Best Brisket

Most briskets of beef are pickled in brown sugar and saltpeter and emerge after a week or two as corned beef, an undeniably tasty delicacy, but there's nothing like a fresh, sliced brisket, braised in its own juices for several hours with onion, garlic, a bit of carrot, salt and pepper, and nothing else, for a gloriously tender alternative to your basic roast chuck. East Coast West makes a very nicebrisket. It's treated with the patience and respect the cut deserves, and the results are paper-thin slices of absolutely moist, tender meat that crumbles against your fork and dissolves in your mouth. The Polk Gulch deli serves it four ways: as a platter with potatoes and vegetables; in a hot open-faced sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy; in a really big sandwich; or in a really big (1-pound) sandwich. The latter option is our favorite, with the brisket allowed to shine against a simple backdrop of corn rye, a hit of mustard, maybe a sour tomato on the side. And would a little kugel kill you?