Market-House Corned Beef
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 624-9248
12/27/2007 Posted by dwaring
What is it about this town and pastrami? I've lived in Seatle for 16 years, and there have been several places over the years to get a great pastrami sandwich,The Catskill, Roxy's (on First) that place on Madison (Ajays or something like that). They never last. The Market-House is not such a place. There are two types of real pastrami (made from the brisket -- don't even get me started about the stuff sold in the grocery store made from the round) One is lean and can be served cold. One is fattier and must be served hot so that the fat is rendered. This it the classic pastrami sandwich that anyone who has been to New York knows and is certainly what I expect at a place that makes its own pastrami. So I knew we were in trouble when they asked if I wanted my sandwich it hot or cold. Heck they might just have well have asked if I wanted mayonaise on it. The sandwich I got at Market-Hose was pretty unremarkable. The meat was lean and dry and not particulary flavorful. The bread was a marbled rye that fell apart as I ate it. It seemed much more like dry white bread with food coloring, not a true dense, flavorful rye. Now I don't want 2 inches of meat on my sandwich like you will get a certain famous NY haunt, but I do expect a pretty substantial pile of meat. This sandwich had about 1/4 inch of meat which in my book is just barely passable, but certainly not something that could be called a large portion. This was not a horrible sandwich but it certainly does not pass for a 'great pastrami sandwich'. So I keep looking. Roxy's Deli in Fremont sells fantastic pastrami (at least they did last year, I should get back there) but when I had a sandwich there it was so thin I just can't recommend it. But bring some home (1/3 pound per sandwich) fry it up in a skillet just enough to start that fat rendering and you will know what a pastrami sandwich can be.
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