Duck Is The New...Well, Duck.

Greetings, Readers!

Recently I've been traveling around a bit throughout Southern California in an effort to find a great venue for an event. It's been a really incredible experience, but as you know with any bit of traveling, exhaustion does set in.

Exhaustion and hunger.

Thankfully while touring around in Camarillo and Malibu, I passed by one of my favorite places in the area, Ladyface Ale Companie.

Now, I have previously reviewed Ladyface before, Post-2012 Presidential election, so you know by now my love of this place, but would the food still live up to my standard if I tackled another sandwich?

Only one way to find out.

Previously enjoying the Croque Monsieur, I decided this would be the time to try the Duck Confit sandwich. Duck can be tricky to work with as it can typically be a bit greasy and hence not so appealing to most people.

This sandwich though was excellent. A healthy dose of shredded duck, gruyere cheese, dried fruit mostarda and mustard greens stuffed into a fresh baguette, this sandwich provided a number of complementary and contrasting flavors. The mustard greens had their earthy and peppery flavors while the duck and mostarda provided smoky and sweet flavors that took turns in the spotlight with each bite.

The duck was not greasy, but tender and full of flavor. The sandwich has furthered my desire to find more duck sandwiches when combined with the great experience of the lavender Duck Confit at Sweetsalt in Studio City.

So, Readers, this sandwich still lives up to the quality of the other food offerings and the amazing beer provided by Ladyface. While Agoura Hills may seem a little out of the way for some of you, it's definitely worth making the trip out on a slow weekend afternoon.

I know it'll be worth your time.

Until next week, Readers...


Duck Confit
**** 1/2 Stars
Ladyface Ale Companie
23281 Agoura Road
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
http://www.ladyfaceale.com/

On The Lam(b) In The Valley

Greetings Dear Readers!

Was your Memorial Day filled with barbecues and sandwiches?

Well mine was, and I'm here to report my findings to you this week so that you may share in the joy I experienced this weekend.

I had just been recommended to visit Hardy's Meat Market in Studio City the other day, and couldn't for the life of me think of where it was located. After looking it up though, I realized that I had passed by this little corner deli/market a million times in the past but had never bothered to step in.

The two guys working at the deli counter were incredibly friendly and very fast in making this delicious sandwich. Although there is no real standard for each type of sandwich (it's build your own straight from the ground up).

I had the gents at the counter pile on the warm sliced leg of lamb on top of a baguette with mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, jalapeños and onions. I wasn't too sure about the mustard and mayo at first, but I did insist the guys pile on the works, and they assured me it would taste good.

And you know what? It did. Those two condiments really did blend well with the delicious lamb.

And speaking about the lamb, it was amazing, tender and flavorful. It stood out from all of the accessories of the sandwich and really shined.

The greens on the sandwich were fresh, crunchy, and flavorful, adding a nice flavor contrast to the lamb and adding a bit of crunch to the sandwich as well.

The bread was a flaky baguette that held up under the weight of all of the fixins the sandwich crafters piled on. It also happened to be very tasty bread as well.

Overall, this was an excellent recommendation and I enjoyed the sandwich highly. I will have to make this a future stop on my way home from work more often now that I know what hidden gems are hiding away in this inconspicuous corner market.

Until next week, Readers!

Roast Leg of Lamb Sandwich

**** Stars

Hardy's Meat Market

12903 Moorpark Avenue

Studio City, CA 91604

A Hidden Gem

Dearest Readers!

I've learned on this wonderful sandwich journey thus far, that sometimes the best sandwich places are very deceiving in looks.

What I mean is that sometimes, the fancy, five-star restaurant on 5th Avenue is not always the best place to get a delicious sandwich. Sometimes the best place is somewhere you'd walk past until you're told about it.

Visiting downtown LA recently, I was instructed to visit a small deli in the lobby of the Lady Liberty Building at 843 S. Los Angeles Street. A very unassuming lunch counter is a marbled lobby that you wouldn't even notice if you didn't stop to look around.

All of the sandwich options sounded delicious, but after having eaten a bunch of not-so-healthy sandwiches lately, I thought I would go for the healthy turkey option...with the works.

This sandwich had delicious Boar's Head cracked pepper turkey, with onions, lettuce, provolone cheese, tomatoes, banana peppers and cucumbers, mustard and mayo, all on top of a freshly baked baguette.

Wow. The turkey was unbelievably delicious. Probably the best turkey I've had to date. Just fresh and with a great smoky flavor and a slight pepper taste. Delicious.

The baguette had just come out of the over and was so delicious, I could have just eaten that alone and been entirely satisfied. It was a little bit flaky on the outside, but warm and soft on the inside.

The one flavor that took me a few minutes to figure out was the cucumbers. Mixed in with the other vegetables and the two spreads, the flavor wasn't as prominent as cucumbers can be, but mixing in with these other flavors, it provided an entirely new, creamy flavor that worked wonders with this sandwich.

Overall this was an excellent sandwich, and a true delight to find a great deli, though it may be far removed from the majority of Los Angeles. This is definitely a sandwich I will be trying again.

Until next week readers, keep up the good fight, and find that DANGER sandwich!

**** Stars

Peppered Turkey Sandwich

New York Deli

843 S. Los Angeles Street

Los Angeles, CA 90014