Boerum Hill, Breakfast, Brooklyn, Brunch, Dining Out, Dinner, Lunch, TakeoutKerry Alaric CheeseboroJune 23, 2010beef, black cherry soda, Boerum Hill, bread, brisket, Brooklyn, cheese, cream soda, curd, deli, delicatessen, french fries, fries, gravy, Jewish, list, meat, Mile End, Montreal, mustard, New York Magazine, onion, poutine, pressed, Quebec, roll, Ruth Wilensky, rye, salami, sandwich, sandwiches, smoked, smoked meat, soda, turkeyComment

(Sub)Mission Accomplished

[mappress]

THERE ARE A lot of parameters that help me decide what and which places I will PHUDE next. Usually based on what "categories" i'm falling behind in, or what descriptive "holes" I need to fill. Presently, I am not only way behind in eating outside of Manhattan, but I've decided to make an effort to try as many sandwiches on New York Magazine's list of the 101 Best Sandwiches in New York, and, and I've sworn to expand my cultural cuisine appreciation.

So this morning, I gleefully realized I could tackle all three of these issues by trying out not just one, but two of MY Mag's top sandwiches, being made and served from a Jewish delicatessen in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn called Mile End.

A quick 6 train and A train ride got me to this shop within a half an hour, just short of their lunch rush, but still teeming a few customers in their small spot, including a food writer who reminded me I really should get business cards done.

They boast a sleek yet appetizing menu, including courses for breakfast and lunch/dinner, mostly based on the Jewish (by way of Montreal) staples such as bagels with lox, borscht, and matzo ball soup,as well as meats they prep, cook, and serve in-house. The also feature Montreal local offerings such as micro-brewed sodas and a dish called poutine, made up of cheese curds and brown gravy over fries.

The poutine, visually, was a sexily dressed heart attack, but I was there for the sandwiches off the NY Mag list, notably, the Smoked Meat Sandwich (#11), and the Ruth Wilensky (#5, definitely one of the best sandwich names ever!).

The Ruth Wilensky is a study of understated brilliance, with its thicker yet softer-than-most salami slices, seasoned and fatty enough that the flavors and oil, once massaged by a modicum of heat, linger nicely on the tongue, as well as the sturdy but light, aromatic onion roll. Just a hint of mustard add a touch of zing without having any residual acidity clash with the meat's inherently tasty fat.

The Smoked Meat—which I personally preferred (hence, more pictures of it)—gloated with arrogantly thick strips of smokey meat (think, pastrami), so tender that you can bite through it just using your lips. Not overly seasoned, this is a deceptively light yet filling sandwich, with its unique flavors and textures—pliant pink slabs of meat with tongue-teasing, slightly burnt edges—it needed nothing more than the reliable platform of two slices of untoasted rye bread and a "wink" of mustard to shine.

The service was very friendly (I loved my waitress, cute yet professional), and I got to get a last look at their turkey sandwich, called the Grandpa, before packing up the uneaten halves of each of my two sandwiches that I looked very forward to eating later once I was home, salivating with visions of a Mile End sandwich in my head....

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro