Rosenfeld's Jewish Deli opening Wilmington location
Patricia TaloricoThe owner of Rosenfeld's Jewish Deli has teamed with Big Fish Restaurant Group to open a new restaurant in Wilmington, and possibly Annapolis.
Warren Rosenfeld currently operates delis in Rehoboth Beach; in Ocean City, Maryland; and at the Salisbury, Maryland, airport. He will continue to operate those sites independently.
But for future restaurants, he has partnered with Eric and Norman Sugrue of Big Fish Restaurant Group, and Hank Rosenberg, current COO of hospitality of the Harrington Casino and Raceway.
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Rosenberg, whose wife and daughter work for Big Fish, got the group together for the new organization, Rosenfeld's Expansion Partners LLC.
The partners plan to open a Rosenfeld's Jewish Deli in Wilmington in about a year, according to Eric Sugrue.
"It's going to be somewhere in the Wilmington area, but we don't know where yet," Sugrue said. He did not know if they will build a new structure or renovate an existing building.
The group is aiming for a second location in Annapolis, and the partners also are looking into possibly opening more restaurants in the Washington area as well as Baltimore.
All new locations will be managed and operated by Big Fish Restaurant Group, the Rehoboth-based hospitality group know for its Big Fish Grill eateries.
Sugrue said that Rosenfeld will be "the face" of the new Wilmington restaurant that will likely be about the same size as the Rehoboth location. The New Castle County eatery also will be the prototype for possible future locations.
A message left for Warren Rosenfeld was not immediately returned.
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Sugrue said he expects to expand Rosenfeld's current menu for the Wilmington location and offer burgers and subs.
Longtime Delawareans know it has been difficult to find an authentic, New York-style Jewish deli in New Castle County that offers towering corned beef and/or pastrami sandwiches.
The last memorable ones might have been the long-gone Jack Lundy’s Deli on Miller Road and the original Gamiel Brothers Deli & Restaurant in downtown Wilmington.
Owner Warren Rosenfeld, a lawyer, founded his flagship Rosenfeld's Jewish Deli in Ocean City, in 2013. He expanded into Sussex County four years later. Rosenfeld also once had a food truck that is no longer in operation.
Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli offers sandwiches as well as half sour pickles, matzo ball soup, borscht, chopped liver, stuffed cabbage, knishes, babka and New York-style cheesecake.
The Rehoboth shop, opened year-round and roughly three times the size of the original site, is located off Del. 1, near Del. 24.
The dining area has more than 70 seats and features Al Hirschfeld-like caricatures of famous Jewish actors, comedians and athletes such as Mel Brooks, the Three Stooges, Sandy Koufax, Howard Stern and Gilda Radner.
The menu includes smoked fish platters such as lox, kippered salmon and whitefish, along with kosher hot dogs, corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, beef brisket and tongue.
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Sugrue said he has been looking for a new, smaller, fast-casual concept for his growing hospitality group and Rosenfeld's fit the bill. "Our goals aligned," he said.
Sugrue said after much research, he found that New York-style delis were popular with customers, but it was an "under-utilized concept. It started to truly intrigue me."
Big Fish Restaurant Group has greatly expanded its offerings in recent years. The organization now owns and operates 17 restaurants.
Its Wilmington locations include Mikimotos, Washington Street Ale House, Torbert Street Social Club, Harvest House, Big Fish Grill on the Wilmington Riverfront, Trolley Oyster House and Bar Roja. The group also owns the Trolley Square building housing the new Crow Bar.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 orptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico