Josh's Deli

There are New York delicatessens that don't go as hard as Josh's Deli. It's amazing to see thick cuts of house-cured pastrami gleaming with moisture and capped with ribbons of fat. The Angus brisket is cured for ten days, smoked, and then steamed; it evokes a smoky flavor (with a hint of sweetness) that puts it on a peppery par with great barbecue. The corned beef is that same Angus brisket, cured, braised, and sliced thick and juicy — miles apart from the pallid strips of meat that pass for an original cut nowadays. All sandwiches come on thin-sliced, seed-flecked rye spread with dazzling yellow mustard — made, like everything else, on the premises. All meats and fish are cured and/or smoked in-house. Owner Josh Marcus makes the sour pickles too, alongside wild creations such as the "Jewban," an unholy Jewish-Cuban alliance made with pastrami, Swiss cheese, pickles, and pork.