Queens Tribune

96-40 Queens Blvd., Rego Park
(718) 897-1700
www.bensbest.com
CUISINE: Kosher Deli
HOURS: Lunch & Dinner, 7 Days
PARKING: Street

For the last 60 years, Ben’s has been earning its name as Best, providing consistently excellent Kosher deli fare from its Queens Boulevard storefront, barely ever leaving a customer wanting for more and always willing to make dishes to order.

“I’m not here to try to teach someone something they don’t know,” owner Jay Parker said of his restaurant’s unchanging menu as I sat eating a roast turkey and salami sandwich across from him.

A man at the table next to us interrupted, asking if he could get a combination of two frankfurters and beans, even though it’s not on the menu that way. He also wanted to be sure that he could get the franks a few minutes apart from each other so the second one wouldn’t get cold while he ate the first.

“We’ll work out something for you,” Jay said.

The combination of philosophies that the customer is always right and that you can only succeed by offering consistency has worked for this humble spot, started by Jay’s dad, Ben, in 1946. From stuffed cabbage to chopped liver, from mile-high sandwiches to sweet potato fries and store-made pastrami and corned beef, Ben’s is one of only a handful of good places to nosh these days.

As I sat, sampling the potato salad, cole slaw, pickles, onion rings, fries and sweet potato fries, Jay and I spoke about the legacy of the Jewish deli. The frying has always been done with vegetable oil, the sandwiches have always been high in protein and minimal in carbohydrates, the ingredients have always been simple and wholesome. Jay goes through a ton of white cabbage every week to keep up with the cole slaw demand.

“What you’re eating right now is maybe three hours old,” he said. “We make it all day.

And despite the fact that there is a friendly and spacious dining area, let’s not forget that first and foremost this is a deli. You can see the salads being made, the meat being sliced and the sandwiches being piled high. In the back is the kitchen, where such classic meals as Hungarian Goulash, Beef Tongue Polonaise and Potato Pancakes are all made from the freshest ingredients, the busy staff whizzes back and forth, bringing out fresh meals on white and red stoneware.

The staff, Jay boasts, is an important part of Ben’s success. Rather than some places that may see staff as interchangeable or temporary, Ben’s has had several servers on crew for 20 years or more.

Though the menu gets a new look every now and again, perhaps the only real changes may be in the named san
dwiches, like the Sterling Optical Special, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Parkside Chapels. I have to admit, the Congressman Gary Ackermann Special (open-faced corned beef, breast of turkey, sliced Bermuda onion and Russian dressing) sounded tempting, but the Circuit City, with its beef salami, turkey, sweet red pepper and cole slaw sang to me that night.

So, Jay, how is a kosher deli on Queens Boulevard able to stand up for 60 years as the restaurants around open and close in succession?

“Do I have an answer?” he asked me. “No,” he said, looking around at a restaurant filled with people eating hearty, high-quality meals at reasonable prices.

Some questions weren’t meant to be answered, and maybe some should never be asked. Just go, and enjoy!