Latest news with #ThousandIsland
Los Angeles Times
12-05-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
The best pastrami dip sandwich in the city may be at this Westlake deli
Langer's Delicatessen may be the most consistent restaurant in Los Angeles. It's so consistent that my order hasn't deviated in 35 years. The No. 1 with an extra side of Russian dressing for dipping. 'You used to suck on the pickles before your teeth came in,' says my father during a recent lunch. The tufted brown leather squeaks as we both shift in our seats. He's been coming to the deli since before I was born. He's there once a week, sometimes more. He often tells himself that this week, he will order the chef's salad. 'But then I smell the pastrami, and, well,' he says with a shrug of his shoulders. The most popular Langer's sandwich is the No. 19, a tower of pastrami, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing served on double-baked rye bread. It was created by the late Al Langer, who opened the deli in 1947. The No. 1, also my dad's favorite, is almost identical, minus the Swiss cheese. It is the only time I will not invite cheese to a party. The Russian dressing, a thick, chunky Thousand Island, is rich enough. It took a recent visit with a friend from Kentucky for me to stray from my usual order. Before our lunch, I told her that Langer's was home to the best pastrami sandwich in the universe. But I never specified which of the dozen ways to order pastrami on bread at the restaurant. When it came time to order, she chose the pastrami French dip ($26). The sandwich is served on a golden French roll made by Fred's Bakery and Deli, the same Beverlywood bakery that has been making the restaurant's rye bread for more than 45 years. It's undressed, soft and airy with crust that's crisp but yields on contact. The mountain of pastrami in the middle is seven-slices high. It's arranged in such a way that the meat covers every inch of bread, then just barely hangs over the edge in enticing fragments you can pluck out whenever the fancy strikes. The pastrami is the same on all of the Langer's sandwiches, made by RC Provisions in Burbank for more than 45 years. It's a recipe from Al, whose son Norm Langer owns and runs the deli. The meat is brined, rubbed in a spice blend then smoked. It's steamed at the restaurant for anywhere from 2½ to 5 hours, losing about 35% of its mass in the process. When it emerges from the steamer, quivering and glistening, it is so delicate, it barely survives the blade of the knife, collapsing into a heap of fat and smoke on the cutting board. Each slice is crowned with a layer of bark, jet black-edged and hot with pepper. There's a rim of fat (unless you order your pastrami lean) that melts into the reddish-pink beef beneath. The cup of jus on the side is deep in color and flavor, salty but balanced enough to sip. 'This sandwich has been on the menu since before you were born,' Langer says. 'It used to be more popular years ago.' It is not a sexy sandwich. There are no striations of condiments. Just pink on beige with more brown for dipping. 'The pastrami dip in my place is not the big deal,' Langer says. 'It's great. It's excellent, but people come to me [and] they want the No. 19. If you ask me how much do I sell in comparison to everything else, very little.' But maybe it should be the big deal. Much in the same way that pastrami purists will order plain pastrami on rye, or even a pile of pastrami on a plate, I'd argue that the pastrami dip may be the purest sandwich of them all. Without the bite of rye seeds, the pastrami's smoke is bolder, its black pepper hotter on the tongue. The roll is more sponge than vessel, soaking up just enough au jus to moisten the sandwich without capitulating to the broth completely. A squirt of hot brown mustard every third bite helps penetrate the richness and heightens the spice. Its a sandwich resplendent in its restraint, the three ingredients each allowed to enrapture your senses. 'People have Philippe's in mind when they hear French dip,' Langer says. 'Or they think of the Hat. They don't think Langer's.' But do people think Los Angeles when they think of the pastrami dip? The late, great Jonathan Gold once called the sandwich a saving grace for the city's bad pastrami. 'Perhaps the ultimate Bad Pastrami experience in Los Angeles is the pastrami dip, which combines French dip form with Bad Pastrami function, pungent ethnic excess structured like a genteel downtown businessman's lunch,' he wrote. The pastrami dip is a creation deeply ingrained in Los Angeles sandwich culture, with no shortage of restaurants advertising their world-famous sandwiches. Two downtown Los Angeles restaurants, Philippe the Original and Cole's French Dip, claim to have created the French dip sandwich in the early 20th century. At Philippe the Original, the rolls are crusty and sturdy around a generous cluster of thinly sliced pastrami. On its own, the pastrami is tough and rubbery, with pockets of black pepper wherever there's a bite with bark. It's a sandwich ($15.50) that requires a double dip in the jus when ordering and an extra side of jus for dipping. The hot mustard helps. It will tingle your nostrils. At Cole's, the French rolls are a deeper gold, toasted on the insides, more substantial and chewier. The pastrami is a thicker cut, gristly, all smoke with no pepper. It's less abundant in the sandwich, the architecture lacking with a few meatless corners. Like at Philippe's, the sandwich ($23) requires a few dips in the cup of jus to hide a multitude of shortcomings. Sandwiches by Connal in Pasadena serves a pastrami dip sandwich ($13.99) with a dip so slight, the roll and meat are dry. The pastrami is sliced into rugged, uneven slabs that taste like smoked ham. With yellow mustard and pickles, it eats like the sort of sandwich you might make the morning after a holiday dinner. The pastrami at the Hat