Ratner's
Encyclopedia
Ratner's was a famous Jewish kosher dairy
(milchig) restaurant on the Lower East Side
of New York City
. Since it did not serve meat in deference to the kosher rule about not mixing milk and meat products, it was often regarded as a complement to Katz's Deli
.
Ratner's was founded in 1905 by Jacob Harmatz and his brother-in-law Alex Ratner, who supposedly flipped a coin to decide whose name would be on the sign. Ratner sold his share in the restaurant to Harmatz in 1918, and it remained in the Harmatz family from then on. Jacob's son, Harold Harmatz, took over the business in the mid-1950s, dying a year after the restaurant ceased operation in 2002. The original location was on Pitt Street, but the restaurant moved in 1918 to its more well-known location at 138 Delancey Street where it would remain until its closing. There was also a location on Second Avenue, operated by other members of the family. Until 1975, it was open 24 hours a day and therefore part of the late-night city scene popular with Jewish performers, actors, musicians, and gangsters. Entertainers Bill Graham
, Al Jolson
, Fanny Brice
, Marty Allen, Eydie Gormé
, Walter Matthau
, Elia Kazan
, Max Gordon
, Groucho Marx
, and Alan King
were all regular customers, while gangsters Bugsy Siegel
and Meyer Lansky
frequented the Delancey location.
Brunch was the main meal at the dairy restaurant, and up to 1,200 people were served daily at the peak of its popularity. Noted menu items included cheese blintzes, potato pancakes
(latkes), hot onion rolls
, and split-pea soup
. Other key items were gefilte fish
, poached salmon-in-aspic, kasha
varnishkes, vegetable borsht and many recipes survive in print. In 1975 "The World Famous Ratner's Meatless Cookbook" was written by Jacob's daughter, Judith Gethers, and her niece, Elizabeth Lefft. Ms. Gethers authored 7 cookbooks and assisted other chef's with their publications.
An exterior scene of Ratner's is shown in the movie The French Connection
where Angie and Sal Boca have a sunrise breakfast.
Prior to the closing of the Delancey Street location, a back room at Ratner's was opened as a bar called "Lansky's Lounge," named after the then-deceased gangster who, according to Robert Harmatz, told the owners that he was there so often that he deserved to have his own room. The lounge has since closed as well, though another bar continues to exist in the space.
A number of products are manufactured using the Ratner's name by King Kold which owns the brand, including Blintzes & Crepes, Potato Pancakes, Veggie Pancakes, Pirogen, Matzo Balls and Soups, which are distributed wholesale to supermarkets.
The Ratner's located at 111 Second Avenue, run by Abraham Harmatz, actually surpassed the Delancey Street restaurant in popularity for many years, especially during the late 1960s and early 1970s when the Lower East Side
morphed into "The East Village
," and became a hip and creative Mecca. In fact Sam Jaffe
, the longtime night manager of The Second Avenue Ratner's, worked with Fillmore East
impresario, Bill Graham, in stocking the Fillmore's mezzanine food concession with Ratner's baked goods.
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
(milchig) restaurant on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Since it did not serve meat in deference to the kosher rule about not mixing milk and meat products, it was often regarded as a complement to Katz's Deli
Katz's Deli
Katz's Delicatessen, also known as simply Katz's of New York City, is a kosher-style delicatessen restaurant located at 205 E...
.
Ratner's was founded in 1905 by Jacob Harmatz and his brother-in-law Alex Ratner, who supposedly flipped a coin to decide whose name would be on the sign. Ratner sold his share in the restaurant to Harmatz in 1918, and it remained in the Harmatz family from then on. Jacob's son, Harold Harmatz, took over the business in the mid-1950s, dying a year after the restaurant ceased operation in 2002. The original location was on Pitt Street, but the restaurant moved in 1918 to its more well-known location at 138 Delancey Street where it would remain until its closing. There was also a location on Second Avenue, operated by other members of the family. Until 1975, it was open 24 hours a day and therefore part of the late-night city scene popular with Jewish performers, actors, musicians, and gangsters. Entertainers Bill Graham
Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
, Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
, Fanny Brice
Fanny Brice
Fanny Brice was a popular and influential American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances and is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show...
