He led his parents’ appetizing store, Zabar’s, for more than 70 years, turning it into an institution synonymous with New York.
The oldest of three brothers, Mr. Zabar did not intend to go into the family business, which his parents, Louis and Lillian (Teit) Zabar, started in 1934 as the smoked-fish department of a Daitch supermarket on Broadway. Saul had visions of becoming a doctor. But when his father died in 1950 at 49, Saul left college and returned home to help out.
What did he look for in a fish? His response to The New York Sun in 2007 was worthy of a cryptic Zen master: “It’s got to have taste. Not too this, not too that.”
As for being a cultural landmark on the Upper West Side, he told a CUNY-TV interviewer in 2005: “That’s where we are. I mean, when Willie Sutton was asked why he robs banks — ‘That’s where the money is.’ We’re on the West Side because that’s where our customers are.”
Heh, I’d just recommended Zabar’s to a friend who grew up in Texas & had just moved to Queens. My only visit there was & is way memorable-- 'cause of how pricey it was. A college art class-- teacher took us to the Met & then to Zabar’s insisting we get the pastrami. The sandwich & a 7-Up was $8.00. It was 54 years ago & in today’s money that’s $64 dollars.
A good pastrami sandwich probably runs around $20-25 these days depending on where you’re buying it. Buying pastrami and making it yourself would be slightly cheaper.
Not everything at Zabar’s is excessively spendy. Their cheese counter is among the best in class at reasonable for what they sell as is their charcuterie, and the prepared foods section is well patronized. Bakery is well priced, one might go so far as to say cheaper than neighborhood alternatives.
I have sent gift baskets from Zabars to the Bay Area a couple times during the holidays. I think it’s been one of the better value gifts for mail order stuff from NYC.
Went there off and on – hey, Zabar’s – but it never hooked me. Too much prepackaged stuff in recent decades, and I had access to better versions of almost everything they offered.
