Welcome to Junior's! Remembering Brooklyn With Recipes and Memories from Its Favorite Restaurant [Hardcover]

Marvin & Walter Rosen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 20, 1999

Welcome to Junior's! is a nostalgic tour of Brooklyn from the 1930s to the 1990s with reminiscences and recipes from the legendary restaurant renowned for its rich and creamy cheesecake. Junior's holds a special place in Brooklyn, also home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Coney Island, and the Brooklyn Bridge. As well as a decade-by-decade history of the golden age of Brooklyn with wonderful photographs from the past fifty years, scattered throughout are memories and stories of how Junior's grew from its modest beginnings to its success today.

From the very first day Junior's opened its doors in 1950 on the corner of DeKalb and Flatbush Avenue Extension in downtown Brooklyn, three generations of the Rosen family have worked hand in hand to build their restaurant into one of the most popular eateries in the borough today. First Harry Rosen, then his sons, Marvin and Walter, and now his grandsons, Kevin and Alan, have worked tirelessly to create and continue a famous Brooklyn neighborhood tradition -- a family restaurant that commands loyalty from its customers, and one to which they return day after day.

Going to junior's is an event. It is a place that has become a home-away-from-home for Brooklynites over the years and is a popular destination for people from the entire New York metropolitan area. Today, just as on the day it opened, Junior's remains a quintessential Brooklyn phenomenon. It even looks remarkably like it did in the fifties -- bright orange booths that seat nearly four hundred, a glistening counter surrounded with diners, a busy soda fountain, and, of course, the bakery, brimming with all kinds of cheesecakes, homemade pies, towering layer cakes, and buttery pastries. Not only does Junior's stand for the best of ethnic, down-home fare but it also serves the best cheesecake in New York -- at the last count over four million slices each year.

Welcome to Junior's! is not only a memory book to treasure but a cookbook with over one hundred favorite recipes. From Junior's signature cornbread, matzoh ball soup, crisp fried chicken, cheese blintzes, and baked stuffed shrimp to its legendary desserts -- Junior's famous #1 pure cream cheesecake, lemon meringue pie, strawberry shortcake, chocolate fudge layer cake, and ice-cream sundaes -- these recipes allow you to re-create a small slice of Junior's right in your own home kitchen.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Baking quite possibly the best cheesecakes in the universe, Junior's Restaurant is a legend in its own right. Located in downtown Brooklyn, this home away from home has been wooing New Yorkers since it first opened its doors on Election Day, 1950. Three generations of the Rosen family have served up not only cheesecakes, but also a wealth of other diner delicacies, from Brisket Melt to out-of-this-world ice-cream sodas. Written by the sons of founder Harry Rosen, Welcome to Junior's combines slices of Brooklyn's history and culture with fascinating stories, and, thankfully for us, more than 100 recipes, including 7 for cheesecake. Of course, the real cheesecake recipes are a closely guarded secret, but the Rosens share a similar blueprint with us that ensures "you'll soon be experiencing the taste of ecstasy." There are no soggy graham-cracker bases here--just a lovely layer of light sponge-cake, which can be prepared in the home kitchen in five simple steps. Then, a bounty of cheesecake toppings are yours, including fresh blueberries, juicy pineapple, decadent chocolate swirl, and even pumpkin. Lest we forget what else Junior's has to offer, the Rosens share recipes for, among others, Baked Meat Loaf with Mushroom Sauce, French Fried Onion Rings, even Matzoh Ball Soup.

Junior's is much more than a diner; it is an experience, an urban retreat where good old-fashioned service still exists, where fantastic food is a guarantee, and where regulars and newcomers are all welcome. If you can't make it there in person, let Welcome to Junior's transport you there with words. --Naomi Gesinger

From Publishers Weekly

Since it opened its door on Election Day 1950, Junior's has been a Brooklyn landmark: a place where politicians and performers eat comfortably alongside teachers and taxi drivers. In this book of New York diner recipes, founder Harry Rosen's sons, Marvin and Walter, team up with author Allen to provide a chatty cookbook/cultural history of the business and its neighborhood. In chapters arranged by decade, from the 1930s to the 1990s, the book maps how the 1929 Enduro Sandwich Shop, which catered to vaudeville and moviegoers during the Depression and to the Brooklyn Navy Yard's 70,000 workers during WWII, evolved into the family-style restaurant that sells about 7000 of its famous cheesecakes a week. Today, Junior's menu reflects the cultural diversity of Brooklyn. From the 1930s are recipes for the standard Matzoh Ball Soup and Chocolate Egg Cream. In the 1950s, the restaurant introduced Old-Fashioned French Toast, made with Challah bread soaked in eggs and sugar for 15 minutes. The 1960s was marked by such selections as the rich Homemade Chili and Big Meatballs with Spaghetti. The desserts stand out; highlights include recipes for Junior's famous, Jewish-style cheesecakes (of the eight included, Junior's Famous No. 1 Pure Cream Cheesecake stands out). Home cooks looking to bring Brooklyn comfort food to the table will enjoy taking this nostalgic tourAand the book's handsome packaging, featuring b&w photos and orange lettering and highlights that reflect Junior's famed orange booths, adds to the pleasure.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1st edition (January 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688159001
• ISBN-13: 978-0688159009
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 1.1 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure January 27, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I bought this book several months ago and have used it off and on ever since. Junior's makes those common, simple recipes taste so much better than one might be used to. Standouts for me so far include chocolate chip cookies, brownies, Buffalo wings, and, oddly, the fried chicken! The dipping batter recipe is simply outstanding for frying. It beats the pants off of the traditional flour->buttermilk or egg->cornflakes routine.

I'm finally just getting around to making the cheescake (tonight) and am sure that I will not be disappointed.

Get this book for a slice of fine Americana...

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it for Fun, Read it for Recipes October 16, 2001

By J Keistler TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've never been to Brooklyn and was unfamiliar with Junior's until I bought this book through Amazon.

First, I'd like to complement the designer of the book. It's colorful, well organized and fun to read! Too often, cookbooks designed with 'style' become either hard to read or hard to find recipes within. This book has balance.

I didn't buy this book to cook from, I was more interested in the history of the restaurant. The story, beginning with Enduro in the pre-war years, is beautifully written and a joy to read. I've passed it around to several friends who enjoyed it as much as I have.

I've tried a number of the recipes and they are good, though not truly exceptional. I didn't find this surprising, as often restaurant recipes don't translate well to home cooking. Also, we can't discount the value of restaurant atmosphere. I'm certain an institution like Junior's can enhance a simple glass of milk with atmosphere!

And, no, the cheesecake recipe given in the book didn't impress me. I read in another review that this isn't the same as the one at the restaurant and I can believe that. It simply isn't anything special.

Regardless, this is a fun book, full of nostalgic good feelings, and I'm glad I bought it. Certainly, should I get up to Brooklyn, this restaurant will be one of my first stops!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars recipes that really deliver! June 25, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I recently made the Strawberry Cheesecake, and it was out of this world--best I've ever had. I find the directions to almost all the recipes very clear and easy to follow. The extra-big Tea Biscuits are fabulous, and the recipe for the Vienna Rolls alone is worth the cost of the book. (By the way, the rolls call for malted milk powder, which can be purchased from the King Arthur Catalogue. If you're not familiar with this catalogue, go to their web site; you'll love it.) Our family also enjoyed the Spaghetti with Big Meatballs and Mac and Cheese Pie. If you're looking for big flavor with an emphasis on comfort foods, this book delivers. I'm looking forward to making the Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake for my next birthday. This is one of my favorite cookbooks.