Hank and Harry’s Deli to Open on Lincoln Road

Buzzy Sklar’s Sliderz restaurant barely just took the paper off the windows and already the restaurateur has announced another restaurant in the works.

Hank and Harry’s a New York-style deli, is set to open at 1691 Michigan Ave., just around the corner from Lincoln Road, in the first quarter of 2016. 

The restaurant, named after Sklar’s grandfather, Harry Klein and his fiancee Kim Rodstein’s father, Hank Rodstein, is an homage to the two men, says Sklar. “My grandfather, for instance, ran the docks. These were true New York guys.”

The 1,200-square-foot restaurant will feature a modern/rustic vibe with a countertop fashioned from vintage wooden doors. At first, Sklar wanted the space for his Sliderz concept, but then he found it was a little too small. The restaurateur, however, was sold on the location, which is adjacent to Miami Beach’s new Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma, and decided on a New York deli.

Sklar, a New York native, wanted to deliver a taste of the food of his youth to Miami Beach, long a mecca for New York transplants.“I wanted to bring the best of the iconic Jewish and Italian delis I was raised on in Brooklyn all under one roof. This restaurant is for kind of selfish reasons. I wanted to bring all those memories for myself.

 “There’s a place in Sheepshead Bay [Brooklyn] called Jimmy’s Heroes that I used to walk to. They had this great Italian hero with gabbagool and oil and vinegar and oregano. I miss that.”

Sklar says he’ll offer New York delicatessen favorites like made-to-order corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, homemade soups, bagels, burgers, and salads. The restaurant will also serve knishes and hot dogs for homesick New Yorkers who miss the siren song of old-time places like Katz’s Delicatessen. There will also be pickles. “We’ll have sour and half sour. We’ll bring them in by the barrel. You’ve gotta have a great deli pickle.”In addition, Hank & Harry’s will also offer Panther Coffee, as well as Dr. Brown’s sodas. 

Hank and Harry’s will also serve a small breakfast menu. “We’ll do lox, eggs, and onions and a few omelets. We’ll also do that typical New York egg sandwich on a kaiser roll. That and a Panther coffee is what I call a real breakfast.” 

Sklar says that he wants the restaurant to be a neighborhood spot for locals to come for a nosh. “I want this to be the place for people who live in Miami Beach to come for a coffee and some good food. I always want my restaurants to be about locals. If the tourists find out about it, I’m good with that, too.”