No, the beloved deli “appetizing” institution, Russ & Daughters, is hardly “forgotten,” but this is also a signage and infrastructure blog, so I thought I’d point out something I found interesting at Hudson Yards, which other than spots here and there I find mostly uninteresting, with its thicket of glass high-rise towers. From its original incarnation on Houston Street, the deli has begun to expand, opening new outposts on Orchard Street, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and here at 10th Avenue and West 34th Street. I noticed its ultramodern facade, with new R & D neon logo incorporating fish, like the old logo, on the 34th Street side.
…and I was glad to see the older tradition of the original storefront on Houston had been copied on the 10th Avenue side with the name of the store in red and a pair of green fish on either side. Smoked fish treats have always been prominent in the Russ & Daughters’ bill of fare.
Polish immigrant Joel Russ opened a pickled herring shop on Orchard Street in 1914. According to Historic Restaurants and Shops of New York, Russ had an irascible, argumentative personality, not an asset in the retail/deli biz, so he put his three personable daughters to work behind the counter. The business evolved into a gourmet seafood deliacies emporium, still with a vintage 1940s neon sign on Houston Street. One of the daughters’ sons, Mark Federman, ran the enterprise until 2009, when he turned it over to his daughter, Niki, and a nephew, Josh.
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11/7/23
9 comments
Many of their items are off-limits to me because they contain salmon, and salmon is the wormiest of fish.
Just a minor correction, if I may. Russ and Daughters is not a “deli” in the classic New York Jewish culinary context, but an appetizing store. That means it concentrates on smoked fish delicacies, plus bagels, cheeses, candies, and other non-meat items (which is deli). Of course, many non-kosher delis do carry both meat and appetizing items, such as the very good Sarge’s Deli on Third Ave. and 36th St.
My own personal favorite for appetizing items is Zabar’s on the Upper West Side, but Russ and Daughters is certainly very good as well. Barney Greengrass, near Zabar’s, is another classic appetizing store.
MY favorite deli? It’s “Saul Goodman,” (as in, “It’s all good, man…”)
For more on the history of Hudson Yards, click on this link.
Has Russ and Daughters become a franchise? That I didn’t know- Is that correct?
OK, fixed.
You wrote that Russ & Daughters hase begun to “franchise and expand.” While it has certainly expanded, none of the locations are franchises. All are family owned and operated.
all right, fixed
Just as wonderful as the one on Hoston street