Backword.com: Interview with Christopher Meeks

Literary site Backword.com has a profile by R. J. Keller of acclaimed author Christopher Meeks on the release of his new book The Brightest Moon of the Century. In a surprise twist, it turns out the Meeks’ favorite is Langer’s pastrami:

R.J. Keller: Tell us about your apparent obsession with pastrami.

Christopher Meeks: Ha! You saw that from my website. Over the years, I’d noticed that many restaurants in Los Angeles would say, “The World’s Best Pastrami.” I hated pastrami, but I decided if there’s a true “best,” perhaps there was something better than I’d ever had. I could be open-minded. So over the course of a week, I went to three places that proclaimed they had the best pastrami. They first two places I didn’t particularly like, even though the restaurants were crowded. Then I went to Langer’s Deli near downtown Los Angeles by MacArthur Park. Wow. Even thinking about it makes me want to go back. It was like great steak with a coleslaw topping. It’s the best!

Click here to read the complete article

Life and Times of an LA Girl: Langer’s Deli

A new blog called Life and Times of an LA Girl recently posted a terrific experience-review of visiting Langer’s – it’s one of our favorites already:

Langer’s Deli off of Alvarado and 7th is a blast from the past, and a true LA gem. I’ve been going for the last year and have never once been disappointed. Everyone is so friendly, Greg the host welcomes you back every time with a big smile on his face, and seats you right away. Within seconds, Sal or another waiter will be over to take your order. You sit in brown leather booths, with faux wood tables and small partitions that separate you from the other diners.

And it gets better from there!

Click here to read the complete review

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

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!

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!

AmateurGourmet.com: On Pastrami

We found this wonderful article on pastrami over at AmateurGourmet.com, a terrific food blog and culinary resource site. Here’s site author Adam Roberts:

It’s almost taken for granted that the best pastrami anywhere is in Manhattan. Specifically, the Lower East Side at Katz’s….

And yet, several years ago, in a Food Issue of the New Yorker, Nora Ephron shocked the pastrami-eating community by declaring the best pastrami in the world to be the pastrami at Langer’s in Los Angeles.

“Egads!” cried the pastrami-eating community. “Whatever does she mean?”
…
Nora Ephron was right: this WAS the best pastrami I ever had.

Click over and read Adam’s entire article, and browse around. You’ll be glad you did. Thanks, Adam! We hope to see you soon at Langer’s.

AlBorde.com: Bilingual Langer’s Food Review

AlBorde.com published an interesting review of Langer’s recently that features both English and Spanish passages. Author Rafael Acero did a great job summarizing the first-time-Langer’s experience:

If you wanna switch things up a bit without being too extreme or without compromising your budget by much, head over to “Langer’s Deli” for some of the best pastrami EVER. If you haven’t tried “Langer’s”, you owe it to yourself to experience it- even if you’re not a huge pastrami fan, after eating at this joint, you will be.

Click here to read the complete review at AlBorde.com

LATaco.com: Fans of Langer’s

The popular website LATaco.com (“Celebrating the taco lifestyle in Los Angeles, California, USA”) recently published a great review of Langer’s No. 19 and our corned beef. Written by Ali Khan, the review includes great photographs and some wonderful prose:

Eat your heart out New York. The best Pastrami sandwich is a Los Angeleno. An East side one, at that. Sitting at the corner of 7th and Alvarado, yards away from where Captain David Aceveda and the late Terry Crowley met in the pilot of The Shield, is Langer’s, one of the best restaurants in the city.

….and:

Like most delicatessen’s, Langer’s features a huge menu that could tempt one to veer off the Pastrami highway, but this is simply not advised. Unless that is, you happen to go after the best kept secret at Langer’s: The Corned beef!

Click here to read the complete review at LATaco.com

Jaunted.com recommends Langer’s

Our thanks to Jaunted.com (“The Pop Culture Travel Guide”) for their review of Langer’s and in particular, our #19 sandwich:

You’ll realize this is a special place once you set eyes on their signature item: the legendary hot pastrami sandwich, piled high on rye bread, topped with swiss cheese and coleslaw; kosher dills on the side.

In the eyes of many eaters, it’s this smoky, spicy sandwich that makes Langer’s stand above its many LA competitors.

Click here to read the entire review and visit their site. Thank you, friends at Jaunted! We appreciate your words of support.

Langer’s at Gateline.com’s Cooking Corner

Langer’s received a very nice mention in the Cooking Corner: Homemade Pastrami article by David W. Cowles, carried by the Peninsula Gateway (www.gateline.com). In the article, which discusses the merits of and tasks behind creating your own pastrami at home, David discusses the historical background of pastrami preparation, its Romanian roots, and the non-controversy over which delicatessen has the world’s best pastrami:

New Yorkers may be partial to Katz’s, but the reputation for having the best pastrami in the United States (and probably the entire world) goes to Langer’s, a Los Angeles deli that’s been around since 1947.

Langer’s is located at 7th and Alvarado near downtown, a few blocks from MacArthur Park, in what is now a heavily Latino neighborhood. The founder, Al Langer, passed away in June 2007 at 94.

Right up to the time he died, he went into the deli several times a week for a few hours to help with the lunch crowd and to greet old customers. His son, Norm Langer, runs the place. Norm has worked the deli — a family affair — since 1963.

At Langer’s, you order pastrami sandwiches by the number. No. 1 is pastrami, cole slaw and Russian dressing. Add Swiss cheese and the number changes to 19. Pastrami, chopped liver, and Russian dressing is No. 6. A grilled pastrami, sauerkraut and “nippy” (American) cheese is No. 44.

And there are more. These sandwiches are on rye bread baked by Bea’s Bakery in Tarzana.

Thanks for the kind words, David!