Katz's Deli on Manhattan's Lower East Side (New York) has been serving its corned beef for more than 132 years. It makes sense that this legendary establishment has become a benchmark of quality that everyone tries to emulate. We have attempted to map out how our local restaurants are performing in our pastrami test.
Not much has changed in the production of pastrami, corned beef, or brisket since 1888, and that's the magic of the whole operation. Tradition is maintained; there is no rush, the meat is not spiked with water or other flavor elixirs, and the established procedures are followed. These include marinating the meat in brine for three weeks, enveloping the whole piece in spices, and smoking it slowly at a low temperature for three days. The final cooking in water takes three hours, and the meat should be steamed before serving.
Then all that remains is to cut the meat into thick slices, put it in rye bread (something like our Šumava) and add mustard. To complete the experience, you need to add a pickle. And watch out! The sandwich with cheese, cabbage, and Russian dressing is not a pastrami sandwich but a Reuben.
The jury of our top chefs had an easy job this time. Meat between two slices of bread with various extras that mostly had nothing to do there. So the pastrami sandwich test didn't really take place—it was mostly a strange variation. The quality and taste of the meat were high in some samples, but the rating was knocked down by the impression of the bread. Our inquiries into how long the vendors were marinating the meat and how they went about the production process came up empty. The staff was either completely uninformed or unwilling to tell us. It even looked like they were keeping something from us. In any case, we were looking forward to a tower of thick slices of pink beef. The reality was different, though; you'd be embarrassed to give most sandwiches to your kids for a school lunch.
Pastrami is a popular product; you can buy it in our market without much trouble, but we just can't do it in bread. So it might be better if they were sold in whole sets that the customer could finish at home. Katz's Deli does it that way, and no one sees a problem. If you feel like making your own creations, don't worry. The meat may be sliced ridiculously thin, but the quality will not offend.
Deli Bistro Butky, Kantýna - Butcher Shop, Lahůdkářství Sváček, Masna Kozí, Meat Vandals, Řeznictví Naše Maso.
What we actually evaluated: the flavor profile of the meat, the texture of the meat, the balance of spices, the texture of the bread, and the overall impression. Each product could receive a maximum of 250 points.
BUTCHERY - OUR MEAT
Impression:
No surprise, a pastrami sandwich that did not disappoint our expectations. Lightly cured and flavorful meat marinated for two weeks in brine, perfect Eska bread, and a bit of mayonnaise that had no business being there. The reasonable ratio of meat to the height of a slice of bread may not reach the original heights, but it's still a decent portion.
Price:
220 CZK, full menu HERE. Detailed pictures including scores in the gallery below the article.
DELICATESSEN SVÁČEK
Impression:
Among the many cheeses and global delicacies, the well-known shop also offers a pre-prepared and foil-wrapped pastrami sandwich. One sniff and it's clear at first glance that this is an honest-to-goodness butchery. The flavor is very good, with perfect meat texture, sour pickle, mustard, and moist bread. This is also the reason why this sandwich didn't get more points and become the absolute winner of the test. If they work on the packaging and the pastry supplier, this will be the best pastrami sandwich in Prague, and we will be happy to come back.
Price:
99 CZK, full menu HERE. Detailed pictures including scores in the gallery below the article.
MEAT VANDALS
Impression:
Well-seasoned and seasoned meat that has been marinated in brine for a week. The hamburger bun with mustard mayo is tasty, but neither has much to do with the pastrami sandwich. The meat was light, the overall impression wasn't bad, but calling it "Classic" is a bit of a stretch. The combination with sauerkraut kind of evokes the legendary night stands on Wenceslas Square. So, if you want to get "naughty," we recommend it. But a pastrami sandwich it is not.
Price:
195 CZK, full menu HERE. Detailed pictures including scores in the gallery below the article.
GOAT MEAT
Impression:
A beautiful meat shop with a warm buffet is definitely worth a visit. Its operator is one of the biggest meat and sausage traders in our country. It is all the more disappointing that the presented sandwich lacks the main thing: pastrami meat. What there is plenty of, however, is a nice portion of beautifully red bresaola in a delicious hamburger bun from the bakery next door. The overall impression wasn't bad, and in any case, it's worth a taste. But the name of the sandwich definitely needs to be rewritten.
Price:
105 CZK, full menu HERE. Detailed pictures including scores in the gallery below the article.
DELI BISTRO BUTKY
Impression:
This small bistro takes care of the meat with the care of a proper farmer, and it tastes like it. Pastrami marinated for a week, smoked, and steamed. All of this, however, is cruelly beaten by what you get with the meat. The yeasty, untasting toasted bread from the state bakery, the failed coleslaw, the pickles, and the mustard mayonnaise completely obscure the flavor of the meat. We give the pastrami at this diner plus points, but just ask for the meat.
Price:
139 CZK, full menu HERE. Detailed pictures including scores in the gallery below the article.
CANTEEN - BUTCHER SHOP
Impression:
The biggest disappointment of the test, we definitely expected more. For some reason, the master butchers here decided that they could do a little less pastrami from the brisket than they could from the heart, so they went in that direction. Cabbage, cucumber, and beware—a whiff of truffle after a bite. The bread failed miserably, and the overall impression was disastrous. Why they don't make a classic pastrami sandwich is a mystery, and we're convinced it would have been decidedly better.
Price:
108 CZK, full menu HERE. Detailed pictures including scores in the gallery below the article.
