It’s no secret that Pasadena isn’t quite flush with Jews. That might be related to the fact that the Hebrews were banned from living in the place until more recent times, but who can really know. What is know, though, is that without Jews there is a certain lack of amenities like good bagels and Jewish delis. Fortunately, the Pasadena Sandwich Company is there to at list fill part of the niche of the Jewish deli.
Offering sandwiches filled with kosher-style meats like pastrami and corned beef with rye bread fulfills the sandwich cravings at the very least. I found one of their sandwiches, called the Sheepherder (not to be confused with Shepherder), filed up a whole lot more.
This thing was double decker rye bread filled with corned beef, pastrami, beef salami, turkey breast and swiss cheese with Russian dressing. It may have taken forever to arrive (seriously they may have begun the corning process when we ordered), but it came out looking almost perfect. I say almost because there was a big fat pickle on the plate that I had seen on the menu, but forgotten about. Yet, with that removed, it was on to the meaty dream sandwich. While the corned beef and pastrami were overrepresented compared to the salami and turkey, it was probably for the best as these were some delicious cured meats. At the very least they were on par with your typical Jewish deli.
After all, when you live in Pasadena it’s hard to find that Jewish food. And even if the pastrami doesn’t blow you away like Langer’s and the wait is long, it sure handles the craving and beats a drive to the west side.
