How much would you pay for a bona fide bite of New York City? That question will be tested this Saturday, June 29, when West Hollywood’s Bar Next Door hosts the Lower East Side pastrami institution Katz's Deli — the oldest deli in New York City — as it serves up its famed pastrami sandwiches for the L.A. crowd.
I hope you’re sitting down for this next part: A whole sandwich will cost $45 and $25 for a half. Bar Next Door owner Lawrence Longo and his team are going all out to bring a genuine New York experience to L.A.
They’re even flying out three Katz’s employees to prepare the sandwiches on site, boiling, slicing, and serving the pastrami on its signature rye, slathered with the classic brown mustard and tucked alongside half-sour pickles. (If you do the math, it somewhat explains the high price; the sandwich normally goes for $27.45 at Katz's in homebase in New So if you think about it's still cheaper than getting on a flight to NYC yourself.
) It’s all for a special occasion — the bar’s first anniversary — and they wanted to do something big. Longo credits his business partner, Kara Rosenblum, who is from Brooklyn. She had the idea and immediately started making calls to make it happen.
“We thought bringing Katz’s to the bar would be cool,” Longo said, noting that the bar’s themed design will be familiar to any NYC deli regular. “It looks like a diner, so we thought the pastrami would look so good at the bar, and it would be a cool thing to do.
