The Charlottesville 29

Photo by Do Me A Flavor.

The Pastrami

Attention to detail is the calling card chef Justin van der Linde carries with him wherever he goes. Rather than seeking to create the next big thing, van der Linde’s focus has always been on devoting due care to his favorite time-tested classics, like the barbecued meats that drew crowds to his restaurant Smoked Kitchen & Tap.

Van der Linde sold Smoked in 2021 to return to one of his first loves: classic sandwiches. At his new restaurant Taste Shack, attention to detail abounds. For his pastrami, van der Linde starts with whole briskets, which he trims lean and brines for four days in pink salt, sugar, and house dill pickle spices. Next, comes van der Linde’s own twist. While a traditional pastrami is seasoned with white pepper and coriander and then smoked, van der Linde uses black pepper and coriander, and rather than smoking, just gives the brisket a hard sear and a slow roast in the oven. For the Shack Pastrami sandwich, van der Linde piles sliced pastrami on marble rye with Swiss cheese, house coleslaw, tomato, onion, pickles, and Taste Shack’s own creamy bbq sauce accented with house pickles. No detail is out of place.

#23: Shack Pastrami – Taste Shack (temporarily closed)
(GFA)
The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches

Others of Note: House Pastrami at Market Street Market, Tommy Pastrami at Ace Biscuit & Barbecue