PASTRAMI in New York: High Street on Hudson

SADLY, HIGH STREET ON HUDSON IS NOW CLOSED.

High Street on Hudson is one of the hottest new restaurant openings of the year. It’s the work of Chef Eli Kulp, who has had success with High Street on Market in Philadelphia. He has brought his bakery and restaurant concept to the West Village and the crowds have cheered.

I’ve now stopped by twice for a late lunch and have been seduced by the open kitchen, the bowls of seasonal vegetable dishes, and a very tempting pastry counter.

But both times, it was the menu of sandwiches that I took advantage of. I first tried their decent take on a cold turkey sandwich, with a creamy Green Goddess dressing and fresh herbs. It was good, but not as game-changing as the ones at Court Street Grocers or Parm.

On my second visit, I was on a mission to check out the pastrami on rye. Of course, pastrami (with or without corned beef) is a direct fit into the purposes of this blog. I wanted to see how a big-time chef from Philadelphia does with a New York classic.

I should start with the positives. The thick cut rye bread here is excellent. Bread and grains are certainly the focus of the restaurant and this sandwich proved that. Unfortunately the meat between the bread was not quite as special.

The pastrami was cut thick and had a nice fattiness to it. I actually thought it had a bit too much fat and it made for a chewy, slightly tough bite. There was also not much of a smoky flavor, with the garlic and pepper being the main focus.

To round out the $18 sandwich, there was some tangy cole slaw and the mildest hint of Russian dressing. In my opinion, they should have gone full-on reuben and added some swiss cheese. Also, a pickle would have been a better touch than the bland beet-pickled egg on the side.

Perhaps I’m a smoked meat snob, but pastrami doesn’t seem to be the thing to order at this bright, lively lunch spot. Unless you think that the bread (which is truly excellent here) is the best part of a pastrami sandwich. And if that’s the case, we should probably have a talk.

Does Hudson on High Street have the best pastrami in NYC? They clearly make it themselves, but the extra fattiness and lack of smoke make it fall a bit short. However, the amazing rye bread keeps it from getting less than a 6 out of 10.