Dish No. 95: The Beauty at Mile End

By Rebecca Marx Wed., Jul. 21 2010 at 12:34 PM

Categories: 100 Dishes to Eat Now, Marx

Welcome to 100 Dishes to Eat Now, Fork in the Road's handy list of some of our favorite dishes -- old standbys and new finds alike -- compiled daily.

Today's pick: The Beauty ($11) from Mile End.

Mile End's owners have earned a sizable following by re-creating the meaty dishes of their native Montreal. In February, they began importing bagels from the city's famed St-Viateur bakery, and they soon created the Beauty to showcase their malty attributes.

Few dishes in the city are more accurately named: a good part of the Beauty's appeal comes from just looking at it. But if beauty is only skin deep, the sandwich's merits are anything but. The house-cured lox is silky and plush, its savoriness heightened by the salinity of the capers scattered across its surface. Paper-thin shavings of purple onion add bite without overwhelming the flavor of the fish, and the cream cheese, though it could use a bit more tang, provides a mellow counterpoint to the more robust ingredients. The bagel is a bit sweet, slightly soft, and provides a more than adequate vessel for its precious cargo. All in all, it's delicious, and as good a reason as any to wake up before noon.

Mile End Delicatessen
97A Hoyt Street
718-852-7510

Previously in the countdown:
Dish No. 100: Zaragoza Grocery's Flor de Calabaza Quesadilla
Dish No. 99: No. 7 Sub Shop's General Tso's Tofu Sandwich
Dish No. 98: Nigerian Goat Stew From Baku
Dish No. 97: The Captain's Daughter From Saltie
Dish No. 96: Bun Bo Hue From Thanh Da