The Unvegan

At Home at Victor’s Meats & Delicatessen

January 25th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Meatwich!

I must confess that I have lived quite literally two minutes (by foot) from Victor’s Meats & Delicatessen for the past six months, yet had not once set foot in the place until this past weekend. “Why?” you ask. Well, the answer isn’t simple. It’s also not difficult, because there is no answer save for my foolishness. And it is pure foolishness because Victor’s is a dream come true.

While part of the place is straight-up butcher, Victor’s also serves up sandwiches and assorted pre-cooked foods and salads and such. I was in for a sandwich, but I got more than I expected. Continue Reading»

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Delis, Los Angeles, meat, Palms, pastrami, Sandwiches, Victor's Meats & Delicatessen

Breaking the Fast at Greenblatt’s

October 12th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Damn you, pickle!

After a long day of repenting and fasting, I needed a good Jewish meal to remind my body and mind what eating felt like. Since we were attending a comedy show later that night at The Laugh Factory, we decided to go to an ancient little deli next door called Greenblatt’s. And when I say ancient, I meant it’s been there since 1926. That means when my grandma was living in LA in the late ’40s, it was already old and she remembers its existence. To survive for 85 years anywhere, let a lone a big city where change is the only contant is quite impressive. I was eager to find out what kept Greenblatt’s ticking and to satiate my fully empty stomach. Continue Reading»

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Corned Beef, Delis, greenblatt's, Los Angeles, meat, pastrami, restaurants, Sandwiches, west hollywood

Detroit-ish Deli at Nate ‘n Al

March 23rd, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Pastrami and eggs is a real breakfast.

For a nice little Sunday brunch with the grandparents in Beverly Hills, we headed to an LA icon. This icon is Nate ‘n Al and it’s been hanging out in Beverly Hills since before the hillbillies. Started in 1945 by two good old fashioned Detroiters named Al Mendelson and Nate Reimers, Nate ‘n Al brings the comfort of Detroit delis to Southern California. Supposedly. But I would be the judge of that. Continue Reading»

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Beverly Hills, Brunch, Delis, Los Angeles, meat, nate 'n al, pastrami, restaurants

Going Blue Collar at Jack’s Classic Hamburgers

January 6th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

A perfect corner for burgers.

Although I am well aware of the crazy mix of people residing in North Hollywood, I was still amazed when I discovered the clientele at Jack’s Classic Hamburgers. A moderate walk from my office, I knew this would be a perfect place for me before I even saw the menu. This was because 1) they were mostly men and 2) they all seemed to be blue collar men. No yuppies in white shirts and skinny ties here. Instead of that, there were construction workers, cable men, an Iron Mountain driver and finally a dude who might have been related to Dog the Bounty Hunter. I was a little ashamed having come from my well-ventilated desk job, but I was ready to devour a burger just as manly as any of these guys. Continue Reading»

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Beef, Burgers, hamburgers, jack's classic hamburgers, Los Angeles, meat, north hollywood, pastrami

Legendary Meat at Langer’s Deli

December 21st, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

In cursive, so you know it's good.

All-too-often restaurants claim to have “the best” blah blah blah in the world, but sometimes there is a restaurant that makes no claim to have the best of anything and lets the customers tell the good news. Langer’s Deli is one of the latter. Located in the not-so-posh neighborhood of MacArthur Park, Langer’s has become known for their pastrami. Many who have tried it have claimed it is the best ever, so to do the unvegan world a favor, I had to try it out myself. Continue Reading»

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California, Corned Beef, Delis, Jewish, langer's deli, Los Angeles, macarthur park, meat, pastrami, restaurants, Sandwiches

Mixing Meats at The Stage Deli

December 15th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Stack me some beef!

The Stage Deli of West Bloomfield seems a bit out of place. Sandwiches are named after Broadway shows and aside from the one picture of Eminem, everything reeks of New York. Nonetheless, The Stage Deli is a staple Jewish deli in West Bloomfield Township. Rather than limiting themselves to sandwiches named for classic shows and actors, The Stage has modernized itself by throwing in such shows as Mama Mia and even movies like Casino Royale. Continue Reading»

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Corned Beef, Delis, Jewish, lion king, meat, michigan, new york, pastrami, restaurants, Sandwiches, the stage deli, west bloomfield

A Late-Night Feast at Johnnie’s Pastrami

November 9th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Unvegan paradise.

Every once in a while, it’s good that the Taco Bell nearest to me isn’t 24-hours. If it weren’t for that, I never would have gone to Johnnie’s Pastrami and found one of the greatest sandwiches in the world. Located in Culver City, Johnnie’s is open 24 hours and ready to serve a hungry clientele.

I entered with a group of five and we squeezed into a four-person booth. The not-exactly friendly waitress handed us our menus, but I already knew I would be getting the French Dip Pastrami that is featured in Johnnie’s neon sign. I really only looked at the menu to see the price, which was a surprising $10.50 for the sandwich. I guess breaking out of the Taco Bell comfort zone also risks spending more money. I asked the waitress if the sandwich was just the meat and bread, and she said yes. Not even onions. Perhaps I had died and gone to heaven. Continue Reading»

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Au Jus, Culver City, french dip, johnnie's pastrami, Late-Night, meat, pastrami, restaurants, Sandwiches

Canter’s Deli

December 31st, 2008 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Who could ask for anything more?

Another LA landmark restaurant that has managed to evade me since I have lived here is Canter’s Deli, located at Fairfax and 3rd Street. Canter’s is a good old-fashioned Jewish-style deli, heavy on meat and character.

Their menu is immense, but the best way I know to judge a Jewish deli is the pastrami. As goes the pastrami, so goes the deli. Canter’s offers a hot pastrami sandwich, which I promptly ordered after the waitress told me it was simply pastrami and rye, without any wasted add-ons. Continue Reading»

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Delis, food, Jewish, Late-Night, Los Angeles, meat, pastrami, restaurants, Sandwiches

Rants and Raves

Meat Makes Us Human

July 8th, 2009

According to this news release, we owe meat for our very existence as higher life forms. Released by the University of California – Berkeley (the hippie vegetarian capital of the academic world), it says that as our ancestors began to spread out in Africa, they started replacing vegetables with meat to compensate for the lack of edible vegetables.

Beer Me Some Breckenridge Agave Wheat

The taste of skiing?

Colorado is definitely a beer state, and not just because Coors comes from the Rocky Mountain State. No, it is also home to New Belgium (of Fat Tire fame) and seemingly countless other micro and craft breweries. While in Breckenridge for a ski weekend, I decided I had to at least try one of these, and because it turned out to be the only one available at dinner, my choice happened to come from the creatively named Breckenridge Brewery. The brewery, by the way, is actually no longer in Breckenridge, having expanded and moved to Denver in 1992.

‘pastrami’

At Home at Victor’s Meats & Delicatessen

Breaking the Fast at Greenblatt’s

Detroit-ish Deli at Nate ‘n Al

Going Blue Collar at Jack’s Classic Hamburgers

Legendary Meat at Langer’s Deli

Mixing Meats at The Stage Deli

A Late-Night Feast at Johnnie’s Pastrami

Canter’s Deli

Rants and Raves

Meat Makes Us Human

Beer Me Some Breckenridge Agave Wheat

What is this?»

Unvegan Friends