October 21, 2009
Langer’s: The Platonic Pastrami Ideal [VIDEO]
Follow JewishJournal.com on 
Read Rob Eshman’s interview with David Sax here.
“The hot pastrami sandwich served at Langer’s Delicatessen in downtown Los Angeles is the finest hot pastrami sandwich in the world,” David Sax writes in “Save the Deli.”
Sax devotes four pages to the MacArthur Park deli founded in 1947 by Al Langer, who died at the age of 94 in 2007, and now run by his son Norm.
Sax details the elements that make the pastrami special:
• The meat (not kosher) arrives from R-C Provisions in 2 to 2 1/2 pound pieces, cut smaller and leaner than for other customers, and smoked tender.
• The meat is steamed 2-4 hours to an internal temperature of 209 degrees.
• The meat is hand cut “to read the navel and meet the grain.”
• Hand cutting, rather than machine slicing, allows the slicer to toss tough or unpalatable parts.
• The rye bread is thick-cut, double-baked and warm.
• The 7 oz. portion is distributed evenly through the sandwich.
“How do you describe the taste of a perfect pastrami sandwich?” writes Sax. “It is simply legendary, beyond any descriptive qualities I possess.”
“Save the Deli” at Langer’s Deli
What: David Sax talk, Q&A, book signing
Date/Time: Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 2:30 p.m.
Location: Langer’s Deli, 704 S. Alvarado Blvd.,Los Angeles, CA 90057
Details: The cost for this event is $55; it includes lunch, a copy of “Save the Deli” and a $10 coupon to be used at Langer’s on a future date. Tickets are available at vromansbookstore.com or by calling (626) 449-5320.
