The Unvegan » pastrami

At Home at Victor’s Meats & Delicatessen

The Unvegan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:00:47 +0000

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.

Yes, I did the muenster mash.

First, I have to say that Victor’s is slow, but not in the annoying “I’m being ignored” way, but in the “wow, they really spend a lot of time with each customer” way. In a world of fast food, I found this incredibly refreshing, even if it did mean my starving belly didn’t come into contact with meat for an extra 7 minutes or so.

I decided to go with their hot pastrami sandwich, which ordinarily comes with a plethora of toppings unfit for an unvegan. Instead, I simply went with muenster cheese and Russian dressing. I watched as my helper sliced the pastrami himself, loaded up the bread with muenster and toasted the sandwich and my mouth got into some deep watering. I also decided to get myself some mac and cheese as a side, because one can never have too much cheese.

In total my meal cost about 10 bucks and took my bag of grub back home to take care of business.

Business was delicious. The pastrami was definitely not the best I’d ever had, and got to be a bit salty at times, but still made me very happy. I was more than happy to have muenster cheese, which simply is not offered as an option at enough places. Honestly, I’m not sure of the last time I saw it outside of my own fridge. The Russian dressing was a nice addition of flavor and kept the sandwich from getting too dry, although the pastrami was plenty juicy. Finally, there was the bread itself. I must say, while it did not compare with bread like that of Bay Cities, it was still quite good. It held up strong and I feel like it would be great for something like a Philly cheese steak as well as simple deli sandwiches like mine.

Could I get muenster on top of this?

The mac and cheese made for a nice side, but wasn’t really anything special. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as Victor’s isn’t some revolutionary deli, but it still could have been a little more interesting.

So, Victor’s is awesome. No, it is not the best sandwich in the world. No, it is not the fastest service in the world. But you know what, the place is damn endearing, the prices are damn good and it is seriously worth checking out, even if you are more than two minutes away.

Breaking the Fast at Greenblatt’s

The Unvegan — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:00:47 +0000

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.

We waited about 10 minutes for table, as we were clearly not the only Jews who thought Greenblatt’s would be a good break fast meal. Once seated, it was only a matter of time until I found the meatiest, awesomest-looking sandwich. It was the #5 combo – a triple decker filled with hot pastrami, corned beef, swiss cheese, twice baked rye, Russian dressing and cole slaw. I got mine slaw-less and it also came with a side choice and I went with kettle chips.

Soon enough, the sandwich was brought out by our friendly waitress, piled on high with kettle chips. Off to the side, though, there was an ominous pickle that I moved over to the girlfriend’s plate as soon as I could get a picture off. It was not worth the risk of allowing dastardly pickle juice to ruin my break fast. Once vacated, the sandwich was ready for devourment. It was nothing short of delicious. The corned beef was juicy and beefy, while the pastrami was well-seasoned and similarly juicy. And while these were good, the bread was actually quite amazing. It had just the right texture to keep the sandwich together, which was no small feat, and the crust was about as perfect as you can get. It was crispy, but didn’t give up a huge fight before succumbing to my teeth. And speaking of succumbing to my teeth, the sandwich was monstrously tall, requiring two full bites to get through and perfectly meaty.

It’s pretty clear why Greenblatt’s has survived for so long. They have some pretty great meats and although they don’t quite reach Langer’s levels, they were certainly worthy of revisiting, whether to break the fast or otherwise.

Detroit-ish Deli at Nate ‘n Al

The Unvegan — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:00:05 +0000

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.

The interior looks just as you would expect from a deli. Reddish-brown booths line the walls and none of the wait-staff seem to have any desire to be actors or models. It really does feel like walking into a deli in Detroit. The menu was huge, with sandwiches galore, but being breakfast I limited myself to some morning options. Yet, breakfast or not, I was not willing to let a little something like time prevent me from eating pastrami. I ordered their Pastrami and Two Eggs Scrambled for the SoCal price of $10.25. I was given the option of having the pastrami scrambled with the eggs and was all like, “hell yeah.” On top of that, I had the choice of tomato, potatoes or cottage cheese and another choice of toast, bagel, roll, English muffin or bialy. It wasn’t easy, but I went with hash browns and a salt bagel with cream cheese.

But how did it taste? Well, kind of like you would expect if you scrambled eggs with pastrami. Essentially, in every bit I looked forward to chowing down on the pastrami more than the egg, because…well…egg just really isn’t the best conduit for pastrami. The flavor of the egg competed more than worked together with the pastrami and it left the pastrami feeling kind of flavorless. Or at least I’m pretty sure it was the egg that made it flavorless. It’s also possible that I’m just spoiled by the pastrami from Langer’s. This was too bad, but it taught me a valuable lesson: If I want to know the truth worth of a deli, any time is sandwich time.

