Jordan Shapiro
Google
Satisfy your pastrami cravings with a real deal, slow cooked, classic Jewish deli style sandwich.
I ordered pastrami on rye with coleslaw, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. My son ordered an egg sandwich with pastrami and Cooper Sharp on a challah roll. We were both super satisfied.
Let me celebrate the pastrami. It's deserving. This is not the gelatinous water-injected, cooked-in-a-bag grocery store deli meat that most places serve these days. It's real beef brisket--deckle and first cut--cured with garlic, black pepper and coriander. They told me it was cooked in house, and I believe them. The texture was perfect: slices that hold their shape, with melt-in-your-mouth fatty sections, and a tender bite. You can tell it's perfectly cooked because the flesh shreds between your teeth, rather than falling apart into mushy chunks and stringy stands (like it does at most places, because they overcook it).
I appreciated that my rye bread was buttered and griddle-toasted, which ensures that it retains its structural integrity, rather than tearing up into crumbs as you try to grip the sandwich firmly enough to get each oversized bite into your mouth. The challah roll was soft, pillowy, and sweet, absorbing the juices and gooey cheese.
If I have to be critical, I'd say that all the flavors could be emboldened. The pastrami could be a bit saltier, with stronger pepper and coriander notes. The Russian dressing could be a little sweeter. And the coleslaw could've used a little more vinegar. All the textures were on point, but emphasizing the sweet and sour flavors would help to cut through the insulating beef tallow and bring fireworks to my tongue's taste buds.
I plan to visit again soon. Small imperfections don't change the fact that this is the best pastrami sandwich I've had in the Philadelphia area in years (since Famous 4th Street changed ownership). The service was super friendly and the owner chatted with us while we ate. This place is a gem. I hope they grow to multiple locations because it's hard to find anything that even compares.
I'll probably try a bagel with lox or whitefish next time I go. But I'm nervous about it. I noticed ACME brand fish in the deli case, which is generally acceptable, but hardly exceptional. Still, I won't make a judgement before tasting.
Nothing special when it comes to ambiance. It's a take out place with some small cafe tables. But they were playing a Grateful Dead live show on the sound system, which gave it a good old hippie-Uncle vibe.