Mile End

Mile End: A Montreal-Style Jewish Delicatessen in Brooklyn. Sounds like a book title.  The inside jacket would read: mmm smoked meat nom nom nom nomz.

 [washed out hipster pic.  aka it was very sunny.]

I saw Mile End on Unique Eats not long after my trip to Montreal, and L obviously had already tried some of their food at a local festival.

This place was petite.  Expected for New York, I know, but I didn't know the tables were perpendicular to the wall and were meant to sit 4, so we squeezed 6 there and put mom and dad in the two-seater right behind us.  I had my back to them, not so nice, but they were busy chompin' up delightful smoked meat hash.  I loved the feel of the inside--wooden tables, chalkboards, the subway tile, the hockey pictures in the bathroom--all of it!

I knew before our arrival, but others were surprised--you cannot get smoked meat before noon unless you get the smoked meat hash.  No sandwiches, no pile of meat (ahem, remember Schwartz's?).  Next time, FIL!  I'm with them, I want to go back for a sandwich.  Not a problem.  When are you free?

The smoked meat hash looks good, doesn't it?  It was.  Well-done, and that's not only a compliment, I mean crispy and crunchy.  The way I like it (and my mom, and my grandma, and everyone else in my family with the burned lovin').  My only criticism is that I wish there was more meat and fewer potatoes. It wasn't totally out of whack, and granted I was starving for more protein, but it would have made a noticeable difference in my book.

I also got a bagel (imported from Montreal's St. Viateur) to see what the fuss is about.  I didn't notice a particular sweetness, but indeed it was smaller and denser than the typical NY bagel.  It was too crazy--maybe because I lived in places with weird smaller bagels for a while and ate them anyway?

The strawberry jammy preserve was good, but the chunks of strawberry were big, and it was difficult to actually cut it to spread some on my bagel.  Highbrow problems.

J's onion, greens, and salami scramble situation.  Mile End serves Boylan's sodas AND iced coffee (yay), and they have an olive oil type dispenser for simple syrup.  Love it. 

AG had a special: egg in a hole (a hole in challah, by the by) topped with greens and crispy chicken skin pieces.  I didn't get particular details on how she liked this, but the plate, like mine (and J's, etc) was clean.  It looked delicious.  If smoked meat hash wasn't an option, the special would be for me.

In all, 5 of us got smoked meat hash, and the only unpictured item is Grandma's delightful whitefish salad and bagel platter.  The whitefish salad was fresh, full of herbs and a citrus squeeze. It was light and refreshing, everything I definitely did not want that morning--GIVE ME MORE MEEEEAAAAAT.

Bella-Napoli

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! (Or at least got out of work early on Friday to jumpstart the weekend.)

We recently found ourselves starving in between errands at Latham Farms.  A quick Yelp (with both positive reviews and non) brought us to Bella Napoli.  We needed a sandwich, and frankly, it was 3pm.  Not really time to sit down at most restaurants.  I was encouraged by the description of Italian subs and desserts with a little market.  Sound familiar?  But don't go there.  This is not the Italian Store.  On the downside, the bread is way too soft for me, and on the upside the line wasn't 40 minutes long.  At Italian Store I'm all about the hard roll, and I'm not the only one.  But it is a decent, inexpensive sandwich with a little pack of chips and a pickle, and the bakery case is good for staring.  With the move and many weeks of an interrupted exercise routine, we decided to forgo the doughnuts this time.  Apparently their doughnuts are delicious when warmed. 

Bella-Napoli Italian Bakery
672 New Loudon Rd
Latham, NY

Italian Store

What can I say that hasn't been said?

At the Italian Store in Arlington you can get every shape of pasta you ever dreamed of. Like stellini--"little stars." Also, any kind of European cookie, cracker, wafer, candy, etc, that you want is there. AND there are homemade pastas, raviolis, and other treats hanging out in the fridge area. Seriously, you could only eat from this place for the rest of your life and be fine.

We were always beleivers in Italian Store pizza. Call me a snob, but I won't touch anything made here, here, or here. If you were raised anywhere in the NY Metro area then you wouldn't either, at least not with your head held high. But Italian Store's pizza (which is offered both by the pie and by the slice) is the best real pizza in the area, in my opinion. I enjoy Faccia Luna, but that's fancy-pants pizza.

Lately we evolved into the sandwiches--they rock for a picnic or just a casual weekend lunch. A "small" hard roll is enough for any adult's lunch. My favorite is smoked turkey/lettuce/tomato/mustard. I like their "special dressing" or plain ol' oil & vinegar, but find that unless I'm eating right away on the--er--patio, the liquid saturates my roll in a semi-sad way. No one wants a soggy sandwich. [For ex., if you are going to say...Chrysalis, then maybe get it dry for safe keeping. It's not a terribly long ride, but ya know.]

You can get any regular deli meat you like (J likes the roast beef/turkey combo) OR get a super fun Italian sandwich with capacola, genoa, prosciutto, pepperoni, etc. There are always a few of the favorites pre-made because they know their customers. I recently picked up a Napoli for a friend. The description reads as follows: "Pepperoni makes this our spiciest creation, with lean capacola ham, and buttery soft mozzarella cheese." Spicy!

Oh yeah, and then there are these cookies. Do you like black & white cookies? Then go right now and buy yourself some Berger's. Oh wait, maybe not yourself. Warning: we finished these by ourselves in barely a day and a half. Find a few friends before purchasing them. Apparently if you are from Baltimore they need no explanation.



The Italian Store
3123 Lee Highway
Driving or hitting the bus is best, but...
METRO: Orange Line to Clarendon--it's almost a mile walk. Doable and worth it.