, Marty Allen, Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé is an American singer, specializing, with her husband, Steve Lawrence, in traditional pop music, in the form of ballads and breezy swing. She has earned numerous awards, including the Grammy and the Emmy...
, Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
, Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...
, Max Gordon
Max Gordon
Max Gordon was a jazz promoter who founded the Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City.Born in Lithuania, Gordon settled with his family in Portland, Oregon, where he later attended Reed College....
, Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
, and Alan King
Alan King (comedian)
Alan King was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious actor who appeared in a number of movies and television shows. King wrote several books, produced films, and...
were all regular customers, while gangsters Bugsy Siegel
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was an American gangster who was involved with the Genovese crime family...
and Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
frequented the Delancey location.
Brunch was the main meal at the dairy restaurant, and up to 1,200 people were served daily at the peak of its popularity. Noted menu items included cheese blintzes, potato pancakes
Potato pancakes
Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, flour and egg, often flavored with grated onion or garlic and seasoning. Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savory to the sweet , or they may be served ungarnished...
(latkes), hot onion rolls
Onion rolls
Onion rolls are a type of roll similar to a bun. It is often topped with onions and poppy seeds.-Uses:Onion rolls are often used to make sandwiches. Along with that, they are an alternative to the plain hamburger bun. Of course, many choose to eat onion rolls plain as well....
, and split-pea soup
Pea soup
Pea soup or split pea soup is soup made, typically, from dried peas. It is, with variations, a part of the cuisine of many cultures. It is greyish-green or yellow in color depending on the regional variety of peas used; all are cultivars of Pisum sativum.Pea soup has been eaten since antiquity; it...
. Other key items were gefilte fish
Gefilte fish
Gefilte fish is a poached fish mince stuffed into the fish skin.More common since the Second World War are the Polish patties similar to quenelles or fish balls made from a mixture of ground deboned fish, mostly carp or pike...
, poached salmon-in-aspic, kasha
Kasha
Kasha is a cereal commonly eaten in Eastern Europe. In English, kasha generally refers to buckwheat groats, but in Slavic countries, kasha refers to porridge in general and can be made from any cereal, especially buckwheat, wheat, barley, oats, millet, and rye...
varnishkes, vegetable borsht and many recipes survive in print. In 1975 "The World Famous Ratner's Meatless Cookbook" was written by Jacob's daughter, Judith Gethers, and her niece, Elizabeth Lefft. Ms. Gethers authored 7 cookbooks and assisted other chef's with their publications.
An exterior scene of Ratner's is shown in the movie The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
where Angie and Sal Boca have a sunrise breakfast.
Prior to the closing of the Delancey Street location, a back room at Ratner's was opened as a bar called "Lansky's Lounge," named after the then-deceased gangster who, according to Robert Harmatz, told the owners that he was there so often that he deserved to have his own room. The lounge has since closed as well, though another bar continues to exist in the space.
A number of products are manufactured using the Ratner's name by King Kold which owns the brand, including Blintzes & Crepes, Potato Pancakes, Veggie Pancakes, Pirogen, Matzo Balls and Soups, which are distributed wholesale to supermarkets.
The Ratner's located at 111 Second Avenue, run by Abraham Harmatz, actually surpassed the Delancey Street restaurant in popularity for many years, especially during the late 1960s and early 1970s when the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
morphed into "The East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
," and became a hip and creative Mecca. In fact Sam Jaffe
Sam Jaffe
Sam Jaffe may refer to:*Sam Jaffe , American actor*Sam Jaffe , Hollywood talent agent, studio executive and film producer...
, the longtime night manager of The Second Avenue Ratner's, worked with Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
impresario, Bill Graham, in stocking the Fillmore's mezzanine food concession with Ratner's baked goods.