Maison David in Paris is "more on par with Dean & Deluca than it is Carnegie Deli," says David Sax of the gourmet food shop.
Photo courtesy of Christopher Farber
Food writer David Sax knows a thing or two about pastrami and rye. He spent three years in search of Jewish delicatessens, compiling a list of the best ones for his new book, Save the Deli, on bookstore shelves now (the launch party is tonight, actually, at Ben's Kosher Delicatessen in New York). So who better to give us a sneak peak of some of the best destination delis abroad than Sax himself?
While cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Montreal will always be great places to find a Jewish delicatessen, he says, great delis aren't limited to North America's shores. Below, find Sax's picks for delis outside of this continent's borders, because you may just have a hankering for mustard-slathered meats abroad.
Hoffy's Delicatessen (Antwerp, Belgium): This strictly kosher deli caters to the Orthodox Jews of the diamond district, but the Hoffman brothers excel with gourmet interpretations of Yiddish classics, including a tasting plate with tapas-sized portions of apple kugel, gefilte fish, smoked veal, and eggplant salad accompanied by fluffy challah rolls. It looks like something you'd get at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Chez Gilles (Brussels, Belgium): Philippe Starck ghost chairs, hand-painted frescoes, and gilded moulding don't scream Katz's; this is a deli with refined European elegance. The pastrami, smoked by Gilles Bentisi himself and shaved paper thin, is best appreciated with a basket of onion buns and wine-scented mustard. And a glass of Chardonnay, perhaps.
21 rue de la Clinique, B-1070 Brussels. Tel: (322) 522-1828.
Maison David (Paris, France): Less deli and more of
tiny-butcher-shop-meets-Willy-Wonka's-factory, master charcutier and
chef Michel Kalifa takes Yiddish classics and imbues them with the
highest standards of French gastronomy. That means chopped liver
spiked with foie gras, salamis made with duck fat and hazelnuts, and a
salmon caviar spread to die for. Stand, talk, and eat for hours with
this master of Le Marais, the fabled Jewish Quarter.
6 rue des Ecouffes, 75004 Paris. Tel: (014) 278-1576
B&K Salt Beef Bar (London, UK): In England, they call corned beef salt beef, and here it sits in a low salt cure in wooden barrels for over two weeks so that it's mellow, tender, and delectable. It's then boiled until it falls apart and cut into thick slices by hand. So, too, is the pickled tongue, among the best anywhere. The chopped liver, tossed with sliced shallots and boiled egg, is heavenly.
11 Lanson House, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, London, HA8 6NL. Tel: 0871 3328421
Alef (Krakow, Poland): Here in the former heart of Jewish Europe, there are many tourist restaurants selling a sort of faux retro Judaica (some tastefully, others not). Alef is one of the better ones, with kreplach neatly folded like little empanadas in an onion-heavy chicken broth, and a goose terrine that is like a gamey meatloaf, served with creamy horseradish sauce.
Julia Bainbridge contributed to this report.
6 rue des Ecouffes, 75004 Paris. Tel: (014) 278-1576
B&K Salt Beef Bar (London, UK): In England, they call corned beef salt beef, and here it sits in a low salt cure in wooden barrels for over two weeks so that it's mellow, tender, and delectable. It's then boiled until it falls apart and cut into thick slices by hand. So, too, is the pickled tongue, among the best anywhere. The chopped liver, tossed with sliced shallots and boiled egg, is heavenly.
11 Lanson House, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, London, HA8 6NL. Tel: 0871 3328421
Alef (Krakow, Poland): Here in the former heart of Jewish Europe, there are many tourist restaurants selling a sort of faux retro Judaica (some tastefully, others not). Alef is one of the better ones, with kreplach neatly folded like little empanadas in an onion-heavy chicken broth, and a goose terrine that is like a gamey meatloaf, served with creamy horseradish sauce.
Julia Bainbridge contributed to this report.
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