Auctioning off Ratners

Thats the way the blintz crumbles. Some of the last vestiges of Ratners, the kosher dairy institution that opened on the Lower East Side 100 years ago, were auctioned off Wednesday. Large soup pots were among the most popular items on display. The famed Delancey St. restaurant had been closed for two years, but reopened Dec. 14 for one last meal with Mayor Bloomberg declaring it Ratners Day. Building and restaurant owners Fred and Robert Harmatz are likely to convert the building into apartments. The Ratners signs were not up for auction and at least one is slated to go to the Jewish Museum.
Downtown Express photo by Elisabeth Robert