locations around Los Angeles and Orange County fall into a different category, one that I associate with the pastrami you find at burger joints all over the city. It's shaved into unruly ribbons, and half the contents spill from the sandwich. The Hat's 'world-famous pastrami dip' ($12.60) is painted with yellow mustard and a smattering of pickles on the bottom half of the roll, while the top half is dipped into a vat of jus. The salt, fat and juice smother the pickles and mustard, snuffing out the vinegar and tang. A bombardment of pastrami on a roll. The welcome theme of pastrami excess is echoed at Johnnie's Pastrami. Brothers Eddie and Eli Passy opened the restaurant on Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City in 1952. When they took over the space, the signage for the property read 'Johnnies Pastrami.' It was too expensive to change, so despite there not being a Johnny involved in the operation, the name stuck. At the time, the pastrami dip sandwich was $0.70. Like the Hat, the Johnnie's Pastrami dip ($19.25) is crammed with shaved pastrami, only the meat is even thinner, more tender and with a heavier smack of smoke and maybe a little garlic. A single dip of the top bun into the drippings will suffice, but if you dine in, you can ask for an extra cup on the side. Can any of these sandwiches compete with the pastrami dip at Langer's? It was never a fair fight. While you could happily eat a plate of Langer's pastrami bare, the same cannot be said for the others. The pastrami dip sandwiches of Los Angeles are their own breed of sandwich, built upon the New York deli pastrami sandwiches that gradually made their way west in the 1930s and '40s. The dips are wet, messy behemoths of meat, juice and bread. Grittier and humbler than their East Coast predecessors. There will always be bickering when it comes to pastrami. Which style is best. The correct condiments. To dip or not to dip. Who makes the best. This column will no doubt stoke the fires. Dress the sandwich up or down however you like. But if your goal is to eat the best pastrami, to appreciate the hours of smoke and steam, make sure it's from Langer's.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A Cardiovascular Dietitian Says This Hidden Ingredient Could Be Wreaking Havoc on Heart Health
If one of your health goals is prioritizing heart health, you're likely being mindful about what you eat. It's encouraging to know that an estimated 80% of cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease, are preventable through healthy diet and lifestyle habits. Having a heart-healthy diet doesn't mean missing out on delicious foods either. There are endless meals you can create with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish, plant-based proteins and lean animal proteins. But even if you're mindful of what you eat, unhealthy ingredients can pop up in unlikely places. In fact, registered dietitians specializing in heart health say that there is one salad ingredient many people use that can take away from the health benefits of an otherwise nutritious meal. 🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊 Salads are a notoriously nutrient-rich meal, but it's important to read the label of the salad dressing you're using; it could be high in added sugars, which negatively impact heart health. That means, if you have a salad every day for lunch, you could be unknowingly eating a high-sugar meal daily without even realizing it. 'Salad dressing can be a sneaky source of hidden sugar that many don't consider. Sugar is often added to dressings like ranch, French, Thousand Island and balsamic vinaigrettes to boost flavor and texture,' says Michelle Routhenstein, MS RD CDCES CDN, a preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes educator. Related: Dr. Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN,an Assistant Professor of Population Health and Disease Prevention at the University of California, Irvine, also says that some salad dressings can be total sugar bombs. 'Most 'fat-free' or 'low-fat' dressings contain extra sugar to make up for the missing fat flavor. Even salad dressing that might seem healthy, like balsamic vinaigrette or Asian-inspired options, may have sugar in the ingredient list,' he says. Because of this, both experts say it's important to read the ingredients list and nutrition label when shopping for salad dressing so you can be aware of its sugar content. Dr. Landry and Routhenstein emphasize that a diet that's high in added sugar negatively impacts the heart. 'Excessive sugar intake contributes to fat buildup in the arteries, raising the risk of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes. [It] increases triglyceride levels, blood pressure and can lead to obesity and insulin resistance, which can also negatively impact heart health,' Routhenstein says. Dr. Landry explains that over time, eating lots of sugar can make it harder for the body to process insulin properly, which can lead to diabetes. 'Diets high in added sugars can elevate unhealthy fats and reduce HDL cholesterol—our 'good' cholesterol—both of which increase the risk of heart disease,' he says, echoing Routhenstein. In addition to containing added sugar, Dr. Landry says that some salad dressings are high in sodium, which can also negatively impact heart health. 'Too much sodium can raise blood pressure and increase heart disease risk,' he says. If a salad dressing is high in sodium, you know it isn't a heart-healthy choice. Related: If you're a salad dressing lover, learning that your go-to condiment may be high in sugar or salt can be an unwelcome surprise. Does that mean you have to eat naked greens by the forkful? Absolutely not. Both experts say that there are many nutritious salad dressings out there; you just have to read the ingredients list and nutritional panel to make sure the one you're eyeing is a healthy one. Additionally, both say it can be easy and healthier to make your own salad dressings. 