Though the Reuben is delicious, pastrami is Katz's claim to fame — with good reason. I've always been a lukewarm pastrami fan, finding it tasty but not quite getting all the fuss. Then I picked up a slice from the plate the counterman gives you to sample while waiting for your sandwich, squares of glistening meat laid out like a deck of cards. It was mind-blowingly delicious: salty, bacony, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
The meaty, freshly cut pastrami at Katz's defied my understanding of pastrami, which I've only tasted cold and thinly sliced. Like corned beef, it's pickled in barrels, but then finished by smoking, hence the bacon element. Thankfully, Katz's sandwich-making method doesn't interfere; it lets you study the flavor intently with a cram-session-size stack of meat and just a highlight of mustard. Here's Andrew doing some scholarly research.
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