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Barry Koslow Shares Details on DGS Delicatessen
Matzo-ball soup, blintzes, and pickled fish will be among the offerings at the Dupont deli. And check out who's making the bagels.
By
Todd Kliman
Matzo-ball soup will be among the offerings at DGS Delicatessen.
In his 2009 book, Save the Deli, author David Sax tenderly explored the vanishing world of pastrami, corned beef, and gruff, Yiddish-inflected waiters. He wasn’t just writing up his meals in dimly lit diners—he was bearing witness, looking for vital signs of a once-vibrant culture as he roamed the streets of Montreal, Los Angeles, and Paris.
And then he arrived in DC.
Oy.
Washington, the Toronto-based author sniffed, has got to be the “WASPiest city in North America.”
One restaurant can’t erase such a perception, but Barry Koslow is aiming to try.
Koslow, who was the chef at Mendocino Grille and, more recently, at Tallula, is set to open DGS Delicatessen next summer, just south of Dupont Circle (1317 Connecticut Ave., NW) with his partners, Nick and David Wiseman of Roadside Food Projects. (The name DGS is meant to honor the District Grocery Stores cooperative—a band of Jewish-owned mom ’n’ pops—that thrived in the city at the turn of the 20th century.)
The trio—DC natives all—describes the forthcoming venture in terms that allow for a good bit of wiggle room, lest the culinarily orthodox (and the other kind, as well) accuse them of taking too many liberties.
“We want to evoke nostalgia for the classic delicatessen while bringing technique into the mix to elevate these dishes and take things to another level,” says Koslow.
Technique is a word almost synonymous with Koslow’s name. The classically trained chef worked in a French vein for many years, and his pistachio-studded rabbit pâté, a dish he reprised at Tallula after leaving Mendocino Grille, was among the glories of the area’s food scene.
At DGS, the corned beef and pastrami will be made on the premises, “brined for a week in aromatics and steamed properly,” Koslow says.
Breads (and bagels and bialys) won’t be baked in-house, but—possibly even better—they’ll be provided by Mark Furstenburg, founder of Marvelous Market and the Breadline and the city’s foremost bread baker.
The models for DGS are Mile End in New York and San Francisco’s Wise Son, restaurants that have aimed to “reinterpret” (read: lighten) the gut-busting foods of Ashkenazi Jews. Count on matzo-ball soup, blintzes, pickled fish of many varieties, and even several Sephardic staples to make up the eventual menu. Joan Nathan, the doyenne of Jewish cooking in America, has been an unofficial adviser on the project, and the trio’s friends and family have been inundating them with cookbooks and family recipes.
“We want to pay homage to a lot of the classics,” says Koslow, “and then you’ll see a little reinvention here and there.”
Delis don’t immediately bring to mind beer, wine, and cocktails, but there will be an extensive list of all three: “craft cocktails, craft beers, craft wines,” says Nick Wiseman, invoking the term that all new and would-be restaurants believe elevates them instantly from the herd.
The last high-profile Jewish deli to open in DC was Stacks, on Pennsylvania Avenue, which took the gamble of importing its smoked meats from Montreal but never succeeded in gaining a following. It closed in 2004.
In the years since, many restaurateurs have told me privately that although they would love to see a top-notch destination for corned beef and pastrami come to DC, opening a Jewish deli was too risky a concept in a city that lacks both the food traffic and the culture needed to appreciate the cuisine.
Nick Wiseman has heard those criticisms, and though he doesn’t dispute the fact that the city has never been a place to get a good pastrami sandwich, he thinks the moment has arrived to make Jewish cooking the next big thing.
“The whole market has opened up. It’s not these huge six- and seven-million-dollar American restaurants opening anymore . . . Now you have these smaller, more focused restaurants like Graffiato, these neighborhood restaurants that try things. New York has always been like that, and now DC is becoming more like that, and you’re seeing these soulful restaurants that resonate with people. It’s an exciting culinary moment.”
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Comments
I worked at Mr. L’s on Connecticut Ave. In the 80’s. They made everything from scratch and baked the breads and sweets on the premises. Hopefully DGS will be close to being as good.
Posted by: Stuart P, Feb 09, 2012 08:10:02 AM
Eli’s at 20th and N Is disgusting. Their matza ball soup isn’t even good!
Welcome to the neighborhood!
Posted by: Eep, Jan 04, 2012 01:57:15 PM
I wouldn’t pretend to care if a deli is kosher unless I kept kosher, which I don’t.
Excited to try the home cured pastrami. I heard its still in development, but already amazing.