That's a thick bagel.

As for the sides, I couldn’t have asked for more. The hash browns were cooked to a perfect crisp and needed only minimal salt to turn them into potatoey perfection. The salt bagel, conversely, was overly salted. They all tend to be that way, which is cool with me, especially because by the time it had been desalinated, I found a bagel most similar (in LA) to the bagels of Detroit. Nice and dense, the bagel was a great side that really tied the meal together.

Although Nate ‘n Al gave me some mixed feelings, it is definitely a place I want to go back to. But next time I’ll be sure to scrap the eggs for a really deli sandwich, or one of those delicious-looking hot dogs.

Going Blue Collar at Jack’s Classic Hamburgers

The Unvegan — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:00:40 +0000

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.

Business in the front, party in the back, bluetooth on the side.

Jack’s Classic Hamburgers sits at the corner of a busy intersection and is little more than a stand, a few picnic tables and a couple of stools. The one menu is posted on a wall underneath the green awning, so if you don’t know what to order, you should be prepared for a bit of awkwardness. Having checked into this place on Foursquare (white collar) as soon as I arrived, I unlocked a $1 off special if I ordered any combo. I thought it was pretty awesome that a burger shack like this was caught up in Foursquare and Twitter. I looked at the menu and thought their pastrami burger looked good, but there was no mention of cheese being on it. There was also no mention of combos. I asked the man behind the counter about both and he said they were both an option. I asked him what else came on the burger and he shot back that it was fully loaded, with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mustard, ketchup and mayo. This was more than I could handle, so I asked for it simply with cheese, pastrami and ketchup. He was happy to oblige. I ordered it as a combo, showed him my Foursquare discount and paid up $6.25.

But wait, there's more fries under the burger.

When I saw the basket, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of fries. They dwarfed the burger, but the burger looked good in it’s own right. They had fry seasoning that I helped myself to and then took a seat at one of the picnic tables. Even before biting in, I was impressed with the burger because it wasn’t half-wrapped in paper like just about every other place in SoCal. Not only was this place blue collar, it was also non-conformist.

I almost want to grind that pastrami into a burger.

I bit into my double beefy burger and was in cow heaven (the heaven that my eating habits send cows to). The burger was juicy, cheesy and beefy. The thing glistened in the sun as I chowed down on that then, yet satisfying patty. The pastrami was a nice addition to the burger and the seasoning in it added a punch of flavor. I was also glad that they hadn’t skimped on the pastrami. After ordering, I had an initial worry that I should have ordered the double burger, but the amount of pastrami convinced me I had made the right choice. The single slice of American cheese rounded out a well-balanced burger that was definitely worth eating.

As for the fries, these were as good as you get for fast food. Most of them were crispy on the outside and had the right gooey starchiness on the inside. The only real trouble was eating them all, which I wasn’t able to do.

I left Jack’s Classic Hamburgers as a full and happy unvegan. I only wished that I was heading back to work at a coal mine or smelting plant rather than my white collar job.

Actually no, my job is awesome.

Legendary Meat at Langer’s Deli

The Unvegan — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:43:14 +0000

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.

Just looks like an ordinary restaurant...

Since they are only open Mon-Sat and only until 4 PM, I went for some lunch on a Saturday. The outside of the place says they serve Hot Pastrami Sandwiches, but makes no claim to have the best. Inside looks like the average diner or deli, nothing pretty, but definitely comfortable. I didn’t really need to look at the menu, other than to ensure I ordered the correct pastrami sandwich. Lucky for me, their best was sitting nicely at the top of the menu, simply called Hot Pastrami. The menu described this sandwich as, “…a Select Cut of Beef, Sugar-Cured and Seasoned as Corned Beef, Then Slowly Smoked for Tenderness and Tantalizing Taste and Flavor, Then Covered with Choice and Costly Spices.” How could any of this be bad? Well aside from pointing out that the spices are costly, which I felt was a sort of strange thing to do, considering the sandwich was a modest $11.95.

Crispy latkes

So I ordered may pastrami, with an appetizer of latkes (potato pancakes) for the table to share, then waited. About five minutes after ordering, I shot up from the table and chased down my waiter. I had forgotten to order without a pickle and wouldn’t allow that fluorescent vegetable to ruin my sandwich. Thankfully I found him and made my request. The latkes came and were nice and thick. Not quite like my momma used to make, but definitely the type I expect from a Jewish deli. These went great with apple sauce and weren’t nearly as oily as they could have been.

Then the sandwiches came.

