Food

7 Ways Lox Is Going Luxe At The Hippest Restaurants

Image by Industry Kitchen

By Michael Kaminer June 4, 2017

Lox on a bagel with a schmear? So last century. Smoked salmon isn’t just for brunch anymore, and it’s surfacing in some very fishy experiments at hip eateries. As the nouveau-deli craze continues, we’re finding lox paired with pizza, fries and — yes — even ice cream:

Lox fries at Rider, Brooklyn

Image by Rider

Here’s what might happen if a poutine converted: Crispy potato wedges, smoked salmon, lemon-based Italian salmoriglio sauce, capers and dill. And you can pretend the virtuous smoked salmon cancels out the calories in the potatoes. riderbklyn.com

Lox ice cream at Max & Mina’s, Queens

Image by health.com

Well, we do eat lox and cream cheese. Grandma Mina and Grandpa Max would kvell — we think — over Bruce and Mark Becker’s insane frozen-dairy emporium, where salmon-tinged ice cream is actually one of the tamer flavors. maxandminasicecream.com

Lox rice bowl at Shalom Japan, Brooklyn

Image by Becoming Brooklyn

At our favorite Jewpanese fusion spot, this lush bowl mashes up brunchy decadence and sushi-bar discipline. Rice, avocado, cucumber, Japanese pickle and fried egg give it a riot of tastes and textures. shalomjapannyc.com

Smoked salmon pizza at Industry Kitchen (Manhattan)

Image by Industry Kitchen

You won’t find this at Domino’s — or even at the kosher pizza joints fighting it out in Brooklyn: This pie’s smothered in nova smoked salmon, cream cheese, crème frâiche, red onion, dill and crispy capers. industry-kitchen.com

Beet-cured lox at Black Seed, Manhattan and other locations

Image by Courtesy of Epicurious

If borscht and lox had a baby, it might look something like the irresistible scarlet-hued salmon at Noah Bernamoff’s hip bagel emporium. It’s to-die on a soft-inside, crunchy-outside everything bagel with a schmear. blackseedbagels.com

Salmon pastrami at the Black Cat, San Francisco

Image by Open Table

Flexitarians, rejoice. You can enjoy the sublime zing of pastrami without the meat, thanks to chef Ryan Cantwell, who rubs and marinates fatty salmon with the same love Katz’s gives to beef. He finishes his deli-worthy plate with sour cream, shallots, radishes and dill. (It’s off the menu for now, but stay tuned.) blackcatsf.com

Loxness Knotster at Gristmill, Brooklyn

Image by Gristmill

How do you make a garlic knot — those dense, bready pizzeria snacks — even more decadent? Schmear up house-made everything garlic knots with smoked salmon, cream cheese, ricotta and dill, as young chef Jake Novick-Finder does at his Brooklyn hotspot. gristmillbk.com

Michael Kaminer is a contributing editor at the Forward. Contact him at [email protected].

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