More pastrami
Recently I wrote about Langer's Deli in L.A., which makes what has been called the best pastrami sandwich in America. Charles Bentley asks:
"What about a 'best pastrami in the IE' competition? Personally, The Hat was always a big winner with me, although others love Farmer Boys, Grinder Haven, Burger Town (the one on Archibald in Ontario) and even Togos. And is it just strictly pastrami as in pastrami sandwiches, or is it also pastrami as found on pastrami burgers? One friend tells me it’s a completely different requirement, like the difference between bacon for breakfast and bacon for a bacon cheeseburger.
"It’s just something else to heat up your nights and your readers’ imaginations -- not to mention the heartburn, oy!"
I'm a fan of the Grinder Haven pastrami and I admire The Hat. Haven't tried the pastrami at the other places and have never tried a pastrami burger. Readers, what are your favorites?
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A journalist for more than two decades, David Allen has been writing a column for the Daily Bulletin since 1997 and blogging since 2007.He lives in Claremont.
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For sure the pastrami burger at The Hat. My favorite pastrami, however, is the pastrami melt at Jerry's Famous Deli (not in the I.E.).
I like the pastrami sandwiches at Tom's Burgers. The pastrami seems to be steamed and is moist and tender, as opposed to other places, like The Hat, which I believe grill their pastrami. Tom's piles their pastrami 2 inches high and, with an order of their onion rings, is heavenly! (And also a meal for two!)
We've been meaning to try both Grinder Haven and the Hat -- thanks for the reminder. Right after we check out the Golden Ox and Vince's Spaghetti Shack...
[Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. But it will seem like pleasure, believe me. -- DA]
Personally, there isn't anyone that makes really good deli pastrami sandwiches out here. The last great pastrami sandwiches in this area were made by Greene's imho, and they've been long gone. But maybe I'm jaded, because once you've eaten a pastrami on rye at Katz' Deli in NYC, every other pastrami sandwich seems so ordinary.
I'll refer you back to my comment on Sept. 19 on Bravo Burger, which included:
I've had the privilege of frequenting Bravo a few times. The last time I was cued into their California Pastrami sandwich. Pastrami on grilled cheesebread with melted cheese and a nice slab of Ortega Chili. Greasy as it should be and delicious.
AND, if you order chili cheese fries, don't order anything else. They do them like The Hat which is a massive order. The same is true of their onion rings, again, as greasy as they should be.
I ONLY WISH I could enjoy one, but the mad doctors at Kaiser seem to think that it's off-limits.
[Those fools. -- DA]
I concur with Charles re cured meats. The Hat is a longtime family favorite of mine -- but I've always considered it a San Gabriel Valley institution not an IE house of heart attack. Manny's El Loco in Covina devilishly combines pastrami and quesadillas. Yum!
Sammy's Burger on Holt in Ontario. The Pastrami is tasty, especially when piled high on a "Sammy Burger."
The Hat, and Golden Ox are good also. The Pastrami Burger at Bravo is tasty too.
[I keep meaning to check out Sammy's Burger, which is just a smidge past Grinder Haven, but it's hard to drive past Grinder Haven. OK, I'll give the place a try. -- DA]