Behold where Julian and I had by birthday dinner: Lansky’s Old World Deli. I wanted something low-key and memorable in a steak over sizzle sort of way. We had coleslaw, pickles, baked beans, egg barley and mushrooms, and stuffed cabbage in a pool of liquid like Chef Boyardee meets duck sauce. It was awesome.
I must also have a proclivities towards the name Lansky, because one of the critical characters in my novel is named Helen Lanksy. Julian thought that’s why I picked the restaurant, but I didn’t even realize until he pointed it out.
Other important characters are: Tia Monroe, Stevie Buncher, Michael Saltz, Jake Fennel, Gary Oscars, Regina Chang, Anthony Urth, and Milton Milk. I can trace pretty much all my inspirations, except I’m not sure where Lansky came from. Maybe the UWS.
