Langer's - Perceptor's Report

[Perceptor]

Just the mention of Langer's famous pastrami makes me hungry.... this is hands down the best pastrami i've ever had.. is thick, just enough fat, and excellent flavor... there's really not much more I can write about Langer's... for those of you that's been there know what i'm talking about and for those of you that's never been there need to leave your office and go right now...

Here is my usual Langer's experience:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=9zp0kgn.1r8wts03&x=0&y=-96dt6&localeid=en_US

Langer's
704 S Alvarado St
Los Angeles, CA 90057
[phone]
www.langersdeli.com

- Perceptor

[SecretHeadquarters]

I dream about the #10 on a daily basis - just throwing that out there.

[phantomdoc]

The pics here and Langers web site show a pretty skinny pastrami sandwich.

[ns1]

Have you eaten one? I've never had a complaint about the quantity. The price maybe, but not the quantity.

Whole = greater than sum of its parts.

[choctastic]

YMMV. Sometimes the sandwich is skinny but sometimes the kitchen does itself proud and almost hits Katz size sandwiches. Usually, it's skinny though.

[Clyde]

Does anyone know if they have Sable (smoked black cod)? It's my all time favorite and not easy to find in LA. i know Nate and Al's has it.

[PlatypusJ]

You would have liked the Larry David sandwich, then. It had white fish, Sable, capers, cream cheese, and onions. Unfortunately, it is not now available.

[New Trial]

Barney Greengrass is the place to go if you want excellent sable--or sturgeon, or Nova, for that matter.

-----
Barney Greengrass Restaurant
9570 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

[Mr Taster]

Or salty belly lox.... a truly rare find in Los Angeles. The only other place i know that actually serves true lox is The Nosh in Beverly Hills.

Mr Taster

[exilekiss]

Hi Perceptor,

Thanks for another great pic report! :) Definitely nice to spotlight an L.A. classic for new visitors to CH.

[Kate is always hungry]

I'm planning a trip to Langer's soon. How is the corned beef? Or is it heresy not to order the pastrami?

[Dommy]

Corned beef is EXCELLENT... we get one Pastrami... one Corned Beef and share halves of each...:)

--Dommy!

[nosh]

I almost always trust Dommy's tastes, but it IS heresy to go to Langer's and not order the pastrami on rye. I order mine untrimmed, because I like the crusty, fatty peppery edges and it adds moisture -- personally, I forego mustard, thousand island, cheese, or slaw on my pastrami on rye. My favorite side is the french fries, ordered welldone -- easily big enough for two to split. And if you need a starter, I like a cup of the matzoh ball soup.

[Dommy]

Oh no... we ALWAYS order the Pastrami... That is why I mentioned... go with a friend... split!! Best of both worlds... ;)

--Dommy!

[kevin]

Or just order a double sandwich with both pastrami and corned beef on there.

Just make sure to skip the Russian dressing, coleslaw, and cheese.

Unless you are planning on eating more than one sandwich that is.
.
One other thought: Is it just me or is the amount of pastrami on the pastrami on rye a pretty meager portion compared to other delis, etc across town. Down get me wrong, I'm all about quality over quantity but usually langer's seems to be pretty stingy with the amount of pastrami in the sandwich

[ns1]

I think that's by design, so you get the proper proportion of each instead of having an overly salty/meaty sandwich.

[young_chower]

I was also there on Saturday and was very satisfied as always. I did notice, though, that the price of a No. 19 is getting a little out of hand. Still worth it though.

[jay 1]

was at langer's on saturday with my brother who is a chef/food consultnat....and has been looking forward to a langer's sandwich for about 15 years. he was not disappointed! he had a 19 and i always get a straight pastrami with extra meat, as i think the regular pastrami is not enough meat. he agrees that the way to go is just the pastrami, as the slaw and 1000 detract rather than add. he has spent some years in nyc and felt the only thing that compares is katz's....but langer's beats it. also had cabbage soup and barley giblet soup, both very good. the potato salad is much better than the slaw. didn't see chief bratten.

[nimo]

I think on my next trip to NYC, I'm going to have Langer's for lunch before I leave, and then go straight to Katz's for dinner upon arrival. No better way to compare and contrast.

[Mr Taster]

I did this.

The verdict.... Katz's and Langer's are equally tender, but I think Katz's seasoning is slightly better than Langer's. However, the Katz's bread comes out of a plastic bag. No comparison to Langer's. So overall, I'd say the sandwich as a whole at Langer's but for the meat itself, Katz's has a slight edge.

Mr Taster

[kevin]

Yeah, I remember the loaf of bread in the bag at Katz's. But I prefer the actual meat at Langer's more too. And you don't have to ever really deal with lines at Langer's nor those stupid, draconian ticketing system that Katz's employs.

[kevin]

was this your first visit to langers's just couldn't tell.

[Perceptor]

kevin... nah wasnt my first time but it has been a while and the craving was loud.....

[kevin]

as always your pictures are great. But if could've been even better if you went for the Pastrami sandwich, without the fixins such as coleslaw, cheese, and or sauce.

I guess even though I' m not quite at the age of being a curmudgeon, I still like my Pastrami classic, especially if it's high quality stuff like at Langer's

[Perceptor]

kevin....my only experiences from Langer's have been #19.. but i think is time to get it just straight up...

[Mr Taster]

Agreed. All the fixin's glop belongs nowhere near the wonderful lusciousness of Langer's pastrami. Just add a little bit of gulden's mustard to bring out the flavor, and that's all you need. The rest is just gilding the lily.

Mr Taster

[xhotelie]

Went last Friday with a retired friend who had been going there since the early '70s -- his favorite server was still working, and she give him a good-natured ribbing for staying away for so long. Great rye bread, wonderful pastrami. Had my bread grilled, with a little sauerkraut. Didn't use much of the Russian dressing that came on the side. Nice, essential flavors. Heard other diners talking with their servers specifically about the thickness of the slices -- substantial, as opposed to shaved, flaky and greasy.

Free parking (with validation) about a block away. People-watching pretty good, too; saw Chief Bratton coming in just before we left last week.

--CT

[Perceptor]

xhotelie.... chief Bratton was there when I ate there this past Saturday as well... he parked right in front of Langer's... must be nice :-)

[ns1]

breakfast is awesome as well.

corned beef hash + french toast = win