Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House

Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House was a famous Jewish Delicatessen located at the intersection of 172nd Street and Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, which opened in 1954 and closed on March 30, 2008. Sporting a famous and large sign in the front, the building is designed in the 1950's "MIMO" style (Miami Modern) that much of the northern precincts of the Miami area beaches are famous for. For many years, Wolfie's carried a sign that read "The only thing that needs to come dressed is our chickens!" (meaning dining was casual, not clothing optional).

While most reviews of the restaurant were very positive, the menu prices were higher than comparable establishments in Toronto, New York and Boston. Wolfie's was known for its brisket and potato pancakes, as well as its corned beef and kosher dill pickles. Wolfie's had a very loyal Jewish clientele, including many post retirement age loyalists.

Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House was not the same as the original "Wolfie's", which was an even more famous Jewish deli in Miami Beach, also started by Wolfie Cohen, on the corner of 21st Street and Collins Avenue (closer to South Beach). That restaurant closed in 2001. Cohen also founded a third Jewish deli, Pumpernik's, at 67th Street and Collins Avenue, also now closed.

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma destroyed the original Rascal House sign and caused some damage to the building. It was repaired and reopened and the old sign was replaced with a smaller one that is lower to the ground.

Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House location is being converted to an Epicure Gourmet Market which is owned by Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House's parent company Jerry's Famous Deli which is headquartered in Studio City, California. They expect it to open by September 2008.

Food

Rascal House had the quintessential elements of a Jewish delicatessen, namely a large selection of deli soups and sandwiches (typically listed on an oversized laminated menu), a bowl of cold dill pickles and a basket of fresh breads and rolls for every table. While Rascal House's featured dish was their classic stacked corned beef sandwich, they also served Jewish home cooking, such as Matzah brei, a breakfast meal consisting of strips of matzoh cooked like scrambled eggs.

ources

[http://miami.about.com/od/restaurantreviews/gr/rascalhouse.htm One of Miami's top 10 resturants]

External links

* [http://www.epicure-market.com/rascal_home.html Epicure Market - Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House Home Page]
* [http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/474623.html Miami Herald - Death of a deli: Rascal House closing for good]