Thursday, September 20, 2012

Machine Deli, Show Dogs

Hey there pastrami fans! I've been away for awhile, but I have an awesome pastrami post for you.

Machine Deli opened up in August on Market and 6th street. They have coffee, which is cool. Of course for me, I'm way more interested in their pastrami!

The pastrami from Machine deli is made at Foreign Cinema. It is also used by their neighbors, Show Dogs. Show Dogs is a hot dog place primarily, but they have awesome burgers and sandwiches.

Interesting they would have two different pastrami sandwiches next to each other on Market and 6th street in San Francisco. And they say SF isn't a deli town? I was privileged enough to get to try both sandwiches side by side. Let's review.

The Machine Deli sandwich came with a toasted rye bread with lemony flavored sauce. It was served with a sweeter pickle and some chips. I really liked the sweetness of the pastrami mixing with the sauce. The pickle accented it perfectly as well.

 Machine Deli Sandwich

The Show Dogs sandwich was grilled which did something to the pastrami and bread to make the sandwich noticeably different. The fat from the pastrami rendered out a bit when it was on the grill which made the bread so delicious and rich was flavor. The pastrami itself lost some of the sweetness of the brine on that sandwich - but it didn't matter because the sandwich as a whole was delicious. This pastrami is definitely better not grilled - when by itself. On a sandwich the grilling made it superb.

Show Dogs Sandwich

I found out the pastrami is made from the navel cut. When inspecting the pastrami - it had a nice brine on the outside and the color was perfect. Something about the texture was a bit different than I'm used to for navel cuts. It had some ripples in the meat which was fatty goodness, actually. I think the pastrami on the Machine deli sandwich taster better because all the fat was still in it. However, the Show Dogs sandwich was tasty because the fat rendered out into the sandwich from being grilled

So in review - the Machine deli sandwich was toasted and sweeter. The Show Dogs sandwich was grilled and more savory Reuben style. I say try them both!

Machine Deli Pastrami - Up Close



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