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The wait is over, red deli reopens Friday as Ted & Honey
Josh Guttman | June 25, 2008
Well, it’s been a long time coming. Roughly 12 months ago, the red deli abruptly closed its doors in a bizarre development that found its long-time owner, Christophe, in China and the deli in shambles. We reported on it here, here and here again. Nearly a year later, the space has been completely refurbished - new paint, new floors, new ceiling, new kitchen - and most importantly, new ownership, and is putting the final preparations in place for a grand opening this Friday!
Long-time neighborhood resident Michelle, who learned her trade at a Danny Meyer Manhattan restaurant, convinced her brother Ted, to leave his position as chef at Six Penn Kitchen in Pittsburgh and move up to the big leagues of Brooklyn. As I’ve had a bird’s eye view of the deli’s implosion and resurrection, I’m predicting great things from this bro-sis combo and I think it will have been worth the lengthy wait.
They’ve definitely gone upscale in both menu and preparation from previous ownership, though thankfully, prices have remained reasonable. They are sourcing almost all the food from local farmers and purveyors, including a special custom blend of d’Amico coffee and ice cream from Blue Marble. Ted prides himself on making everything in-house, right down to the mayonnaise. You’ll notice his herb plants sitting in front of the deli during the day. The space was designed by a team of artists, led by Michelle’s husband’s marketing firm. Along with coffee, espresso, snacks and sandwiches, they are adding a full breakfast menu and a weekly take-home dinner menu that offers a different dish each night. Some highlights from the dinner menu include smoked chicken jambalaya and lamb bolognese pappardelle. The breakfast menu is also stepped up, now including an assortment of crostinis (a nod to the neighborhood’s Italian heritage), breakfast wraps (including one made with grits, cheddar, ham and eggs) and rhubarb strawberry cream cupcakes - yum! They also plan to have seasonal soups and lots of goodies for kids. They’re making a real effort to keep the place eco-friendly, with low impact biodegradable cups, plates and utensils. While they lean free range/organic, Ted believes “locality and carbon footprint are as important as organic designation. Everything we prepare is artisinal in nature and made with a lot of love.” If Ted and Michelle deliver on their vision for Ted & Honey, I think that love will be returned many times over.
Comments
16 Comments so far
6 comments for Clover Club and none for the red deli? Come on people!! Waddya think?
I went on Saturday and I know it was their first day, but the place was a mess. The cashier girl clearly hadn’t been trained on the till, she rang up different prices twice, charged the guy in front of us $3.25 for a small bottle of water (the menu listed the most expensive drink as $3), made the wrong sandwich for my gf, and forgot mine after all was said and done. And, when I went back to ask about the forgotten sandwich, the entire staff was different! Who has 2 shifts on the opening?!?! My advice is that if you’re going to open like that, don’t even open at all. Let’s hope they get their act together and train their staff because that was unbelievable.
Glad to see a eco-friendly mentality from the new owners! If they are making a majority of their food from scratch, it will be well worth any growing pains they might have.
The red deli was gross.
opening a regular restaurant, coupled with the integrity of the owners, is a challenge. I hope we will all honor the quality of the food and the attitude of the staff. Patience with the operation is always the best policy when a new extreme success is being tested. Best of luck and i look forward to enjoy many wonderful meals with Ted & Honey.
I ate there today and my caprese sandwich was delicious, hot and melty and yummy! The service was fine as well. It is a nice place. I will go back.
My experience with Ted and Honey was less than pleasant. The OWNER didn’t seem to know the menue and had at least half a dozen fumbles while taking the orders of the group of five ahead of me. Seriously, I waited over ten minutes to order. I should have realized then that leaving would have been best. Then I ordered an egg breakfast sandwich to go. It took over 20 minutes to receive. The owner who was working the register, was also rude to me about my dog which was waiting outside with my boyfriend because the dog made a few audible whines. Well I was whining on the inside at having to wait so long for what was essentially and egg and cheese on a roll.
The food was good, albeit too messy. I’ll try again in a month or two and, wow, if they don’t have their act down by then - never again.
Give them time
Ted and Honey, is so cute, i am a huge fan, i love their menu
They have the perfect neighborhood location but, like most new places, in cobble hill, insist on a limited and pricey menu. I own a restaurant down the block from city hall (manhattan rent) and for $3.50 more than i paid for a ham sandwich here you get table service, linen, bathroom, television, music, fries and a pickle. Also you receive your food in less time than i did here. What is it about this neighborhood that people are afraid to open an old-fashioned deli with boar’s head products, good salads, news papers, chips, regular coffee…etc…etc…There is not one thing on the shelves of this store that I would think I needed/wanted before I left my house. While I wish them the best of luck I will continue to walk to the Brooklyn Heights Deli on State and Henry. Different concept, sure but one that i get. Not one that caters to stay at home folks, looking to diversify their lunch.
i prefer to call Ted and Honey the Hate Cafe because they are so bold as to call their southern sandwich “the redneck”. what is up with that racial slur??????!!!!!
I mean they might as well call their cuban “the spic”.
We don’t need any more haters in 11201.
peace up bro.
Sam
Well, I finally made it to Ted & Honey’s last weekend, despite the hate on this blog. If I had bothered to listen to such negative, uptight people I might have stayed away. I am thrilled to report that I had a terrific experience. Not only was the food delicious, their set-up is adorable and their customer service was excellent. I will return on a regular basis, even though it is not that close to my apartment. For those that are interested, I had the BLT and it was fantastic! Ignore the haters, you’ll enjoy life so much more.
The person who took offense to ‘redneck’ named sandwich made me laugh! Dude, lighten up - the 80’s are over, don’t need to be so p.c. sensitive. Do they have a confederate flag in the window?
I love this place. What a great job they’re doing. I grew up in “redneck” country and lived there most of my life. I don’t take offense to the name of their excellent grits-loaded breakfast wrap so y’all northerners (Sam) ought to lighten up about it and develop a sense of humor. Gets you through the tough times like nobody’s business.
I’m new to this site - seems like some great content and commentary. But many of the articles don’t seem to give info (street locations, web addresses, etc.) as to where these places/things/happenings are in our ‘hood. Can someone tell me where this place is exactly?
The red deli is on the corner of Verandah/Clinton. It’s a bit of a mainstay in the neighborhood. If you click through to the previous articles on the topic (cited in the story), it mentions the location.
Wow Sam… ever hear of a Po’ boy? Ya know, from Louisiana. Bet you could find lots of problems with that name. Maybe you should visit New Orleans and tell them how to be more sensitive over a box of Kleenex