Treyf Delicatessen Coming to SF

Considering San Francisco doesn’t have a kosher delicatessen, in theory, all its delis are treyf. But that doesn’t seem to be clear enough for Evan Bloom and Leo Beckerman, who will soon open Treyf Delicatessen in San Francisco.

Now before you call the local rabbi and start protesting, know that the name is tongue in cheek only. While not kosher, Treyf is going to be a classic Jewish deli in every sense, with nary a slice of pork in sight. The project’s evolution is outlined on the duo’s blog sfdelicatessen.blogspot.com, which includes the following mission statement:

It is our belief that San Francisco (and the Bay Area), home to some of the finest food and restaurants in the world, needs some good pastrami, pickles, and Babka (among other things). While we appreciate the Deli that exists here, we long for steaming hot, housemade pastrami cut by hand; would plotz for some earthy, shmaltz laden Kasha Varnishkas; would die for a decent black and white cookie.

There’s even photos detailing the home curing and smoking of their pastrami:

This looks promising. There’s been so much potential for a great roots delicatessen in San Francisco, though many have failed in recent years (the California Street Deli in the JCC, or the SF-NY Kosher Deli coming to mind). Could this be the one that hits it big? The actual opening is still months away, as Bloom and Beckerman seek out investors for the deli. If you’ve got some cash kicking around (and who doesn’t these days), perhaps this is a safer bet than those CDOs you’ve been eyeing.