At Russ & Daughters, the city's best lox and a schmear of history - Review - New York - The Infatuation
"If you order lox from pretty much any bagel shop in New York, you’ll get a decently thin slice of slightly opaque cured salmon. It’ll be salty, savory, a little funky—all in all a pretty delicious piece of fish. But it won’t be nearly as good as anything you’d get at Russ & Daughters. At this appetizing store on the Lower East Side, they’ve been slicing salmon thin enough to read the New York Times through since 1914. And their lox—alongside a widening variety of smoked fish and salads—is both a staple of the city’s Ashkenazi Jewish community and an essential New York bite that you should line up for at least once. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Pause Unmute Breakfast at Russ & Daughters is a delicious trip through time. It’s always a little crowded with tourists and locals, all jostling for position by the front door. Take a number and expect to say “excuse me” several times to get yourself over to the drinks fridge for a Dr. Brown’s. Behind the counter, fish cutters wear white lab coats like pharmacists, measuring out precise doses of at least five different kinds of smoked salmon. The bagels themselves are a little small and unfashionably dense—we wouldn’t bother with them ordinarily. But as long as you’re getting one piled with fish, it’s worth it. Keep in mind there’s nowhere to sit (visit their Orchard Street cafe for that). Just take your sandwich, plus some babka or rugelach to go, and head to a bench in the nearby park. Somehow, the fish tastes even better with a car horn blaring in your ear. Food Rundown Classic Bagel & Lox Sandwich Your first time at Russ & Daughters? This is what you’re going to get. They use a particularly sweet cream cheese, which balances out that gorgeous lox. The fish is shinier than satin sheets, and sliced super thin. We like it with capers and red onion. photo credit: Kate Previte Super Heebster This is our favorite of the specialty sandwiches. Horseradish and dill cream cheese pair well with green, wasabi-infused tobiko: The fish eggs pop, and the whitefish and baked salmon salad are rich and smoky. Get it on a toasted bagel. Fancy Delancey Loaded with that same wasabi-infused tobiko as the Super Heebster, this one has a healthy layer of smoked tuna that’s almost purple in color. It’s not bad, but we’d stick to the classic fish: lox, whitefish, and sturgeon. photo credit: Kate Previte Pastrami Russ Layered with pastrami-cured lox, mustard, and sauerkraut, this sandwich isn’t what we come to Russ & Daughters for primarily. But once in a blue moon—like when you’re craving pastrami but the line at Katz’s looks truly ridiculous—it hits really hard. photo credit: Kate Previte Black and White Cookie For classic Jewish sweets, Russ & Daughters is a great choice. Their black and white cookies have a nice shell-like icing, which adds texture to the spongy cookie. photo credit: Kate Previte" - Will Hartman
