This Hudson Valley Deli Turns Into a Concert Venue After Dark

Have you ever seen a concert at an Italian deli? You really should.

Recently I found out that one of my all-time favorite bands was reuniting for a rare concert. Better yet, this once-in-a-lifetime event would be happening right here in the Hudson Valley.

The band is Too Much Joy. They had some hits on the college charts in the 1990s. Thirty years later, I still play all of their albums on heavy rotation on my iPhone. They reunited for a rare reunion show a decade ago but I was unable to attend, so this time I vowed to make it to the show no matter what.

A Concert at an Italian Deli?

When the concert was announced I was immediately confused. The listing said that the show was being held at an Italian Deli in Westchester County. I thought that this was a misunderstanding akin to Rudy Guiliani's infamous Four Seasons Landscaping Company press conference, but the band assured its fans that they were, indeed, playing at Carmine's Deli & Cafe in Elmsford, New York.

It turns out that Carmine's is a deli by day, but transforms into a music venue at night. This made me even more excited for the show, as I had never seen a performance at a deli before.

Carmine's Deli & Cafe & Concert Venue?

The idea of a business turning into a nightclub may seem strange here in New York, but it's actually quite common in Europe. When traveling in Ireland, I came across a hardware store in the town of Dingle that doubled as a local pub. It was quite an experience drinking a pint of Guinness while customers came in looking to replace a blown fuse.

The experience at Carmine's wasn't quite the same as that. The ticketed event began after the deli closed down to the general public, so only concertgoers were allowed inside. As I made my way into the door there was no mistaking that I was in a deli. The meat case, soda coolers and cash register were all where they should be, but against the back wall was a small stage with lights, speakers and microphones.

Food and Music Review For Carmine's in Elmsford, New York

What's nice about seeing a show at a deli is that they also serve food. I ordered chicken parmesan with penne pasta from a surprisingly eclectic menu and a pint of Goose Island IPA. The food was good enough, but nothing special. I should probably have opted for something more traditionally "deli" like the cheesesteak sandwich that the person next to me seemed to really enjoy. I was looking forward to trying out the mint chocolate brownie for dessert, but the extremely small staff was having a tough time keeping up with everyone's orders. I would also suggest ordering a pre-packaged beverage, as the tap beer tasted like the lines had not been cleaned in quite some time.

After switching over to a bottle of soda, the lights went down and the show began. With the speakers blaring and the spotlights shining, the fact that I was sitting in a deli didn't seem so strange after all. There were some hiccups with the sound during the first few songs, but that's something you should probably expect at a deli concert (or from a band that unapologetically admits that they did not rehearse at all for the show).

An exuberant man who appeared to be the deli owner transitioned from tending to customers to singing a passionate U2 cover with the opening act (the reason I probably didn't get a chance to order that brownie). While he was obviously having the time of his life, his constant dancing around and jumping on the stage during the headlining act was a bit distracting at first. But his energy only wound up adding to the wild vibe of this strange music venue.

By the end of the night, everyone was on their feet and singing along with the band oblivious to the fact that we were all watching the show in a freaking deli. A sign on the wall of Carmine's says "Food and music bring people together". If that's the deli's goal, they certainly succeeded, as everyone appeared to have the time of their life on a Thursday night in Elmsford.

If you're looking for a unique night out and aren't one of those people who is going to ruin everyone's night being picky about the food, service or acoustics, I would highly recommend checking out a show at Carmine's in Elmsford. It's an experience you won't soon forget.