BlogDowntown.com: Counter Culture: Langer’s Deli

Longtime Friend of Langer’s Ed Fuentes of BlogDowntown.com and View From A Loft covered our David Sax booksigning for “Save the Deli” on October 28, 2009, and filed this awesome report from the day of the event. The clip includes Ed’s trademark amazing still photography montaged with an interview of David Sax discussing his book and Langer’s in particular. Thanks, Ed!

Click here to read the complete story on BlogDowntown.com

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GoodGreasyEats.com: Langer’s Deli, L.A. – The Pyramid of Pastrami

Gary Weinberg of GoodGreasyEats.com made the trip to Los Angeles recently and experienced Langer’s hot pastrami for the first time. We’ll let him take it from here:

Just looking at this brilliant sandwich made me want to attack it like a fat kid going after an ice cream cake. I sunk my teeth in to the Pastrami, and then was whisked away into a different dimension of deliciously smoked, tender lunch meats. Oy Vey, it went down like BUTTER (that’s for you Grandma)!

’m really not an expert in Pastrami, but I think I figured out why this stuff just melts in your mouth. I’ve had Pastrami at a few different places in different parts of the country. The Langer’s difference is that it’s hand-carved pretty thick, it’s sugar cured and peppered, BUT….here’s the kicker: it’s slightly fatty. Not too fatty that it’s unpleasant, but just enough to give it some good flavor during the smoking and steaming process. Of course, that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Click here to read the entire (and very entertaining!) story at GoodGreasyEats.com

NBCLosAngeles: Los Angeles Named Deli Capital (Sorry, NY)

Great coverage of David Sax’s “Save the Deli” book over at NBCLosAngeles.com’s Around Town / Food & Drink blog this week:

Anyone who’s had the No. 19 at Langer’s already knows what David Sax has discovered: Los Angeles is the deli capital of the world.

In his new book, “Save The Deli,” Sax says forget about New York. LA is for lovers of sandwiches.

“It’s a very difficult business to be in, but the [delis] that are most inspiring, the ones that people cling to, the ones that people enshrine for years and years are the traditional Jewish delis. And Los Angeles just happens to have more of them than any city I’ve been to,” Sax [said]…

Check it out here

LATimes.com: The deli capital? It’s LA

Elina Shatkin of LATimes.com has great coverage on David Sax’s “Save The Deli” book which comes out in just a very few days:

“In the 1930s there were something along the lines of 1,500 kosher delis in New York,” Sax says. “Now, there are about two dozen in all of New York City. That’s an 80% to 90% decline. This has been echoed in other cities around the country.”

Yet Los Angeles delis have managed to thrive in a niche market. Acre for acre, Sax maintains that Southern California boasts “more delicatessens of higher quality, on average, than anywhere else in America.”

…
But Sax reserves his highest praise for Langer’s, near MacArthur Park — where the pastrami sandwich “encapsulates perfection at every turn”

Click here to read the complete story at LATimes.com

Langer’s is hosting an exclusive booksigning event with David Sax on October 28th – click here to sign up now for this limited availability event! The event includes lunch, a signed copy of David’s book (plus a chance to meet David), and a $10 Langer’s Gift Certificate for use on a subsequent visit to the restaurant.

JewishJournal.com: World’s Best Pastrami Sandwich

JewishJournal.com has published a new video documentary on Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant, entitled “World’s Best Pastrami Sandwich.” The video coincides with the latest issue’s focus on delis as well as coverage of David Sax’s new book, “Save the Deli.” Produced by Rebecca Steinberger, this is a fantastic video that captures the essence of the Langer’s experience. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do – thank you Jewish Journal and Rebecca!

Click here to visit JewishJournal.com

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MyWeekendPassport.com: If there’s a deli in heaven, I’m sure the #19 is on their menu

Alex of MyWeekendPassport.com recently visited Langer’s for the first time since moving to Los Angeles and had a great write-up as a result:

It took me way too long to come here, I soon discovered after my first bite into the Number 19 Sandwich. After coming here with my friend PJ, I took one bite and exclaimed a big “WOW” out loud. Everything that’s been written about this sandwich on Yelp and other blogs is so true that I don’t even know what to add. I can only say that I had just an amazing experience as everyone else.

It’s a great article with fantastic pictures, and worth a click over to read. Thank you, Alex!

SavetheDeli.com: Hand Slicing

David Sax of SavetheDeli.com has an interesting piece up on the merits and traditions behind hand-slicing deli meats.

At Langer’s Delicatessen, in Los Angeles–home to the greatest pastrami sandwich in America–owner Norm Langer took a blackened piece of pastrami out of the steam box, slapped it on the wooden counter, and began methodically slicing, flipping the meat over and around, excising tough connective tissue. “When you cut it on a machine, you won’t cut out this,” Norm said, removing a slimy yellow membrane with a twist of the knife. “This thing is like chewing a racquetball. It has the consistency of a diaphragm. If you cut your meat on a machine, that is going to be in your sandwich.”

Read the complete story here – it’s definitely worth the click

Langer’s is hosting an exclusive booksigning event with David Sax on October 28th – click here to sign up now for this limited availability event! The event includes lunch, a signed copy of David’s book (plus a chance to meet David), and a $10 Langer’s Gift Certificate for use on a subsequent visit to the restaurant.

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LAObserved.com: What Chief Bratton Will Miss About LA

Our friends at LAObserved.com just published this great mention of Langer’s from an interview with LAPD Chief William Bratton during his segment with Patt Morrison at KPCC:

The departing police chief rates at least one thing about Los Angeles higher than New York.

Los Angeles has better corned beef than New York, LAPD chief William Bratton told Patt Morrison today in their final segment together on KPCC. He’ll try to get Langer’s sandwiches delivered in NYC.

Click here to listen to the complete interview

Click here to visit LAObserved.com

Thank you, Chief Bratton, for all you’ve done for Los Angeles. We will miss you.

New York Times: David Sax Profile

The New York Times’ Dining and Wine Section writer Joan Nathan did a great profile of author David Sax on the eve of the release of his “Save The Deli” book. The profile features the writer and Sax visiting delis in Newark (home of Langer’s founder Al Langer) and discussing the state of the Jewish deli from his perspective.

And in his book he considers the pairing of “slowly steamed pastrami and hot crusty double-baked rye bread infused with caraway seeds” at Langer’s Delicatessen and Restaurant in Los Angeles a perfect sandwich.

Read the complete profile here at NYTimes.com

Langer’s is hosting an exclusive booksigning event with David Sax on October 28th – click here to sign up now for this limited availability event! The event includes lunch, a signed copy of David’s book (plus a chance to meet David), and a $10 Langer’s Gift Certificate for use on a subsequent visit to the restaurant.

Image courtesy NYTimes.com

Las Vegas Weekly: Proper Pastrami

Max Jacobsen of the Las Vegas Weekly had a great story up on their website about delicious pastrami:

For me, then, the Holy Grail of American pastrami is at Langer’s in LA, with Katz’s in New York City close behind. Both slow-steam and hand-cut their meat, but I’d give Langer’s the nod because the meat is served on double-baked rye bread from Fred’s Bakery on Robertson Boulevard.

Click here to read the complete article. It’s a great piece – thanks, Max!