Scratching an Itch I didn't know I had

Yesterday we met my sister and parents at the TruckIt Festival at Union Station for lunch. We perused the selection of 40 trucks before deciding on what to eat. Dad: Ragin Cajun. Scott and I (appetizer): Fresh Fries (meh). Mom: India Jones. Nina: Mandolin Grill (I ended up sharing with her). Ilan and Aitan: Tino's Pizza. Scott: Mandolin Grill. Mom and Nina: Crepes Bonaparte. Scott and I: Cool Haus.

It's happened once before. I was at the farmer's market in South Pasadena with Sophia and Liuba, when Sophia stopped to get dinner from "Dave's Gourmet." I took the sample they offered. A beige flat spongy looking thing with a wilted cucumber and a flavor explosion went off in my mouth. Tempeh with Spicy Cucumber. Amazing. I was pregnant with Aitan and this somehow satisfied a craving that I couldn't put my finger on.
So, yesterday when my sister ordered Banh Mi from Mandolin Grill I was curious to taste it because it sounded interesting. What I discovered was another taste that I knew I would not be able to resist. Sweet marinated meat, pickled vegetables on a bun. Mmmmm. I can still taste it.

Must be Umami.

Infatuated with a Sandwich

I was challenging a friend who hadn't posted on his blog in a while, em, you know who you are, and he threw my lack of postage (for lack of a better word) on this blog back at me. I've got to confess, I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, but nothing really has stood out as post-worthy. When I browsed my archives for inspiration, I realized that my life has changed so much since I've started. Anyway, I realize that the magic does not need to be made in my kitchen for it to be post-worthy. With that in mind I transition to the subject of this blog - pastrami.

Around Passover I knew I had to find a source for chopped liver. Scott loves it; I don't. And I really didn't want to make it with all of the other things I was doing for our two seders (over 30 people). So I did a little web search for Jewish Deli's in LA to see if anything was nearby and I found Langers. Fortunately it was about a mile from my OB's office, so we made plans to meet my Dad, Sister, Franko (her boyfriend, whose name is really Frank, but there are a high number of Franks in my family - Big Frank, Little Frank, Baby Frank, so Frank has become Franko to avoid confusion) Scott and I decided to meet there for lunch after my appointment. I didn't have high expectations because everyone knows New York has the best Delis. BUT I was very pleasantly surprised. In fact, I found myself thinking fondly of this sandwich: Pastrami and Swiss Cheese with Russian Style Dressing. I only ate half and saved half of it for my mom, but alas the second half kept calling me and I succumbed to it's whispers.

It wasn't until I was in the hospital after Aitan's birth that I had Langers again. This time #19: Pastrami, Swiss Cheese and Coleslaw with Russian Style Dressing. Again, heaven. No regrets about eating the whole thing...after all I had just given birth hadn't I? The third time I had Langer's was for my Dad's birthday. We all met downtown for lunch. I agonized how I was going to avoid eating the whole sandwich...it's just too much of a temptation. Fortunately they have a 1/2 sandwich and soup or salad selection. I definitely wanted to the whole sandwich, though and it was a huge exercise in restraint for me.

I get e-mails from the Jewish Journal and was curious when I saw an article about Jewish Delis. What caught my eye was the claim that LA actually has better Delis than New York. The main reason given was that New York Delis have become tourist traps. Anyway, apparently David Sax talks all about it in his book: “Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen,” and he crowns Langer's pastrami as the best pastrami in the world. Well, David, I agree.