And we\u2019re still unsure of the status of the seventy-five-year-old Beverly Hills staple Nate \u2019n Al. I\u2019ll explain in a second, but here\u2019s my latest YouTube video on what this supreme deli has meant to me over the years, and what I\u2019ve gotten out of the experience, in more ways than one: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BmF4hgmmg0w<\/a>.<\/p>\n About a year ago, word started circulating in Beverly Hills and foodie circles that Nate \u2019n Al was closing. For good. So my friend and I went there after a movie matinee at the LA Jewish Film Festival because that event made him crave chicken soup and a knish! (It was actually Cinco de Mayo, and we were on the way to a Mexican food fete, but after seeing the film about Jewish food, he made the executive decision to deli it!)<\/p>\n Karen Salkin modeling her Nate ‘n Al’s mini-bagel necklace. She was also rockin’ the colors of the Mexican flag because that day \u00a0was Cinco de Mayo. Photo by Mr. X.<\/p><\/div>\n We had heard that Nate \u2019n Al would be closing at the end of 2019, and since this was May 5, 2019, we figured we had time to pay it at least one more visit after that one. But the waiter, (who was young and quite the opposite of the usual life-long waitresses who worked there,) gave us the happy news that the eatery would just be moving to a new location around the corner! And then he made me a mini-bagel necklace to celebrate! (It\u2019s something they did for just kids, but, ya know. And I’m not saying if I still have it!)<\/p>\n So, the year went on, and then in the Fall, I told a very dear older woman friend of ours that Mr. X and I would take her to the original before it moved. Places like that are never the same when they change spaces. It\u2019s never just the food\u2014it\u2019s also the ambiance. But guess what? She shockingly told me she\u2019d now rather go to IHOP!!!<\/p>\n So, as the end of the year approached, I kept trying to make time to pay one last visit to what I consider to be the real<\/em> Nate \u2019n Al. [Note: By the way, I, along with most of Los Angeles, have always erroneously called the place Nate \u2019n Al\u2019s. With a final \u201cs.\u201d I honestly did not know the difference until I was choosing pictures for this article! And I even had featured its exterior in the opening credits of my TV show!!! I\u2019m shocked that I missed the correct moniker for all these years! Nay\u2014decades<\/em>!]<\/p>\n What the place looked like when it first opened in 1945.<\/p><\/div>\n And then I heard that they postponed the move to this coming June. So, I figured there was no rush. And then<\/em> I heard that they were closing down entirely<\/em>, despite the new ownership consortium. I didn\u2019t know what<\/em> to believe.<\/p>\n And then, all of a sudden, in the middle of this social isolation, came word on March 28th that the deli was closing the very next day<\/em>! And, as with all eateries right now, they were open for pick-up only, anyway. You can hear my whole story about what Mr. X and I carried on in my video right here: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BmF4hgmmg0w<\/a>.<\/p>\n And, then, after all<\/em> that, despite the ownership announcing the closure on their own Instagram page, they amended their statement, blaming the media<\/em> for the incorrect \u201cclosing forever\u201d perception! (Who do they think they are, blaming the media–Trump????)<\/p>\n And more recently.<\/p><\/div>\n This is what they wrote on their website, (without any capital letters and missing a few commas): \u201cthe media has incorrectly reported that nate’n\u00a0al\u2019s is \u2018gone forever.\u2019\u00a0 as we originally stated, we couldn\u2019t fully guarantee the safety of both our customers and employees for take-out and delivery during this pandemic we have chosen to cease that service. our current lease is expiring shortly and we have encountered major difficulties with the city of beverly hills who would have been our new landlord on canon drive. it is the intention of the current ownership to get through this crisis like every other restaurant and make the right decisions at the right time. our goal is to keep the nate’n\u00a0al\u2019s tradition alive.\u201d<\/p>\n So, even though they are in great need of an editor for any future writings, there is still hope. And since nothing in this world is guaranteed at the moment, who knows that the future will bring, not only for Nate \u2019n Al, but for the entire world!<\/p>\n And let’s not forget the iconic interior.<\/p><\/div>\n So, for now, I thank Nate \u2019n Al for all the delicious meals, fun, and fabulous memories they\u2019ve given me though the years. And tell them I look forward to continuing the relationship as soon as possible, for all of us.<\/p>\n Reminder: For what they\u2019ve meant to me, with some stories I wish I had not told, here\u2019s that link to my Youtube video about them again: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BmF4hgmmg0w<\/a>.<\/p>\n Happy Trails, Nate \u2019n Al. Till we meet again.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TRIBUTE TO NATE \u2019N AL Now that passover is over, let\u2019s talk about a non-kosher deli. Actually, perhaps the best one ever. We Angelenos all knew it was coming. But we were not prepared. And we\u2019re still unsure of the status of the seventy-five-year-old Beverly Hills staple Nate \u2019n Al. I\u2019ll explain in a second,<\/p>\n![\"EPeER_6XsAIXlsE\"](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/EPeER_6XsAIXlsE.jpg\")
<\/a>We Angelenos all knew it was coming. But we were not prepared.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>