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Of all the fronts used by the Mob, their delis are the most mouthwateringly legit, leaving selfish customers to say, "I don't care who you're murdering in back, this is a delicious sandwich". Fronting nightlife with tasty grub: Delicatessen.

From the Cafeteria guys, Deli's a four-room complex split between underground, scene-friendly lounges, and street-level grazing areas that, while far from divey, can accommodate even the most scene-unfriendly patrons (Thomas Pynchon?). The upstairs starts with a slick diner equipped with leather stools, white banquettes, and sunlight-welcoming raised garage doors, while beyond that's a sit-down room walled with wood sourced from dilapidated Pennsylvania barns and subway tiles made of cream-colored leather; both plate up tweaked comfort food like halibut tacos, jalapeno jack-cheese BBQ meatloaf, and short ribs "Stroganoff" (a variation on a classic dish, and a classic strokin-off joke). Downstairs the action shifts dramatically, with a glass-ceilinged, green-leather'd lounge w/ a semi-hidden, behind-the-wall DJ booth (food's available, but just-boozing's cool), plus the drinks-only "minibar": a dimly-lit space sporting its own sound system, decked in dark woods and shelves of empty martini glasses, wine goblets, and decanters, all bottom-lit, just like you.

Deli's opening in stages: Dinner tonight, followed by lunch next week and 6am breakfast the week following that, with eventual 24/7 service, enabling an activity even more nefarious than murder: 5am beef.

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This place looks spankin'. Check out pics of all the rooms, plus the menu, here.