I visited Nota Bene restaurant recently to try what some foodie friends have advised is the "best brisket sandwich in the city."
I am typically a skeptic about such comfort food claims but knowing the skills of chef David Lee I went with an open mind.
But, when I opened the menu and scanned the selections, the first fatal faux pas (from my perspective) was that the sandwich was topped with aged cheddar. It also came with sauerkraut (I can live with that suggestion)… but brisket and cheddar???!!!
You would have to be French, or Brazilian, or from the Midwest United States to even consider cheese with a brisket sandwich! So, despite my "open mind," I asked the waiter to leave the cheese off and to bring the sauerkraut on the side — to be added after I tasted the sandwich au natural.
I also asked for yellow or grainy mustard to be brought to the table to try with the brisket – which, very appropriately, is served on rye bread.
When the brisket sandwich arrived, the wonderful beefy, smoky aroma and the warm, fragrant rye bread overwhelmed. I added some grainy mustard. Anxious to bite in for the first taste… it blew me away! Smoky, moist and fatty, the beef combined so well with the rye and, lo and behold, it had a thin slice of dill.
Yannick Bigourdan, the co-owner and front of the house host, brought me a small sandwich with the cheese and the sauerkraut to try it their way… but… no way!! The sauerkraut worked but the cheese was a travesty.
Nota Bene wins my vote. But, you can only go for the sandwich at lunch on a Wednesday. I am holding my breath until next week.
Dr. Josh Josephson is the owner of The Cookbook Store and Josephson Opticians. He is a chevalier of Les Chevalier du Tastevin and the Le Chaine des Rotisseurs, a member of L’ordre Mondiale and a member and former president of the International Wine and Food Society, Toronto chapter.
