New Site, Same Great Sandwiches

My Dear, Dear Readers.

You have made this job of sandwiching so much fun over the past few years, and I thank you for joining me on this amazing journey through food.

But now it's time for a change. It's time for a revamped blog, something that can add so much more to the experience while I stick to my life mission of finding fantastic sandwiches.

So next Wednesday, I will be launching the new version of this blog at www.thedangersandwich.com, no more blogspot, no more extended web address, just straight shootin', Tex.

I am able to keep this blog going because of you, and because of that I will need your help in spreading the word of The Danger Sandwich. So, I hope you'll come, check it out and spread the word.

I hope you're as excited about the coming changes as I am.

Until next week...

An Afternoon with a Legend

Greetings, Readers!

After five entries of sandwiches from Hawaii, it seemed difficult at first to find a good sandwich to mark my return to Los Angeles based sandwiches.

How could I find something so good here, in LA that would be able to put my memories of my time in the 50th state behind me for the time being so that I may impartially judge a sandwich here.

Such is the hard life of a sandwichologist.

Taking away the great responsibility of picking a place though, my former roommate Ross suggested we meet at Langer's Delicatessen for a belated birthday lunch. Only a one block walk from a Red Line Metro Station (yes we have a Metro system), I approached what would soon turn out to be a momentous occasion on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Stepping inside this Los Angeles institution, one is transported back in time. The interior hasn't been updated in what seems like quite some time but it absolutely adds to the charm of the place. The warm and welcoming staff don't hurt either. The experience of Langer's reminds me very much of many of the East Coast diners I've been to, and I mean that as a statement of high compliment.

While at times the lines to get into Langer's can be exceptionally long, and the fact that they close at 4pm, this is a great place to order a sandwich, have a drink and soak in the history and homeliness of a fantastic dining establishment.

But you're here to find out if their sandwiches are any good, right? You want to know if it's possible that all the talk about Langer's pastrami or corned beef sandwiches are really worth the hype.

Take it from me, it is not hype at all. It is honest truth.

Langer's is known for their #19, a pastrami, Swiss cheese, cole slaw, and Russian Dressing affair. I had considered going with this, but I am not always a fan of the cold cole slaw contrast with the warm pastrami and so did the #19 without cole slaw.

The pastrami was delicious. Thick, tender cuts stacked high between two slices of rye bread, it's obvious why their pastrami is so famous. Smoky cuts combined with the smoky melted Swiss and a bit of tang and sweetness from the Russian dressing, this sandwich is a great excuse to take Metro and meet a friend for lunch. It's simple and straightforward. This sandwich doesn't need flashy ingredients to make it stand out.

And compared to the other pastrami sandwiches I've had, this one is top notch, conversation or not. If you live here or are just visiting, make sure this is the stop you make if you're looking for great pastrami.

Until next week, Readers...


Pastrami w/ Swiss and Russian Dressing
*****
Langer's Delicatessen
704 S. Alvarado Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057

Cold Weather, Warm Sandwich (Part 1)

Greetings Readers and Sandwich Lovers!

I am back from my trip to the East Coast, but not all had gone as planned.

Originally the goal for the blog was to not only sandwich in Philadelphia, but also New York and Washington DC. I had hoped to build up quite a collection of sandwich outings that I had been researching for months.

Numerous roadblocks surfaced with that plan.

For starters, I caught a stomach bug that was going around in the Northeast which sidelined sandwiching as my stomach fought back against me for a number of days, and caused me to cancel my trip to DC altogether.

Secondly, the entire week was absolutely freezing. The day I was in New York the high temperature was only 27. So I had to cut my trip short, but not before I revisited a place I hadn't been for about 6 years.

Carnegie Deli.

This place is known far and wide, even by people who had never been there or even in Manhattan.

I'm sure if you live in or spend more time in the city you could find many other quality delis, but this is THE one of prominence and fame.

Years ago I had tried THE sandwich of sandwiches here: The Woody Allen.

This is a sandwich that is stacked about 6 inches high with pastrami and corned beef with only four small triangles of rye bread keeping the two halves of the sandwich together. It was a monumental task that, sadly, I never finished.

This time around I figured I would tone it back a bit to have a sandwich that would be much more manageable to eat by one person in one sitting. I simply ordered a pastrami sandwich on rye, something that I haven't had in a few days.

Or hours.

Though not as tall as the Woody Allen, this sandwich was still stacked about 4 inches high with freshly sliced, warm pastrami.

This meat was absolutely delicious. Slow cooked for an extended period of time with the slight bite of pickling spices. The flavor was complemented well with spicy deli mustard that I added, but besides the meat, there wasn't anything else on the sandwich.

So while I did love this pastrami sandwich, it was essentially like eating a pile of delicious sliced meat with four scraps of bread. I would have enjoyed some onions, pickles, cole slaw or even Swiss cheese to top it off and add a little textural contrast to the sandwich, because as much as I love pastrami, I like a little variety too.

My return to Carnegie was much more successful than my previous visit, and while many people will enjoy a plain pastrami and bread sandwich, I was hoping for something above and beyond the usual. While the meat was some of the best pastrami I have ever tasted, this sandwich left me wanting more.

