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I am a New Yorker who has been living in Boston for some 25 years. New York has always been a world-class food town. Who could really argue. When I was growing up in New York in mid-20th century, New York was the capital of the world, and where food was concerned there were some truly great things I simply took for granted.

Many of these are as unobtainable now in New York as they are elsewhere. Is New York pastrami still great at Katz's? - yes but it's not like it used to be, and it's made in Albany. Is New York cheesecake wonderful? - not like it used to be when Leonard's of 2nd Avenue was still supplying the best to restaurants and hotels so anonymously. Today you can barely find any mention of the place or its extraordinary product anywhere on the web. You'll notice my name here: "noshstalgic" - I've been blogging about this stuff for a while now at noshstalgia.blogspot.com.

After a while, ranting into the blogosphere didn't seem a sufficient response. So I began an effort at culinary archeology to recreate the things I so missed. And even though I still love many of New York's signature items, I am here to make a claim. The best pastrami in the land is now hand-made in Boston, MA - to my specifications. My recent blog postings at Noshstalgia extolled the virtues of pastrami as the ideal Super Bowl food. Not nachos, not chicken wings. Quoting now:
"Nothing else so distills the essentials of football sustenance - Beef, Spice, Warmth, Smoke, and Beer Affinity."

So - confining ourselves to the dual questions of pastrami as football food - and as quintessential New York food - who's wrong here - Ed or Sheryl?
Both...
Sheryl because pastrami is perfect for football.
And Ed because the best is actually to be found here in Boston. If you don't believe me, (and please pardon the commercial plug) stop on by to Savenor's or John Dewar's (Boston's two premier meat purveyors) and ask for some of Boston's Deli Arts brand pastrami. Take it home, steam it up as directed, and slice it down. It's like a time machine. You'll smile.

I'm a NJ/NY person who went to school in Boston for 2 years, and I love the city as well as NY.

But aren't we being a bit unfair to B-town, judging it on a NYC food group basis? Things might stack up differently, with say, who has the best lobster, or even linguini with clam sauce from the North End? Plus, does New Haven count in the New England pizza sweepstakes--if so, Pepe's might throw a wrench in the voting...plus, what about lobster rolls?

Ice cream seems really unfair, too, given that eating ice cream on a Boston street in the middle of winter seems more like a health hazard than a treat!

As a Red Sox, and Patriots fan, currently living in NYC, I spent 7 wonderful years in Boston, after growing up in Maine. You missed two great Boston Institutions for food. Emack & Bolio's for great Ice Cream, and the Union Oyster House for some of the best Seafood in New England! I wish I could be at the U.O.H. for the Super Bowl, downing multiple plates of their great oysters!!! New York may have pizza, but Boston has the whole Italian North End, which FAR surpasses what is left of NYC's "VERY" Little Italy. I can't even scratch the surface here of what Boston has to offer, not only for the football fan, but for everyone's taste for the great food Boston has to offer! Boston Wins!!!

Herrell's is nasty. I was there once and was mobbed by flys. For pizza Boston has a home grown chain called Upper Crust. Solid pseudo-Neopolitan pies w/ a mighty good crushed tomato 'sauce.' Deffinatly my favorite pizza chain.
But seriously, how can you compare NY to anything. Boston's population is a tiny fraction. Maybe Boston to Philly, or Cleveland to Cincinati or whatever. NY is singular in the country and in a very small group world wide.
Food aside, 'The Hub' certainly has a sports edge.

Come on man. Boston is over 3 hours by car from Burlington, VT. But as a former resident of Boston, current resident of NYC (and actually raised in Burlington) I will give Boston the edge on Ice Cream. There is good ice cream to be had in NYC, but nothing has ever blown my mind like the burnt sugar ice cream at christinas in Inman Square.

I'm interested in the bbq standoff -- it's sort of like a Jets - Dolphins game. Also, for sandwiches, don't forget Darwin's in Cambridge, just a great shop for 20% less than your neighborhood Pax Gourmet.