Hot Pastrami : 2nd Avenue Deli; 156 2nd Ave.; New York, N.Y. 10003; (800) 692-3354; <i> Visa, MasterCard, American Express </i>

After being arrested and booked in New York’s famous “Commission Case,” Paul (Big Paul) Castellano was rushed by FBI agents to the Lower East Side. The former head of New York’s Gambino crime family had made a demand: a corned beef on rye from 2nd Avenue Deli.

This authentic Jewish deli has been selling everything from kasha and kugel to corned beef, chicken soup and chopped liver at the same location for 40 years.

But you don’t have to go to the Manhattan deli in person for a taste of the real thing. Now 2nd Avenue is sending its products by mail.

We particularly like the pastrami, made from the choicest prime brisket cut and dry-cured for more than a week in salt, spices and peppercorns, then carefully smoked. There’s nothing better than this thin-sliced pastrami stuffed between two slices of rye. The cost is $45 for a three-pound hunk, including a jar of spicy mustard. Just phone and they’ll rush it overnight--no matter who you are.