'Making your own dressing is the best option because you can control what goes into it. Try mixing olive oil with lemon juice or vinegar, then add herbs and spices for flavor,' Dr. Landry says. In fact, he explains that adding herbs—like basil and oregano, for example—make your salad dressing even more heart-healthy because they are high in antioxidants. Related: If you like creamy salad dressings, Dr. Landry says to incorporate mashed avocado into your dressing to give it the thickness you're after. Routhenstein adds that Greek yogurt is another nutritious ingredient that can be used to make creamy salad dressings. Consider this just another reminder to do your label-reading when grocery shopping. That way, unhealthy ingredients can't weasel their way into your otherwise nutritious meals. And it just may inspire you to get creative in the kitchen and make your own healthy dressings. Up Next:Michelle Routhenstein, MS RD CDCES CDN, preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes educator Dr. Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN,Assistant Professor of Population Health and Disease Prevention at the University of California, Irvine
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shaffer's Deli: Wings, subs, and famous chopped cheese
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) – A locally owned, family-operated corner deli has just about everything one could want to satisfy any craving. Shaffer's Deli on Market Street in Boardman is owned by Kelly Schaffer, her husband, and her son. 'It's me, my husband, Mark Shaffer, and son, Dominic Shaffer. We've all lived in Youngstown our whole lives. Me and my husband were high school sweethearts and graduated from Cheney,' said Shaffer. 'Our son was a Boardman graduate.' The establishment has been up and running for just over a year, but there are already famous sandwiches and top sellers on the menu, like the Chopped Cheese sandwich and the Italiano panini. 'Our Chopped Cheese is fresh-pressed burger that's cooked with grilled onions, topped with lettuce, tomato, drizzled with ketchup, mayo, and on a delicious toasted bun. And there are tater tots on the side,' said Shaffer. 'Our Italiano is a pressed sandwich that has ham, salami, pepperoni and homemade macaroni salad.' Sahffer's Deli also has one of the best Reuben sandwiches in town. 'You can see how much meat we have on there and it's toasted and topped with sauerkraut and Thousand Island. We have our homemade pasta salad,' said Shaffer. 'One of our biggest sellers is the deluxe. It has salami, ham and turkey, and fresh bread, which we have delivered daily. Our vegetables are cut fresh daily. We hand shred our lettuce.' Shaffer's Deli also has several Lenten specials, including Halushki made fresh on Fridays. 'Our beer battered haddock is Yingling battered, and below it, our fresh-cut fries, which are blanched,' said Shaffer. 'And are fried actually four times in total so that they're nice and crispy.' You can also try Shaffer's hand-pressed never frozen burgers like the Cowboy burger, which has barbeque sauce, onion rings, lettuce, tomato, and a toasted fresh bun, also served with a side of crispy tater tots. There's also a plethora of salads to enjoy, like the steak salad, and hot sandwiches like the Philly Steak, made fresh to order every time. 'Our steak we hand slice it in-house. That's never frozen. Also grilled peppers and onions, which are hand-cut by us, and everything is made to order,' said Shaffer. 'So sometimes there might be a delay in the food because everything is fresh, but it's going to be fresh.' Shaffer's Deli also makes homemade Wedding Soup from scratch. 'I hand-cut the escarole and wash it three times. Meatballs, chicken. I don't put noodles in it, but it is loaded. Hand-cut vegetables. Carrots, celery, onions,' said Shaffer. 'And I have my homemade mac and cheese.' Shaffer's Deli also takes care of veterans. 'We love our veterans. My son-in-law is a master sergeant in the Marine Corps, getting ready to retire in about a year and a half. So, we do support our local veterans,' said Shaffer. 'We give 10% discount to our veterans, but we are collecting for a local organization, and it helps local veterans here in Mahoning in Trumbull County called Veterans Outreach.' Shaffer's also has many other offerings like wings, fries, onion rings, fried veggies, mozzarella sticks, and even some sweet treats. There are homemade cold deli sides like macaroni salad, coleslaw, and pasta salad. You can order a tray of subs if you need more food, and you can also order DoorDash. Shaffer's Deli is located at 4605 Market Street in Boardman. Call 330-953-4823 and visit them online at You can also find them on Facebook. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
26-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Bite Club: Get a great burger at Bad Jimmy's
What's in a name? Bad Jimmy's makes a good hamburger, and Valley residents are getting more chances to try them. Catch up quick: Bad Jimmy's started as a pop-up in 2020 and opened its first brick-and-mortar burger bar on Roosevelt Row in 2023. Last week, its second location opened at Indian School and Miller roads in Scottsdale. State of play: Bad Jimmy's is part restaurant and part bar, serving smash burgers and cocktails. You can get one of several options, including a veggie burger and a decidedly non-vegetarian option topped with beef pastrami. Add chopped chilis for a couple bucks, an option I unfortunately overlooked. Best bites: The L.A. Burg with pastrami seemed a bit extravagant, so I ordered the Double Burger, featuring two patties, American cheese, griddled onions, pickles and Bad Jimmy's "not-so-secret sauce" — basically Thousand Island dressing. The burger was a classic, made well — juicy and delectable. The waffle-cut French fries were crispy and delicious.
