle Books, 2013-10-29^
  15. Jason Diamond. Good-bye to Sammy's Roumanian and Its Glorious Schmaltz Grub Street, 2021-01-05, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  16. Sophia Chang. Legendary Sammy's Roumanian Restaurant Will Reopen, Owner Vows Gothamist, 2021-01-03, retrieved 2023-12-09^
  17. Chris Frantz. Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2020-07-21^