Posted by: MCH, Dec 20, 2011 12:25:08 PM
Are we talking real pastrami and corned beef? Or the yuppy healthly kind? i want pastramit and corned beef with fat and taste? Will it carry Dr Brown’s? Along with good fatty corned beef and pastrami you also need good rye bread. Sorry Loeb’s doesn cut ti with their rye or pastrami.
Posted by: Dave, Dec 15, 2011 07:44:23 AM
Kreplach w/ caramelized onions pls
Posted by: Matt, Dec 14, 2011 09:48:30 PM
How about some well raised meat with sustainable, seasonal items on the menu? That I KNOW Koslow and the Wisemans will deliver... Can’t wait!
Posted by: MT, Dec 14, 2011 04:20:29 PM
Was lucky enough to sample one of Koslow’s corned beef forays. Ahhhhhmaaaazinnng. Can’t wait for the deli. Bring it on.
Posted by: Melbig, Dec 14, 2011 03:34:03 PM
I worked at a real Jewish deli in the Detroit area and it was not kosher. Kosher-style works for me.
Posted by: Sipa, Dec 14, 2011 02:46:36 PM
Can’t wait to try it out! nothing like a deli that is run by New Yorkers!!
Posted by: Lynne Bauer, Dec 14, 2011 02:37:44 PM
exactly what DC needs. mazel!
Posted by: jhf, Dec 14, 2011 01:23:39 PM
This sounds exactly what the area needs! Can’t wait to have a decent deli sandwich and all that that implies.
Best of luck!!!
Posted by: MartyH, Dec 14, 2011 12:55:51 PM
This sounds exactly what the area needs! Can’t wait to have a decent deli sandwich and all that that implies.
Best of luck!!!
Posted by: MartyH, Dec 14, 2011 12:55:28 PM
Loeb’s on I street isn’t even close to a real deli. The rye bread is cut too thick and has little flavor. The corn beef is just OK, my guess would be it is from a purveyor like Saval as opposed to house made and there is no deli smell when you walk in the door. Fair if you need a fix, but definitely a pretender.
Washington is a town rife with overpriced restaurants, but I don’t think a deli that strives to be a "real" Jewish deli can operate cheaply. The sandwiches don’t have to be like those at the Carnegie in NYC (the size of your head) but they have to have a good amount of meat in them on great bread. That means I would expect a sandwich with house cured meat to be in the $12-$15 range.
Posted by: Aboudd, Dec 14, 2011 12:41:54 PM
There is a very good Kosher NY Deli called Eli’s at 20th and N St NW. So what are they - Chppped Liver? The food is very good. The prices are a bit high but not rediculous. They also have a take out counter with lower prices and very good daily specials. Highly recommended.
Posted by: Lou, Dec 14, 2011 12:37:38 PM
Stacks failed because it was HUGELY OVERPRICED and was tainted by its owner Jack Abramoff, who turned out to be a lying thief.
hopefully this new place won’t go crazy with the prices. and it is NOT a real jewish deli if it’s not kosher. let’s be real about that one folks.
Posted by: yeahright, Dec 14, 2011 11:54:19 AM
My 97-year-old mother-in-law, Bertha Goldberg, wants to visit. Is it wheelchair accessable?
Posted by: Ben Lacy (blacy@lacyltd.com), Dec 14, 2011 10:50:41 AM
Not kosher. Kosher style.
Posted by: Joe, Dec 14, 2011 10:41:22 AM
This is welcome news. However, has no one at The Washingtonian heard of Loeb’s - now on Eye Street at 18th? While it isn’t Philly or NY, Loeb’s does great things with pastrami and corned beef (and the apple strudel is wonderful!) - and the daily crowds prove that there is indeed a market for this cuisine in DC!
Posted by: GaryDL, Dec 14, 2011 10:36:49 AM
sounds great!! wish we could have an expirence like that in Charleston sc. Good luck --- hope to visit DGS on my next trip to Washington !!
Posted by: eda bigner, Dec 14, 2011 10:05:04 AM
sounds great!! wish we could have an expirence like that in Charleston sc. Good luck --- hope to visit DGS on my next trip to Washington !!
Posted by: eda bigner, Dec 14, 2011 09:58:22 AM
This sounds like the next best thing since chicken soup!
Posted by: David Gerson, Dec 14, 2011 09:33:41 AM
Is it kosher? Lots of times these "kosher delis" are not really kosher. I’m waiting to get excited about this one until I know if its the real deal
Posted by: mark, Dec 13, 2011 07:01:42 PM
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