The pastrami to end all pastramis.

Mine was beautiful. It was stacked with thick-cut pastrami like I had never seen before. And not a pickle in sight! Amazingly, it looked a whole lot like the pictures on the walls, which meant that either the sandwich always looks awesome or that they didn’t try to make the pictures unrealistic. The sandwich was thick, but not so thick that I couldn’t get my mouth around it. I was afraid to ruin this work of meaty art, but I took my first bite and fell in love. The pastrami was perfectly seasoned and at just the right level of warmth. It needed nothing else on it and although my friends had ordered things like Russian dressing, cheese and cole slaw with their sandwiches, mine was perfect just as it was. Even the bread knew its role in the sandwich was simply to help get the meat to my mouth without altering too much of the taste.

This beef has been corned into tastiness.

I also had the opportunity to try out the corned beef, which was like the pastrami except without the spices. I was expecting it to be a big downer after that pastrami, but this was also some of the best corned beef I’ve had. The difference was that with the corned beef, it was good to have Russian dressing and cheese to add some flavor to the sandwich.

Wow, Langer’s was awesome. I had some pretty high expectations and this deli more than met them. Langer’s Deli is now the barometer by which I shall judge all Jewish-style pastrami sandwiches.

Mixing Meats at The Stage Deli

The Unvegan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:53:33 +0000

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.

Since pastrami and corned beef have always seemed to be the barometer for how good a deli is, my eyes shot to the sandwich called Lion King. Since I am often confused with the king of the lions, this was not surprising. The sandwich was a choice of pastrami or corned beef with swiss cheese. Instead of making that terribly difficult choice of meats, they offered to mix me up a batch of combined pastrami and corned beef. I also got a side of Russian dressing in case of emergency.

Shortly before my food arrived, I realized that I had made a grave mistake: I forgot to order without a pickle. At all other restaurants I would be upset because they did not warn me of the pickle on the menu, but at a deli, I could not be upset. Delis always serve pickles. This was terrible, because I knew that any moment my waitress would be walking out of the kitchen brandishing a plate of meat, cheese, bread and a pickle. How shameful I felt as an unvegan. As my plate arrived, not all of my worst nightmares came true. Yes, there was a pickle, but no, the pickle juice did not attack my sandwich.

As soon as I could, I passed this pickle onto a relative and took a look at my sandwich. Unlike the New York deli of a similar (same) name, this deli stacked my meat high, but to an edible level. I had to stretch my jaw all the way to take a bite, but didn’t have to remove any of the meat to do so. I knew I wouldn’t die of a protein overdose. The sandwich was pretty standard, but not in a bad way. The pastrami and corned beef both tasted good, but not great. Swiss cheese was a nice touch. The bread was especially good, but overall the sandwich just made me content and didn’t amaze me. The Stage Deli is a good stop for a good sandwich, but it’s not terribly special.

A Late-Night Feast at Johnnie’s Pastrami

The Unvegan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:07:38 +0000

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.

Within minutes, I was presented with a beautiful sandwich that made me forgot about the money. I would have paid $10.50 just to look at this work of art. The bread was fluffy and overloaded with pastrami. My foolish friend that made the mistake of ordering a cheeseburger, looked at my sandwich in awe. The one thing I noticed to be missing was some au jus for dipping. The waitress told me it was pre-dipped, but I could get some on the side. I took a test bite and decided this was unnecessary. The pastrami was perfectly juicy and I didn’t want to risk upsetting the balance of bread and juicy meat.

Halfway through the sandwich, I had to make a crucial decision about whether I should finish the beauty or take her home. I decided that the memory of the sandwich might be ruined through refrigeration and reheating, so with the help of my hapless hamburger-eating friend, we destroyed what was left of the sandwich.

In the end, the only thing I could’ve wished for was friendlier service, however, at 2:30 in the morning, the most important thing was to find some good food. Johnnie’s Pastrami certainly delivered on that end.

Canter’s Deli

The Unvegan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:00:07 +0000

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.

While my friend and I waited, the waitress brought out pickles, which I dared not touch, but my friend seemed to enjoy. Despite my hatred for all things pickled, I am glad that Canter’s chooses to serve the pickles separate from the real food, ensuring that they don’t pollute the pristine meat sandwiches.

When my sandwich came, it was just as I had hoped. Mounds upon mounds of meat between bread. The pastrami was quite good – not too fatty, while still being comfortably juicy. It didn’t take too long to finish and once I was done, all I wanted was more. I had actually expected the sandwich to be more filling and failed to order any sort of soup or side. Next time I’ll be sure to remedy that. The price was a bit high, but who can really put a price on great pastrami?