And so ended my trek through the cold streets of Manhattan. Wanting to stay for more sandwiching adventures, but absolutely too cold to wander anymore, I left looking for my next place to review in Philadelphia.

Until next week, Readers...



The Pastrami Sandwich
*** 1/2 Stars
Carnegie Deli
854 7th Avenue
New York, NY
http://www.carnegiedeli.com

The Great Burbank Deli Hunt - Part 5

Greetings, Readers!

I am sad to announce some very bad news to you: this is the last entry in our Burbank adventure.

Did you think I was going to say I was ending the blog? Because that's insane. I may be on a new diet and exercise routine, but that does not mean I will give up my love of sandwiches, nor my love of reporting it.

The real problem with writing about Burbank is that there are just too many places to review, so I will have to tackle this area again in the near future.

On our last stop in Burbank, my traveling partner Bryan mentioned that the Burbank Deli & Carryout was known to have the best liverwurst sandwich in town. Now, I have never had liverwurst, nor had I even thought about it as a possibility for consumption, but I was up for the experience.

If i was going to try it, why not at the deli with the sign that says "best wurst in town"?

Sadly though (or luckily enough?) the deli hadn't served liverwurst in a few years, but had kept the sign because it had become such a staple of the shop. Speaking with the sandwich artist we were recommended two different sandwiches: The Pastrami and the Assorted Meats.

Having already tried numerous pastrami sandwiches, we decided to tackle the Assorted Meats Sandwich.

Stacked with ham, bologna, salami, roast beef, lettuce, jalapenos, peperoncini, provolone cheese, tomatoes, salt, pepper and mayo on a long Italian roll, this sandwich delivers with flavor and is filling.

Each of the meats lends their own distinctive flavor without really tripping over each other. The ham and bologna flavors blend well together with the salami and roast beef sticking out from the crowd with their own distinctive flavors. The peperoncinis and jalapenos add a spicy kick while the lettuce gives this meaty sandwich a little bit of crunch.

Oh, and the roll held up throughout the entire ordeal. Quite the feat for how much is contained inside.

So this ends this journey through Burbank to discover some of the best delis in town. Besides finding numerous delicious sandwiches to eat, I think I gained an insight into what makes Burbank a great town.

Not only did we find great neighborhood delis, but we met the people who owned them, who worked in them, and who added to the great culinary experience of Burbank.

Meeting the people was just as enjoyable as eating the sandwiches that made them popular.

So use this adventure as a reason to get out and learn about some of your neighborhood eats and learn more about your neighborhood/town/city. You'll be glad you did.

Until next week, Readers...


Assorted Meats Sandwich
**** Stars
Burbank Deli & Carryout
1414 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA 91506

The Great Burbank Deli Hunt - Part 4

Greetings, dearest Readers!

I hope that the Sandwich Gods have treated you this past week to deliciousness as I further retell my tale of trekking through the city of Burbank.

The one thing I've been noticing while writing these blog posts is that Burbank, for being a small suburban town, is packed to the gills with great places to eat. It's a shame that more people do not have reasons to drive up to Burbank on the regular, as there are so many culinary gems in this town, it's hard to count them all.

Another shop that @818NewGuy visited was Tony's Market, but this wasn't a pre-planned trip.

A few of the shops that we had tried to visit on this day were closed, and instead of giving up and going home, I did a random search through Yelp and this place popped up.

Good thing I did, because compared to the other shops we visited, this was out of the way, and a place we wouldn't have come across casually.

Dom Manente was behind the counter when we arrived and was very talkative not only to us, but all of his regulars who came through the door on our visit. It's always great to have a rapport with the people at your favorite shop, and Dom was just further proof of that.

He took the time to suggest some sandwiches, gave a little history on the shop and just talked about our journey with us. In the end though, we ended up ordering the pastrami compared to the many other sandwiches that he offered up as top choices.

Heading to a local park, we sat down and sampled this sandwich from Tony's Market. Hands down, this is one of the best pastrami sandwiches out there. Biting into it, the only way to describe the meat in this packed sandwich is buttery.

The meat had been cooked and marinated for so long that the fat had mostly melted away, lending its buttery flavor to the rest of the meat, and did not leave it even remotely dry.

Tender and lending its usual marinated spice flavor to the rest of the sandwich, it is hard to remember even tasting anything else. Sure there was mustard, sure there were pickles, and absolutely there was a roll that stayed together until the end, but my mind was solely concentrating on the delicious pastrami.

It is worth the trip to North Burbank for this sandwich alone. If you're a fan of the cured meat, then I highly suggest you take a little drive to this part of the valley just to meet Dom and try one of his best sandwiches.

And so ends another week of touring Burbank's sandwich offerings. One more to go in this series, but if you're in the area, don't just limit yourself to these shops I've mentioned. Always explore on your own as well.

In other non-sandwich related news, I will be skydiving tomorrow for my 30th birthday. If it were at all possible, I'd jump with a sandwich for the blog's new logo. Sadly i think any bread would be annihilated by falling at 120 mph.

