Cuisine: Kosher Deli

Open: 7 days, 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Buddy’s Deli is not your ordinary, run-of-the mill deli. For starters, it’s kosher, but that’s not all that is special about the place, it is also a sit-down, take-out, catering staple of the Queens community.

Since its inception at the end of World War II, the eatery has served up old-fashioned staples for the largely Jewish population of the community. However, its not just a "Jewish" restaurant, it is an eatery with something extra. As owner, Mike Hassan says, "you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy a Kosher Corned Beef Sandwich."

I took his advice and did just that this past week. It is a sandwich so stuffed with corned beef fresh from the pot that most people cannot finish it in one sitting, and as I’ve said previously, that’s always a good thing for me.

Preceded by a piping hot bowl of split pea soup sprinkled with croutons, ($2.50) and a free bowl of coleslaw and two pickles, the sandwich, made with rye bread, was everything my friend Don told me to expect. Unlike most delis, Buddy’s serves its sandwiches with a bowl of mustard on the table that allows diners to customize. Washed down with a glass of Sprite, it was a wonderful lunch for a muggy day.

But don’t think sandwiches are all that is available at Buddy’s. There is an extensive luncheon and dinner menu with specials such as stuffed cabbage, meat loaf, skinless fried chicken, bologna sandwich with fries, hot open brisket and hot open roast beef ($6.95 each). There are also Swedish meatballs, corned beef and cabbage ($8.95 each) and on the weekends the special is prime rib served with vegetables or a potato, soup du jour, hot coffee or tea ($11.95). A dinner of baked salmon with soup, vegetable, dessert, coffee or tea goes for about $13.95.

When Hassan bought the place two years ago, he commissioned an artist to transform the interior into a space that evoked "old New York – the days of the Lower East Side." It worked. High overhead there are carved relief figures of New York at play, at work and of course, at the deli. These pieces of artwork are attached to frames of board and line the walls of the deli from corner to corner, making great conversation pieces among dining companions and transporting solo diners back in time to an altogether simpler age .

Buddy’s, which is named in honor of the previous owner’s dad, specializes in catering parties, weddings and other special events too. The prices are reasonable, there’s free delivery, and it’s good, clean food. The staff is friendly and appreciate customers from all communities.