PRESS

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SanJose.com

“The Refuge is an uncommon eatery that makes uncommonly tasty food. It’s more a pub than a restaurant, and its claim to fame is ridiculously delicious house-made pastrami. Pastrami is to deli meats asZeus is to Greek deities. I don’t know what they eat on Mt. Olympus, but if the Refuge delivered I’m sure there would be a couple dozen Reubens headed that way.”

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“Manhattan has Katz’s Deli, Los Angeles has Langer’s, and San Carlos has the Refuge, an under-the-radar wine bar that makes world-class pastrami. The fatty, hand-carved slices of beef are cured in-house and perfumed with pepper and coriander. Piled onto caraway-studded rye bread, they make a sandwich that apologizes to no one.”

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“…Yes, the great past-time of New Yorkers in San Francisco has been brought to an abrupt halt. There is now good pastrami to be had locally. Owner Matt Levin makes the pastrami and it is truly worthy. I won’t bother to try to describe it. You know what good pastrami is. Go try it and see if I’m not right (I am right, don’t even try it on). On a level with Katz’s,Langer’s, and whatever they serve in Paradise…”

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“…there’s a quirky brilliance in the formula conceived by owner Matt Levin and chef de cuisine Michael Greuel of the Refuge in San Carlos. After a stint working in Paris, Levin realized the similarities between French charcuterie and a proper deli. The Refuge is the result, less Jewish deli than monument to cured meat…”

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“…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…”

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“Along a quiet stretch of Laurel Street in San Carlos lies a meat lover’s dream. The Refuge is part wine bar, part pastrami bar, with doses of charcuterie, cheesesteaks and burgers tossed in for good measure. Jewish delis and wine bars might seem to occupy parallel universes, but somehow the space created by owner Matt Levin and chef de cuisine Michael Greuel makes the combination work…”

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“The Belgian beer craze has hit the Peninsula at The Refuge, a deli and pub that features the oddest conglomeration of food and drink I have encountered in 35 years of covering restaurants. French wines, Belgian ales and pastrami sandwiches — the most voluptuous, velvety, meltingly tender, luscious pastrami I’ve ever tasted — all share top billing…”

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