Pastrami King was in Brooklyn for 30 years before moving to Queens 11 years ago.

Pastrami King also does a brisk business among the politicians, lawyers and jurors from the Queens County Courthouse across the street.

Pastrami King is celebrated throughout the city for its pastrami, cured on the premises.

"You're across the street from Pastrami King," said Mayor Koch, referring to a Queens Boulevard institution.

The deli's new owners gutted Pastrami King about a year ago.

And until its recent renovations, many of the restaurant's regular customers avoided eating at Pastrami King.

He did not want people to think that he was taking part in the illegal activities that he suspected were being hatched at Pastrami King.

Pastrami King is still there, but Poor Nick's is not.

Pastrami King was famous for its rich, garlicky pastrami, made according to a Romanian recipe.

At the time of my visit (three and a half weeks after the opening), service, like the Pastrami King itself, was still in a shakedown period.