"Like the best gossip sessions, poutine is a dish that needs to marinate. The longer it sits, the more the fries soak up the gravy, and the cheese curds congeal, regaining their squeakiness. At Mile End, a Montreal-style Jewish deli in Boerum Hill, you can have both great poutine and a steaming hot conversation. It’s a good place for an extended hang with your closest friends—over chicken schnitzel, matzo ball soup, and of course, a big pile of gravy-soaked fries. They really will let you sit for hours here. Just keep ordering one more round of fries, or another Labatt Blue as you pick at a mountain of their Montreal-style smoked meat. In New York, we’re known for our pastrami, typically taken from the fattier ends of brisket, brined and seasoned with things like black pepper and juniper berries. Montreal-style smoked meat is similar, though dry-cured, often a bit leaner, and tastes mostly of salt and smoke. It does a great job of soaking up deli mustard, and Mile End is where you should go to try some. Food Rundown photo credit: Ryan Muir Smoked Meat Sandwich Go out of your way for this sandwich. Thick chunks of lean, cured, smoked brisket populate two slabs of rye bread. Give it a good, healthy dollop of brown mustard, and you’re good to go. It easily rivals some of our favorite Jewish deli sandwiches in the city. Spicy Schnitzel In the event you’re not up to a half-pound of salty, smoky beef, point yourself towards the spicy schnitzel sandwich. The chicken is nice and crispy, the brioche bun is sweet and fluffy, and there’s a pretty solid amount of heat throughout. photo credit: Ryan Muir Matzo Ball Soup If you like a darker, richer chicken broth, this is the matzo ball soup for you. The balls themselves are of the smaller variety, and while they can sometimes be a bit dense, this is still one of our favorite matzo ball soups in the city. It tastes like it was made lovingly in a home kitchen-sized dutch oven. photo credit: Ryan Muir Poutine Poutine might be the most indulgent food out there. Indulge away, friends. Latkes These are not the potato product to focus on here. We prefer our latkes with a more shredded, lighter texture. Mile End’s are cakey, and a bit dense." - Will Hartman
