Carnegie Deli
Carrot Cake
French Toast
Cheese Blintzes with Big Apple Sauce
Coffee
Located inside The Mirage, 24-hour New York staple Carnegie Deli had long been one of those restaurants I figured I would ‘eventually’ patronize – the menu featuring a few items of interest but the Las Vegas Boulevard upcharge seemingly unjustified by ‘deli food,’ no matter how good – an early morning breakfast finally sparked by a group of friends staying at the hotel and the result a good time with surprisingly good food despite prices I’d still label exorbitant. Bringing the signature 7th street delicatessen to a surprisingly small space just off the gaming floor where a few trios and quartets sat basking in the glow of the prior night’s escapades behind enormous sandwiches and cauldrons of matzo ball soup it was to friendly service and overhead Sinatra that we arrived and seated immediately orders followed in an equally expedited manner, a total of perhaps nine items ordered but my focus on three plus a half-dozen refills to my cup of coffee. Speaking first to my favorite ‘appetizer,’ the $8.50 slice of carrot cake proved competent and not overly sweet, but perhaps as a result of our early morning visit and a cake from last night the crumb delivered slightly dry and under-spiced – the impressive cream cheese icing thankfully buoying the dish, though none of it nearly as impressive as the $13.95 fried cheese blintzes whose light eggy tones and balanced parts savory meets sweet proved excellent on their own, yet far better with house-made applesauce taken bite-for-bite. Eschewing meats or omelets, though all looked good, it was in a Jewish deli’s Challah that I placed my trust for a ‘main course’ and with three thick slices soaked in batter, fried golden in butter, and drowned in maple syrup I really could not have asked for more, the stack a veritable bargain at $10.95.
