Sku’s Recent Eats: The Great Pastrami Debate – Katz’s Vs. Langer’s

Los Angeles-based food (and whiskey) review site Sku’s Recent Eats takes on the age-old Katz’s (New York) versus Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant (Los Angeles) “which pastrami is better?” debate, and we’re pleased with the outcome:

Katz’s makes a great pastrami sandwich, no doubt about it, but I’m proud to report to all you LA civic pride advocates that Langer’s is indeed better. I view Katz’s meat as the best of the deli pastrami. It is well spiced, tender and full of spicy, meaty flavor, but it is ultimately a great version of the same pastrami you get at every deli in the City. Langer’s, on the other hand, is an entirely different beast. It has very little in common with traditional, sliced deli pastramis. It’s moist and thick and almost more of a meat entree than a cold cut. Biting into a Katz’s sandwich is extremely satisfying, but biting into a Langer’s sandwich is a near religious experience.

And then there is the bread.

Click here to read the complete review

Serious Eats New York: The Great Pastrami Taste-Off: Katz’s in New York vs. Langer’s in Los Angeles

Famed food columnist and reviewer Ed Levine has published part 1 of his two-part “Great Pastrami Taste-Off” pitting Katz’s of New York and Langer’s of Los Angeles. Who will win this incredibly important showdown?! Read on for the introduction:

Ever since I wrote my pastrami story for the New York Times a few years ago, I’ve wanted to conduct a taste test between Katz’s Delicatessen in New York and Langer’s Delicatessen in Los Angeles. Why? Many reasons, actually. I never tasted them side by side for that story. Nora Ephron opined on the record in the New Yorker that Langer’s served the best pastrami sandwich in America. Jonathan Gold stated categorically that Los Angeles has a far superior deli culture to New York’s. David Sax said the same thing in his book, Save the Deli.

So aiming to settle this East Coast vs. West Coast rap-style pastrami controversy, we decided to conduct a definitive pastrami taste test. And we invited the Los Angeles apologist herself, Nora Ephron, to participate. She graciously accepted, in record time.

Who wins part one? Click here to read the article and find out!

Photo credit: Carey Jones / SeriousEats.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!

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.

DigLounge.com: Langer’s vs. Katz’s Pastrami Showdown

Matt Mitchell’s new LA-centric portal DigLounge.net has an interesting head-on comparison between Katz’s Delicatessen of New York and Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant of Los Angeles. It’s an even-handed approach that takes on all elements of the dining experience: location and transit, environment, dining experience, and of course, food quality.

The competition: pastrami sandwiches. Matt had seen Rob Eshman’s report from the Jewish Journal on David Sax’s new book “Save The Deli,” and felt compelled to take on David’s assertion that LA is the new premiere deli town.

The result? We’re pleased to announce that Matt’s final decision was – Langer’s hot pastrami. Thanks, Matt – we’ll see you again soon for another sandwich, we hope!

While it’s a very close race, and Katz’s may win for locale and hours, but I lean towards Langer’s for it’s thin sliced, delectable, melt in your mouth pastrami.

Click here to read the complete article at DigLounge.net.