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Apologies to Epstein’s, the Woodro, King David, and all the other formative delis of our kosher-style youth, the holy trinity Katz’s, Carnegie, and 2nd Ave. among them. Mile End, the  Canadian-Brooklyn oddball has already reinvented the venerable form. This is a deli for locavores, a deli for the next generation of deli lovers, with a respect for tradition contemporized by a rare premium on great, fresh ingredients, cooked from scratch, smoked and pickled in-house, served with an unfamiliar (in the deli world, anyway) smile. The smoked Creekstone Farms brisket is aggressively seasoned, hand-sliced into succulent shards, and encased in respectable Orwasher’s rye. Salami, made on-premises from brisket and short rib, is pressed inside a squishy onion roll. Montreal bagels are smaller than our own, and typically sesame-seeded, but you shouldn’t hold that against them. The menu is nascent, the pickles still pickling, but the whole package is enough to make even the proudest New Yorker swallow his pride and wash it down with a cup of Brooklyn-roasted Stumptown coffee.

Since Mile End opened in January 2010, the diminutive deli has seduced New York with its superlative smoked meat and Montreal-flavored moxie. But man cannot live on deli sandwiches alone — or so believes owner Noah Bernamoff. Now there's a dinner menu, too, the handiwork of chef Aaron Israel, whose last gig was sous-chef at Torrisi Italian Specialties. Inspired by what Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone have done for Italian-American cuisine, Israel intends to do the same for American-Jewish: breathe new life into traditional dishes with elevated technique and a fresh approach. Israel has been running dishes like veal-tongue polonaise, chopped liver with a house-baked pletzel, and schmaltzed radish salad. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Deli (2010)

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