Smallman Street Deli

The Pastrami Rachel at the Smallman Street Deli. It’s only a couple of years old, but if you make the best pastrami in town (cured in the adjacent building), put it on a quality rye, top it with crunchy slaw, Russian dressing and grill the thing to perfection, you can convince even the most skeptical that this sandwich ranks right up there with the best from New York’s classic delis. (NOTE: In Shadyside, Rick Handler at the Nirvana Deli also assembles a rockin’ Rachel, based on his family’s old recipe from the fondly remembered Gazebo, where I learned to love these sandwiches.) Rick Sebak