NYC’s Best Pastrami and All the Weekly Dish
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Image by Courtesy of Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co.
The original Ida and Harry (Pops) circa 1960.
The august has weighed in on where to get New York City’s best pastrami sandwiches.
The roll call will sound familiar to Forward readers, with 2nd Avenue Deli, Katz’s, Pastrami Queen and Ben’s Best heading up the list. Organic butcher shop Dickson’s Farmstand Meats and nouveau-deli extraordinaire Harry & Ida’s also make the cut.
Bad News; Good News
This Sephardic eatery in Madison, Wisconsin, has shuttered — for now — after a landlord dispute.
First, the bad news: We’ve got a couple of closings to report this week, including Albuquerque’s beleaguered Nosh Deli.
A refrigeration breakdown was the last straw for owner Alisa Turtletaub-Young, who had also endured anti-Semitic graffiti at her 2 ½-year-old establishment.
Add an “o” for our next closure. Noosh, an acclaimed Sephardic eatery in Madison, Wisconsin, has shuttered after a landlord dispute.
Owner Laila Borokhim tells Madison.com that she will reopen in a new location. “It’s just a matter of when,” she says.
Now the good news: Two newish Jewish-y spots are becoming serious hotspots.
Latke Love, a “modern deli” in Littleton, Colorado, has been killing it with plates like the Oy Vey Caliente — spicy vegetarian or pork green chilé, cheddar cheese, fried egg — and the Rabbi, I’m Confused, with smoked pulled pork, Carolina BBQ sauce and pickled red onion. They also make straight-up latkes.
“I like having people being pleasantly surprised,” owner Dina Shander tells The Littleton Independent.
In Venice, California, Jewish deli Gjusta is a hit with hipsters, reports The Boston Globe.
“There is standard deli fare here such as pickled herring, salmon collar and Reuben sandwiches, but you can also order a slice of tahini jam loaf, buckwheat and banana bread and chocolate-avocado mousse,” The Globe says.
The Cost of Kosher
They’re calling it the “Kosher Chicken Index.” Two UK consultants are claiming that a kosher lifestyle adds £13,000 — or about $14,200 — to one’s cost of living. Food, synagogue memberships and education costs all contribute to the difference, The Telegraph reports.
Israel, meanwhile, is spending $770 million a year to keep itself kosher, according to Newsweek. A report by the finance ministry claims the cost of kosher slaughter and having kosher supervisors at supermarkets help ratchet up that figure.
Michael Kaminer is a contributing editor at the Forward.
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