A Diner I Can Call ‘Home’

Did you have a most excellent Thanksgiving Holiday?

Did you enjoy post-holiday leftover sandwiches like I did?

Well this week, it’s back to the grinder and tackling another sample of one of my favorites.

If you haven’t noticed already, people in Los Angeles love pastrami sandwiches. I mean, absolutely adore. You can get one at practically any restaurant you go to.

Granted, this does not mean that they are all good.

And that’s where I come into play, I will continue to sort out the delicious from the disappointing for you, and this week’s entry is a a definite nod to the former.

I’ve passed Art’s Deli on in Studio City numerous times as I work nearby at CBS Studios, but I had never gone in even though I had always heard it was a great place to eat at, and somewhat slightly better than Jerry’s Famous Deli down the street on Ventura Blvd.

From the retro stylings and bright neon exterior, to the 1950’s style cafeteria look inside, Art’s had me at first look on atmosphere alone. This was a style I could get used to.

This place had the look that said “we make a killer Pastrami” and so my internal Sandwich Radar (…Sandar?) urged me to order it.

When it arrived I was hit in the face with a delicious smelling sandwich. There wasn’t much competition for my nasal attention in this place when I was there, but still it was noticeable.

The rye bread was lightly crisped and held up over time with eating. The problem with a properly made Pastrami is that the bread can’t always hold everything together until the end. Sometimes, the cheese and sauerkraut can make the bread weak, mushy, and unusable by the end. Not the case here. It held the test of time, and was delicious.

The pastrami was perfectly cooked. It fell apart with every bite, and was full of that spiced flavor. The problem with a pastrami sandwich is the cooking time. Sometimes the meat isn’t fully done (or it could be a lower quality) and you’re left with meat that is still full of fat, making it too tough or chewy.

The sauerkraut and cheese blended very well together and didn’t weaken the bread, much to my relief. For those not keen to sauerkraut though, you may be turned off by this pastrami sandwich specifically because it is absolutely loaded. It seemed to take up more space on the sandwich than the meat. Even with this though, the taste didn’t overpower or conceal the pastrami.

My first experience with Art’s was definitely a positive one. The atmosphere brought me back to late nights in diners of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while the sandwich brought me back to the experience of the best pastrami sandwiches I’ve had in the past.

So that’s it for this week, dear readers. But before I go, what bugs you the most about pastrami sandwiches (if you even eat meat)? I’m curious if the downfalls of pastrami sandwiches is universal.

Until we meat again, dear readers!

Daaaaaaaaaaaaanger!

**** Stars
Art’s Delicatessen
12224 Ventura Boulevard
Studio City, CA

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