Carnegie Deli co-owner Parker dead at 90

NEW YORK, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Milton Parker, who owned New York's famed Carnegie Deli along with his partner Leo Steiner, has died at the age of 90, his daughter says.

Parker's daughter, Marian Levine, said her father died last week of respiratory problems in the New York borough of Queens, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Parker and Steiner purchased the Carnegie Dell in 1976 and by combining Steiner's outgoing nature and Parker's cooking skills made the Manhattan deli a popular eatery, the newspaper said.

The deli and its sandwiches, which featured meats ranging from brisket to tongue, were especially popular with visitors to New York's theater district, the Times said.

"In the history of delicatessens, Milton Parker's Carnegie Deli caused more heartburn to the Jewish world than anything I've ever heard of," comedian Freddie Roman said of Parker in an online posting this week. "His pastrami sandwich was incredibly much too large for human consumption."

The Times said Parker, who died last Friday, is survived by his wife, Mildred; his daughter, Marian; his son, Jeffrey; his brother, Irving, and a granddaughter.