The Pastrami and the Merguez at Silver and Sons, Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland – John Tanner’s Barbecue Blog
I had two recent trips to Silver and Sons’ new place at e632 Westbard in the Westbard Square development recently. As I mentioned here in my inaugural visit, I was eager to try their merguez sausage, one of my favorites among the scores of sausages I love. I also wanted to recheck their pastrami as I close in on my Top 10 Pastrami list.
My first trip was for the merguez, which is a mix of lamb and/or beef with chiles, cumin, and other spices of the Magreb. I first tried some with Jeremy McMullen before the World Rugby Championship in Paris, and fell in love. If you find yourself in Paris on May Day you’ll see the streets lined with booths from just about every nation’s communist party selling merguez sausage sandwiches. If you go to the World Rugby Championship, you’ll see a pile of discarded beer cups that … actually, you can see it from space. It’s hard to find merguez here in Washington, or has been for me. I’ve had it at Le Chat Noir, but I’m always on the lookout and welcome other sources. Here’s Silver and Sons’ merguez sandwich.
Another look.
That’s a good thick sausage with excellent flavor. It’s seasoned with appropriate boldness in terms of flavor, but a measured hand with heat.
In a few days I was back at Silver and Sons as part of my Best Pastrami Sandwich in the Washington Area research. I’d reported on their pastrami before, but I thought a refresher taste would help my placing it, and also I was hungry. Here’s my sandwich.
It comes on a challah bun, which I slid over a bit to show the pastrami. I much prefer rye bread, but then I don’t have to run a business and the challah is okay. UPDATE: They do have a sourdough rye! Next trip!
Here’s a look in progress.
That’s a delicious sandwich.
Most of the area pastrami is made with brisket. Silver and Sons uses short rib, which gives them an edge in terms of tenderness and a smoother, satiny texture in each bite. The almost silky texture was somewhat reminiscent of the Suadero’s texture at Taqueria Sabor Mixteco. The result here was delicious, and they also do an excellent job with seasoning. The menu at Silver and Sons leans toward the Jewish heritage and Israeli/Middle Eastern spices and dishes, and it shines in their pastrami.
It fairly glows in their mustard. Most places use a deli mustard or ballpark. HammerDown uses a Pomery-style, which is delicious, and Soko’s Butcher uses a positively ferocious Dijon, one that terrifies all the other flavors, alas. Silver and Sons’ mustard contains Baharat, the Middle Eastern seven-spice blend (that actually could be more or fewer than seven spices, depending on the maker and the region). I was not a big fan on my first visit to their food truck years ago, but since then they’ve changed the mix and now it’s a wonder, delicious with lots of flavor and a touch of horseradish, just enough to gently tickle your sinuses. Yum!
Silver and Sons definitely will make the pastrami Top Ten and it won’t be near the bottom. This is a good restaurant, small but with an array of interesting and intensely flavorful dishes very well prepared. I plan to go back and sample some other dishes, and to keep testing my favorites. You should, too. And please let me know of additional places that offer merguez sausage.
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