Along with 2nd Avenue Deli in New York and Rascal House in Miami Beach, Ben’s Deli of Montreal has sadly been added to the list of dying delis in North America. Ben’s opened nearly 100 years ago on the famous Montreal stretch, “the Main,” (aka Blvd. St. Laurent/St. Lawrence), and was one of the first restaurants to offer the city’s now famous smoked meat sandwiches. Most agree quality declined in the past decade, but Ben’s was a favorite among locals, tourists, and celebrities alike. Famous politicians were known to frequent the deli, including our charismatic Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and current Quebec Premier, Jean Charest, who, I am told, enjoyed Ben’s matzoh ball soup on at least one occasion. Although I’ve always preferred Schwartz’s or Snowdon Deli (and Lester’s might soon be added to my list), it is sad to see Ben’s go.

Since 1950 the restaurant has been located in a beautiful—and compared to the elbow-bashing Schwartz’s, spacious—building on de Maisonneuve in downtown Montreal, occupying an iconic corner of the city. The building is now slated for demolition, to be replaced by (you guessed it) a 28-story office building. I can stomach the closing of (some) restaurants — I understand business is business and that these things are ultimately ephemeral. But I don’t know why the streamlined building can’t be preserved and incorporated creatively into the new tower. To this affect, a group of architectural activists, nostalgic Montrealers, and foodie hipsters staged a protest yesterday outside the historic building in an attempt to prevent the building’s fast-approaching destruction. Co-organized by Art Deco Montreal and POP Montreal, the protest featured, among other musicians, local klezmer rapper sensation Socalled. His latest album Ghettoblaster features the fitting and imminently danceable track “(These Are The) Good Old Days,” and the heartstrings-pulling and Yiddish/English song “Baleboste,” particularly music to any foodie’s ears with its opening cut from a vintage LP, “She’s a baleboste. She makes flanken, flanken with kasha varneshkes, with grits. ” As places like Ben’s Deli disappear from the map, at least we have this.