Bottoms Up

A gigantic, utterly succulent and delicious pastrami sandwich at The Refuge San Carlos, CA. This humungous baby cost $12 and worth every penny, especially when paired with a flagon of St. Bernardus Abt 12., just one of the beers from The Refuge’s well-stocked cellar.

Photo: Matthew Sumner, San Mateo County Times

IF YOU LIKE GREAT BEER AND REALY GREAT pastrami, the kind one usually can find only in New York City, then crank up hupmobile and go to the The Refuge, 963 Laurel St. in San Carlos. Where’s that? It’s on the San Francisco peninsula. Check out the map.

Prorprietor Matt Levin makes the pastrami and stocks his cooler with some of the best Belgian beer available anywhere.

Here’s Bay Area News Group Food Editor Nick Boer’s review…

Pastrami impossible: Fine dining redefined

By Nicholas Boer
Staff writer
Article Launched: 04/18/2008 12:11:05 AM PDT

For anyone other than our readers in San Mateo, it might seem like a stretch to suggest a trip to San Carlos for a sandwich. After all the (totally killer) Reuben is $16, and you need to factor in $8 for a drink, a few bucks for a tip, and another $20 for five gallons of gas (the trip took 50 miles from my workplace in Walnut Creek; slightly less back home to Livermore). If you’re in for a bite, you’re in for $50.

But this is more than a meal. It’s a rich cultural experience. The pastrami, thick hand-carved slices, rivals any found on my deli tour of New York City. The Belgian beer selection is also second to none. The 20 French wines by the glass cover tantalizing ground. There are Jewish classics — sparked by a chef’s fresh imagination — such as chopped liver and chicken noodle soup. Alongside regional favorites such as cheesesteak sandwiches, you’ll find European cheeses and charcuterie. You can order a Single with Cheese ($12) after your Sauteed Foie Gras ($16). Or have a Cobb Salad ($10) and a Creme Brulee ($6).
If this seems jarring, off-kilter “… Welcome to the Refuge. Read more…

Here’s my take on the beer…

THE BEER: The Refuge is definitely not light lager land, and that’s fortunate. The food here tends toward rich and mildly spicy, and you need a beer with legs to match the intensity of the food.

Fortunately, there’s an awesome list of Belgian beers that pairs nicely, especially with the pastrami. Two that worked well were St. Bernardus ABT 12 and Duchesse de Bourgogne (and you thought wines had complex names). St. Bernardus ($9) is great beer: huge, creamy, long-lasting head, a spicy nose with hints of herbs, chocolate and vanilla. But be cautious, it’s strong: 10.5 percent, double the strength of an ordinary lager.

The Duchesse ($9) — Duchess of Burgundy in English — is totally different. It’s a mildly sour Flemish brown ale. There’s an initial hit of sweetness with a sour edge that grows in intensity. It’s a nice counterpoint to the rich sweetness of the pastrami. Those are just two of the 14 excellent beers on offer. The management serves free two-ounce samplers, so try a variety.
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