StreetLevel: Fancy Deli Redux in Cobble Hill

nice red!

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 2:32 PM

I heard the guys who took over the (next door ) Cafe on Clinton are opening this space. Yes?

As far as the previous Red Deli, they were quite good until about 6 months before they left. They let the place totally fall apart. Every time I went in there ( to buy a soda or packaged food ) I felt like I needed to go home and take a shower.

Good luck to the Cafe on Clinton guys, if its indeed theirs.

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 2:39 PM

What food? I always felt they only had about three items for sale in there...

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 2:42 PM

no, the shoes they have to fill are not big. ditto the Cafe on Clinton. there's a lot of potential for both businesses: great location, great spaces, lots of traffic (next to park etc). too bad they were both solidly pretty lame last time, but onward and upward!

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 2:49 PM

It's 475 Sterling Place red, to be exact. --->

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 3:29 PM

that place sucked with a capital "S". so, more like Sucked!

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 3:43 PM

The old deli was great until the owner knew he was leaving so he let it get very run down at the end. I can't wait to be able to buy a decent sandwich and eat it in the park.

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 3:51 PM

Does the old owner, the French guy, still run the cafe on Court St? Cafe Nova or something like that? He was not the most personable nor the most clean, but man that guy can cook.

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 5:35 PM

The guy from Cafe on Clinton held the lease for a quick minute and then changed his mind. I hope the deli comes back stronger than before like the cafe did.

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 6:51 PM

That place had *delicious* food but the French guy was such a prick I rarely went there.

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 9:06 PM

That deli was so gross and dirty.

I once went there to get a ham sandwich for a friend (I refuse to eat anything there myself) and I saw a roach running around the breads in broad daylight. In addition there was what looked like mold, dirt and god knows what else growing in the corners of the counter tops.

You seriously feel like you need to shower after entering that place. Though I heard he can cook, I could never get past the griminess to eat anything in there.

Posted by: guest at April 10, 2008 10:07 PM

The old french guy was named Christoff .
He made the best Croissant on this continent . I morn the loss of that place every time I pass it .
Christoff was a culinary visionary. Yes , he was a bit temperamental . Ah, such is the price of great art .
I hope the new place can do justice to that amazing location and his memory .
Happy spring to you all.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 9:46 AM

The old french guy was named Christoff .
He made the best Croissant on this continent . I morn the loss of that place every time I pass it .
Christoff was a culinary visionary. Yes , he was a bit temperamental . Ah, such is the price of great art .
I hope the new place can do justice to that amazing location and his memory .
Happy spring to you all.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 9:50 AM

Christophe is back in the USA with a Clinton place- this time Clinton as in Hell's Kitchen-

http://www.nycnosh.com/?cat=7

Haven't been myself, but if he makes the same hot chocolate I just may have to make a trek over there some time.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 12:30 PM

I can't believe there is serious debate on the subject. We lived on Amity for about 12 years and man could Cristoff make a sandwich. Nice conversation? no. Advice about which of his many imported mustards work with your ham and cheese - oh yeah. And the prepared foods like the meatloaf were great!

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 1:12 PM

I used to live in the neighborhood, and bought food there all the time. Yes, Cristophe could cook like nobody's business. He used to be fairly cheerful and welcoming until sometime in late 2000 or early 2001, when he suffered a serious fall. After that, he was in constant pain in his back. I watched him change almost overnight. He grimaced all the time, and always looked like he was working through the pain. All the time. If I hadn't known him as a regular there before his accident, I would have thought the same as many of you. Have a little mercy on the man. He was fighting a great battle of endurance, and for all I know (I moved from NYC in 2003) he still is.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 11:01 PM

I used to live in the neighborhood, and bought food there all the time. Yes, Cristophe could cook like nobody's business. He used to be fairly cheerful and welcoming until sometime in late 2000 or early 2001, when he suffered a serious fall. After that, he was in constant pain in his back. I watched him change almost overnight. He grimaced all the time, and always looked like he was working through the pain. All the time. If I hadn't known him as a regular there before his accident, I would have thought the same as many of you. Have a little mercy on the man. He was fighting a great battle of endurance, and for all I know (I moved from NYC in 2003) he still is.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 11:02 PM

They had one of the best pain au chocolats I've had outside of Paris.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 12:44 AM

My wife and two daughters LOVED what we always called "The French Deli". Cristof always had a taciturn charm and his prepared foods were nothing if not delicious. His bagels, lentil soup, smoked ham, and roast chickens were our favorites. We can't imagine how anyone wouldn't have liked the place. We miss Cristof and his deli!

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 12:19 PM

HE WASN'T MEAN OR OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And his food was sooo amazing. I bet a bunch of you saying he was mean never even had a freakin' conversation with him. Idiots.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 12:29 PM

I'm only ten and even I know that his place was great. And he wasn't mean. People these days. Geez.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 12:35 PM

Christophe's pain aux raisan was at least as good, or better, than any in Paris.

His quiches were uniformly creamy, light and divine. He happily introduced our family to affinois cheese. His hot chocolate was heaven sent because he used Dutch or French cocoa.

His prepared foods were always a joy and never, ever a disappointment, lightly prepared with a Continental touch. And his Thanksgiving menu provided our own meal's quart of giblet gravy every November.

We heard he moved to Hong Kong, and his departure ruined our 2007 summer.

Whether it's Margaret Palka (sic) or the bozo's currently in residence next door at the (new, and worse) Cafe on Clinton -- no one will hold a candle to Christophe's patisserie.

"Somewhat lamented"? You must be joking. Christophe's spare, simple style was better than 90% of the neighborhood's current offerings, with far less effort and pretense.

Posted by: guest at April 13, 2008 12:03 AM