Jewish Delis Embrace Tradition While Updating Classics

Smoky slabs of pastrami sliced by hand, fresh loaves of rye bread pulled from the brick oven, pickles brined and fished out of the barrel. Think we’re talking about the Lower East Side, circa 1930? Think again. The Jewish deli is enjoying a comeback, a revival of old-school techniques, and a return to the foods of the European immigrants who flooded the streets of New York City in the ’30s, bringing with them the foods and techniques of...