the dish

A Nice Pastrami Sandwich for Noshers Not Fressers

Since the day it opened six years ago, the M.O. of Shalom Japan has been to bring together on one harmonious plate the comfort-food repertoires of two seemingly discordant cuisines: Ashkenazi Jewish and Japanese. The upshot: quirky but elegant dishes like matzoh-ball ramen, mochi blintzes, and okonomiyaki topped with corned lamb tongue and sauerkraut. Still, one might say that no Jewish-Japanese fusion joint is ever complete without a take on the pastrami sandwich, and now SJ’s married co-chefs, Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi, have filled that gap. Inspired by a smoker their friend Patti Jackson gave them after she closed her restaurant Delaware and Hudson, the couple got to work and came up with the Wagyu Pastrami Sando — a minimalist mouthwaterer of hand-carved brisket on Japanese-style milk bread made with caraway seeds in the dough. The result is even better than it sounds: like Katz’s meets (a Tokyo) 7-Eleven, with a dill pickle on the side.

Mouse over or tap the image to read more.

On the menu at Shalom Japan, 310 S. 4th St., at Rodney St., Williamsburg; 718-388-4012; available Tuesday to Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and at brunch; $16

*This article appears in the July 22, 2019, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

A Nice Pastrami Sandwich for Noshers Not Fressers