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Rego Park Deli Names Sandwich After QueensWay

 Ben’s Best Delicatessen will officially unveil the new sandwich on Tuesday.
Rego Park Deli Names Sandwich After QueensWay
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QUEENS — A Queens deli is making a meal of the proposed QueensWay, which would transform 3.5 miles of abandoned railroad tracks into the borough's version of the High Line.

Ben’s Best, a longtime kosher deli in Rego Park known for naming its dishes and sandwiches after local politicians, stores and events, will unveil the “QueensWay Sandwich” on Tuesday, according to owner Jay Parker.

The double-decker sandwich will consist of slow-roasted turkey, Ben’s Best signature pastrami and hard salami on rye bread, Parker said. It will come with mustard and coleslaw.

“It will be piled high,” said Parker, who hasn’t yet decided how much it will cost.

“You couldn’t get your mouth around it.”

The menu at Ben’s Best Deli also includes the "Lefrak Special," "Congressman Gary Ackerman Special" and "Bed, Bath & Beyond."

“Like the QueensWay, it should be very popular,” said Parker of the new menu item. “It has something for everybody.”

Parker said he supports the proposed park, which would run from Rego Park through Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill and Ozone Park.  

“You have an unused relict of the past that’s been sitting for 50 years doing nothing,” he said.  “We can repurpose this.”

The sandwich will be unveiled along with a new Queens restaurant guide showcasing 31 ethnic and longtime eateries located near the proposed park.

According to Marc Matsil, the state's director for the Trust for Public Land, which has worked on the project with the Friends of the QueensWay, more than 100 ethnic groups live in the neighborhoods around the proposed park.

“The QueensWay Eats map really showcases that diversity through 31 different restaurants and venues of different ethnicities within a mile of the QueensWay,” Matsil said.

The folding map, which will also be available online, will include eateries such as Knish Nosh in Rego Park, Mamita’s Ices in Ozone Park, Little Guyana Bake Shop and Trini Delite in Richmond Hill, Hetman Polish Deli and Foods in Woodhaven and Eddie's Sweet Shop in Forest Hills.

The proposed QueensWay would provide bicycle and pedestrian paths along the 3.5-mile stretch of the abandoned railway, which closed in 1962.

The park would also feature recreation centers and cultural facilities.

It would cost about $120 million to build the green space, according to a study released last year.

So far supporters have been able to collect close to $3 million, Matsil said.

The project faces opposition from groups like the Rockaway Transit Coalition, which wants to reactivate the train service.

The new sandwich and restaurant guide will be unveiled on Tuesday, May 19 at 11 a.m. at Ben’s Best Deli at 96-40 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park.