Chef Eric Greenspan hits his stride at innovative Jewish deli
Chef Eric Greenspan, a large man with an even larger personality, beat Bobby Flay on “Iron Chef America” and famously won “Cutthroat Kitchen” with one arm tied behind his back. The UC Berkeley Haas School of Business graduate trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and has helmed numerous restaurants in Los Angeles, including The Foundry, which earned a James Beard Foundation nomination and Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese (featuring a grilled taleggio cheese and short rib sandwich with arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, and apricot-caper purée on raisin walnut bread, for which he won the grand prize in the 2008 Grilled Cheese Invitational). He was also the opening chef for the Tesla Diner. Along the way he invented New School American Cheese, a flavorful cheddar-type cheese with the meltability of the tasteless plasticky sliced American cheese food we’ve all come to expect on our burgers.
MISH DELICATESSEN, a spacious new modern Jewish deli.
The talented chef, capable of holding his own against the finest of fine dining purveyors, has opened a delicatessen—and the move feels right. Greenspan has long been interested in connecting with his Jewish roots through food, and Mish does just that. However, any chef that would put short ribs and apricot-caper purée on a grilled cheese is not going to be satisfied with merely replicating the classics. At Mish, a bagel can come with pumpkin seed pesto; “a kiss of beet horseradish” lends coleslaw a pale pink glow; and pastrami has been rubbed in Middle Eastern spices, including ginger and cardamon.
It feels good to be there. The restaurant has a warm, casual, bustling vibe. A high wood-trussed ceiling soars over an assortment of wood tables, including a large, shared table down the middle of the space. By way of explaining the restaurant’s name, a white-painted brick wall lists all the Yiddish words that include “mish,” from mishuggenah (crazy) to mishegas (foolish or chaotic activity). Order food at a kiosk, then find a table. Customer service is excellent at Mish. Friendly, knowledgeable servers check in at tables regularly. Requests are handled promptly. It doesn’t seem as though anyone working there stops moving for a second.
SUCCULENT PASTRAMI REUBEN, coleslaw, slice of leek and potato kugel.
It’s a well-considered menu. Seven all-day breakfast options include lemon blintzes with blueberry compote, kuku sabzi (a Persian frittata loaded with herbs), and scallion and black pepper matzah brei—along with six loaded bagels or the smoked fish platter. Sandwiches are huge and grilled in schmaltz (flavorful chicken fat). I had a thick-cut pastrami Reuben with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and fennel kraut, which was succulent, meaty, and excellent. I might ask for extra dressing next time, because I prefer my Reubens to be a little gloppier, and their rye bread can stand up to the extra moisture. My husband ordered the hand-carved turkey sandwich with crispy pastrami and dill horseradish mayonnaise on grilled challah. This was a perfectly balanced sandwich. The pastrami acts as a super savory bacon substitute, adding wonderful smokiness. The biggest problem is that even thick-cut challah starts to disintegrate, and it was difficult to keep the sandwich from landing in his lap in pieces. The struggle was worth it.
BAKERY CASE FAVORITES: black-and-white cookie (top), chocolate and hazelnut brittle babka.
Mish offers smaller plates of deli classics, such as potato latkes, dilled matzah ball soup, and chopped liver. We shared a slice of potato and leek kugel (baked potato or noodle casserole). It was fine, but not exciting. It could have been amped up with some of Greenspan’s signature additions. The sour cherry noodle kugel with brown sugar cornflakes would no doubt be more interesting.
My husband, who brakes for black-and-white cookies, loved Mish’s version. The cookie is denser than usual, but loaded with flavor, and the icings were a cut above, with salted dark chocolate on one side and Madagascar vanilla on the other. I brought a slice of chocolate hazelnut babka home and toasted it for breakfast the next day. Perfection!
Greenspan plans to launch Bar Mitzvah, an expanded bar and bites evening program with DJ’s providing music and a livelier atmosphere. We’re there for it!
Mish Delicatessen; 127 S. La Brea Ave.; mishdeli.com; 213-723-0723.
Category: Entertainment
