When it Comes to Comfort Food, Junior's Takes the Cake

On this episode of The Main Course, Host Barbara Castiglia talked
with Alan Rosen, Owner, Junior’s Cheesecake, the New York
heritage brand since its opening on election day in 1950.
Junior’s Cheesecake is a third-generation, small-business, and
Brooklyn landmark. While best known for its light and
super-creamy cheesecake, Junior’s also offers a full
“diner-style” menu inclusive of sandwiches, soups, salads,
steaks, seafood dishes–all with a side order of nostalgia and
comfort. Castiglia and Rosen talked about Junior’s, surviving
COVID-19 and his plans for the brand and restaurant moving
forward.


“We have everything from matzo ball soup and corned beef and
pastrami and brisket and roast turkey, to barbeque ribs and
chicken." -Alan Rosen


Rosen is the third generation to own Junior’s, with the
restaurant opened by his grandfather, father, and uncle. While
their goal was to have moderately priced comfort food, they also
wanted to have the best cheesecake. They put in a lot of research
to make it happen, going to different restaurants to taste test.
The original owners then went into their kitchen to make it
happen. But, they also serve comfort food dishes.


“We have everything from matzo ball soup and corned beef and
pastrami and brisket and roast turkey, to barbeque ribs and
chicken,” Rosen said. “You can get a piece of broiled salmon if
you’d like. You can get chicken parmesan at dinner.”


For Rosen, he can always go for a Reuben, with the combination of
grilled cheese, corned beef, and grilled sauerkraut. He also goes
for matzo ball soup quite often. He also likes a simple turkey
sandwich on rye with lettuce, tomato, and homemade Russian
dressing.


The COVID-19 pandemic hit Junior’s just like all other
restaurants. Rosen was in Brooklyn when the news of the closures
hit. They went into triage mode, emptying all refrigerators,
cutting down all the meat to consumer size, and allowing their
employees to get a bag of items.


While the pandemic forced them to do takeout and bakery, overall,
the restaurant hasn’t changed in almost 71 years.