Pizza, Pastrami, And Oysters, Not Served Together

Killian Fox in The Guardian:

The 50 best things to eat in the world, and where to eat them

From cake, steak and tapas, to oysters, chicken and burgers, Killian Fox roamed the world to find the 50 best things to eat and the best places to eat them in, with a little help from professionals like Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux, Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray

[...]

14. Best place to eat: Pastrami on rye
Katz’s Deli, New York

The legendary pastrami on rye from Katz’s, New York’s oldest (and possibly shabbiest) deli, could qualify as king of all sandwiches by virtue of size alone: a whole pound of brined beef, pre-trimming, is used in each serving. The sandwich – stacks of juicy meat with mustard and pickles between slices of rye bread – is as jaw-dropping, taste-wise, as it is gobstopping. (Recall Meg Ryan’s unfaked endorsement of it in When Harry Met Sally.)

205 E Houston Street at Ludlow Street, New York, 001 212 254 2246, www.katzdeli.com

Ezra Klein:

The Guardian, in a transparent and sure-to-be-successful bid for links, rounds up the 50 best foods in the world, and tells you where to eat them. I’ve had two: California cuisine at Chez Panisse, and ravioli at Babbo. only one of those was a truly great meal (Chez Panisse). What’s omitted from this list — molecular gastronomy comes to mind — are arguably more interesting than what’s included.

Alex Massie:

And like Ezra I’ve only had two of them: the pastrami-on-rye at Katz’s deli in New York and currywurst in Berlin’s Prenzlauerberg. Each was good; each easily replicated elsewhere in their respective cities. Or at home, for that matter.

I don’t eat fish, so I don’t know about the Fish & Chips at the Wee Chippy in Anstruther. My favourite chips, however, are to be had at Leo Burdock’s in Dublin. For that matter, I’m sure that the steak at El Carpicho in Spain is pretty good, but for ordinary folk I reckon you’d be hard-pressed to beat the beef you’ll find at any one of a couple of dozen places in Buenos Aires.

I also dispute the Observer‘s assertion that the best pizza is found in New Haven, Connecticut but more importantly – and unaccountably – missing from the list: where can you find the world’s best deep-fried pizza?

Chantal Martineau at The Village Voice:

Among the world’s best are the Pat LaFrieda-sourced bacon cheeseburger at Little Owl, pastrami on rye at Katz’s, pork belly at Gramercy Tavern, and ravioli at Babbo. Oh, and the best pizza? No, not Totonno’s or DiFara’s or even Motorino. It’s at Frank Pepe Pizzeria in New Haven, Connecticut.

Ronald Holden:

Now, this is not the same newspaper that placed Seattle’s own Molly Wizenburg atop a ranking of the world’s top food blogs, so we’re inclined to be skeptical. You can’t quarrel with Parisian landmark tea-shop Ladurée for macaroons, Katz’s Deli in New York for pastrami, or  but it’s hard to believe that the world’s best pizza is at Frank Pepe’s in New Haven, Conn., or that the best roast chicken is to be had at that vastly overrated joint in Paris, l’Ami Louis.

So where’s the beef? Well, Paris again (roast beef at Louchebem) or northwest Spain for a steak (would have guessed Argentina, no?). But where, oh where, is there any mention of salmon, surely one of the world top foods? Tomato juice? No problem (in the Ferry Plaza market in San Francisco). Tacos, pork belly, sushi, olive oil, all mentioned. Oysters, too (Ireland), but no salmon, food of the soul for so many.

Advertisement