I took a walk on the wild side last Friday night while road tripping from L.A. to The Bay. Instead of my usual In-N-Out order, a Double-Double with grilled onions, I crammed every “secret menu” add-on I could think of in between the two delicately toasted buns. After enduring rush hour on The 405 and odious feedlots along The 5, this gal demanded some serious entertainment of the edible variety.
Before boarding our flight home to Los Angeles, The Astronomer and I lunched at Mile End Sandwich to get a taste of Noah Bernamoff and Rae Cohen’s Montreal-style Jewish comfort food. The couple, he a Montrealer and she a New Yorker, opened the original Mile End Delicatessen in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn in 2010.
This tidy storefront north of Houston serves an abbreviated menu with over a dozen different sandwiches, seasonal salads, and poutine on offer. We placed our order at the counter and the food was delivered to the table as soon as it was ready.
Mile End, by the way, is the name of Montreal’s historically working-class Jewish quarter.
The “Hot Pastrami Sandwich” ($12), hand-cut Montreal smoked meat served on Orwasher’s rye, could not have looked any more enticing.
The adorably portioned sandwich was stacked tall with thick, tender, beautifully seasoned slices of smoked meat. A touch of mustard kept the protein’s richness in check, bringing balance to the entire creation.
If you consume food and restaurant news with any regularity, then you’ve probably encountered the phrase “new Nordic movement” a dozen times over the past few years. The “movement,” which is most famously rooted in Copenhagen at Chef René Redzepi’s Noma, has made its way to the burgeoning borough of Brooklyn where Aska’s Chef Fredrik Berselius is leading the charge.
It is earthy and refined, ancient and modern, both playful and deeply serious. Instead of the new (techniques, stabilizers, ingredients), it emphasizes the old (drying, smoking, pickling, curing) with a larger goal of returning balance to the earth itself. – Julia Moskin, New York Times
For our final dinner in the big city, The Astronomer and I joined my brother and his friends at this modern Scandinavian restaurant. Located within Kinfolk Studios in Williamsburg, Aska is a pop-up of sorts serving dinner seven days a week and offering a reservations-only 6-course tasting menu ($65) Sunday through Thursday. Previously, Chef Berselius spent time in the kitchens of Corton, Seäsonal, and Freja, a similarly spirited pop-up.
Aska, by the way, is Swedish for “growth from the ashes,” according to the restaurant’s website.
Dinner began with bread service. This evening’s selection consisted of thin and crisp crackers served with a mild and creamy spread.