Lawsuit: Carnegie Deli Owner's Husband Gave Mistress Sweetheart Deal On Apartment

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The manager of New York's iconic Carnegie Deli had a side dish that wasn't on the menu, a salacious lawsuit filed by his wife -- the restaurant's owner -- alleges.

The suit alleges that Sanford "Sandy" Levine was having an extramarital affair for 15 years with a woman who lived in an apartment above the famed Midtown restaurant. The lawsuit was filed by Levine's allegedly scorned wife, Marian, the daughter of the Carnegie's late founder, and her company, 854 Carnegie Real Estate Corp.

Marian Levine alleges in the lawsuit that her husband gave the woman a 15-year lease on her apartment for $975 a month when the market rate would be as high as $3,000.

She is suing both Sandy Levine, 71, and his alleged mistress, Penkae Siricharoen, and is seeking back rent and the woman's eviction.

The Levines were the subject of a reality TV show called "Family Pickle" that aired on Retirement Living in 2011.

The 76-year-old Carnegie Deli is known for its overstuffed pastrami and corned beef sandwiches and has been visited by celebrities such as Woody Allen, Henny Youngman and President Barack Obama.

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