Until next week, Readers...



Pastrami Sandwich
**** Stars
Tony's Market
2813 N. Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504

The Great Burbank Deli Hunt - Part 3

 Welcome back, Dear Readers, for our third week of trekking through the city of Burbank, CA.

For this stop, Bryan (@818newguy) and I headed over to Moore's Delicatessen in downtown Burbank. This deli is a hot spot during lunch hour for people who work at Cartoon Network, which is just around the corner.

If you get to stop in here one time, definitely make sure you take a peek at the back dining room, as cartoonists from CN mark up the wall with sketches from the shows that they work on.

Talking to Ollie at the counter of Moore's we inquired about what their best sandwich was. It didn't take her long to suggest the City Hall, a customer favorite.

The City Hall is essentially a Reuben, although in this case, you have your option on which meat you would like to include. Your choices range from the typical corned beef to pastrami, turkey, ham, or roast beef. For this time around we went with straight up pastrami.

It had been a little while since my last pastrami sandwich, and I have to admit that I was itching to get some.

Generously added to the sandwich with cole slaw, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and grilled rye bread (make sure you ask for it to be grilled), the City Hall is a real winner in Burbank.

This pastrami had some excellent flavor. All of the usual spices were in play, but without being overpowering. Pastrami really does have a fine line between perfect and sadly over/under flavored.

The other positive about the meat was its tenderness. Even some of the best pastrami tends to have a problem when its cools down (if you've cooked it) in that the fat re-congeals or becomes tough, making the meat somewhat inedible. This was not a problem here. If anything, the meat may have been a little dry, but overall was very well prepared for this sandwich.

The Swiss cheese and Russian dressing blended together in a creamy melange of smooth, smoky flavor which matched the pastrami well. The cole slaw added a sweet crispy crunch to the sandwich that contrasted well with its savory interiors.

And the grilled rye? Well that held together until the end with excellent rye flavor, brought out by the light toasting.

Let's face it, I have a true bias when it comes to pastrami, and in that sense I tend to judge those types of sandwiches on a tougher scale. Despite that, I have to highly recommend this sandwich. While the pastrami could be a little less dry, overall it is a can't miss sandwich in downtown Burbank.

I have to say that before this sandwich journey with Bryan even began, I knew of some great sandwich shops in Burbank, but I have to admit that I never thought there would be so many! So far, we've either hit all of the best places in town, or every sandwich shop should be on par with a five star restaurant.

It seems like the city of Burbank does not disappoint.

Until next week, dear Readers!


City Hall Sandwich
**** Stars
Moore's Delicatessen
271 East Orange Grove Ave.
Burbank, CA
http://www.mooresdeli.com/

Sub Hunting in Burbank

Greetings Dear Readers!

You know, some days there's nothing more that I want besides an excellent sub (or hoagie for those of you also from the East Coast).

Sometimes though, I find it hard to actually find a good deli in Los Angeles that can make a delicious one for me.

It's nto that I haven't found any yet, because if you've been reading this blog long enough you know that I've found quite a few great ones like Giamela's in Burbank or Bay Cities in Santa Monica. it's just that it seems much harder to find really good ones out here.

So when I was doing some dangerous research this past week into a new sandwich shop in my area, I was intrigued to find Santoro's had so many excellent reviews.

Obviously I had to check it out.

It only took a minute to decide after I saw a Hot Pastrami Sub on the menu. The pastrami should be my measuring stick for many restaurants and delis because it can so very easily go wrong. If not of highest quality or preparation, it quickly can become fatty, chewy and downright inedible.

But this pastrami was not. Packed into a foot long Italian roll, the pastrami was flavorful and tender. Thinly sliced and thoroughly chopped, there wasn't even an opportunity for the meat to become tough or fatty. It was honestly, some of the best pastrami I've ever had.

On top of the pastrami was a little bit of mustard, chopped tomatoes, onions, peppers, pickles, salt and pepper.

The only downside was the roll. By the time I got back to my apartment with it, the roll was looking a little sad in spots, and by the end of the sandwich it was falling apart. The heat and the juicy pastrami made the roll work a little too hard.

Now you all know how much I talk about the importance of good bread for a sandwich, and even though this bread was a little sub-par (get it?...sub-par) this should in no way turn you against this sandwich. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and is a definite must for anyone who is a fan of pastrami.

That being said, I think I need a vegetarian sandwich for next week.

I also must mention the service at Santoro's.

It was awesome.

I walked into the shop, and even with taking my time on decided which sandwich to order, I was out the door again in about 5 minutes. Not only was the staff incredible fast, and very friendly, but they didn't just throw the sandwiches together. They were fast and efficient, but also took care not to create a messy sandwich.

So if you're in Burbank and looking for an excellent deli sub, then I can highly recommend Santoro's as another great sub shop in the valley.

For now though, I have a date at Golden Road Brewery for a special beer tasting and dinner this evening. The work of a foodie and sandwichologist never ends.

Until next week...


Hot Pastrami Sub
**** Stars
Santoro's Submarine Sandwiches
1423 West Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA
http://santorossubs.com/