SADLY, ADELMAN’S KOSHER DELI IS NOW CLOSED.
Corned beef, pastrami, knishes, chopped liver, and Jewish guilt, among other things were brought to New York by Eastern European Jews. And they were the first chefs, owners, waiters, and customers at the delicatessens.
But times have changed and New York has become the melting pot of the world since the late 1800’s. And it’s a beautiful thing now that Jewish New Yorkers (the non-kosher ones, of course) eat sushi for lunch, Chinese immigrants might have a kielbasa, and a Muslim Egyptian named Mohamed Salem now owns and operates Adelman’s Deli in the eclectic neighborhood of Gravesend, Brooklyn.
Some might find this off-putting. What can an Egyptian guy know about classic Jewish food? Well, if you stay in this city long enough, you can learn about all different ethnicities, their culture, and most deliciously, their food.
And if I hadn’t done my research (those four years of college taught me to do something!), I probably would have never known that Adelman’s was no longer run by the restaurant’s namesake since it opened in 1954. It looks like you’d expect. Salamis hanging from the ceiling. Classic Jewish comfort food up for offer at the deli counter. And there are the infamous photos of celebrities all over the room. But the difference here is that these aren’t movie stars who once visited the place (I doubt movie stars make it this far out in Brooklyn); these are pictures of baseball cards. They made me smile and I felt like I was 10 years old living in South Florida dreaming of Brooklyn: the land of baseball and corned beef.
And here comes the corned beef. They allowed me to order a half sandwich of the combo, which I always appreciate. And at under $8, this was the most affordable one yet. I’m sure being far enough away from Manhattan didn’t hurt.
The sandwich arrived warm and the bread was even a bit toasty. And that rye bread was incredible. It was a little sweeter and richer than usual – it almost reminded me of a challah. After corned beef and pastrami, challah and rye bread seems like the perfect Jewish combo to me (at least since the Three Stooges).
Both meats were moist and tender and sliced very thin. That’s how most places do it (thin is in, after all), but I like my meat a bit thicker and to feel less like cold cuts. You get a subtle smokiness from the pastrami and some saltiness from the corned beef. The more I lingered over the sandwich, the more the meat seemed to dry out. Not sure if the heat added to moistness or maybe the freshness of the bread.
The bread really was the stand-out to me. The sandwich was fine and I loved the atmosphere of the place. Being both of Eastern European Jewish descent and having an obsessive collection of baseball cards at one time, Adelman’s played on my sense of nostalgia. Who would have guessed an Egyptian immigrant would know anything about my sheltered South Floridian childhood? Guess if you live in Brooklyn long enough, anything’s possible.
Is Adelman’s the best corned beef/pastrami in NY? It has a great classic Jewish deli feel far enough away from the hubbub of the city. 7 out of 10 because the meat was adequate and the bread was a home run.
