Taste: Dining Out: Where We’re Eating: August 2010: Delicatessen

At this modern take on the Jewish deli, some fusion dishes—Bubby’s Kitchen Sink Pho, a mash-up of excellent matzoh ball soup with pastrami, corned beef and rice noodles, and the “Jubano,” a Cuban sandwich where corned beef subs for ham—are delicious. Others, like the fried-egg-topped brisket sandwich with Mornay sauce, are not. The old-school meats really shine, especially the moist and fragrant house-smoked pastrami, as do the side dishes—crisp latkes and a highly respectable cheese kugel. The tattoo-covered servers might surprise Zayde, but they’re sweet as pie. Or Jewish apple cake. Insider tip: Portion sizes here are merely large, rather than epic. 703 Chestnut Street, 215-923-4560, delicatessenphilly.com.