Langer’s

Notes from the Roving Reporter….major challenge…the rover had to do a seminar 2.5 miles from Cassell’s, the great burger place, and 3.2 miles from Langer’s. Where to go?  It has been 6 months since going to Langer’s, so…

I’ve been going to Langer’s since 1971 when we moved to LA. It has been the most consistently good deli in LA, a town where good deli food is hard to come by. Mr. Langer has died, but his son has taken over.

Recently they have been advertising on ESPN Radio. They give away a $100 gift certificate in some contest once or twice a week and there is a lot of talk about how fabulous Langer’s is. If you ever had any doubt about the power of advertising, look at this photo.  I’ve never seen it this busy.

The busier the better. The quality was tops. The only problem is that one person can only eat so  much.

Langer’s is on a very non descript block near MacArthur Park in a very poor, very densely populated Latino neighborhood that is not terribly safe after dark.  As such, Langer’s hours are from 8:00 AM to 4:00PM.

The address: 704 South Alvarado
 Los Angeles, CA 90057.

Mushroom Barley soup with giblets…this is a cup because a bowl would kill the appetite too much. It is not heavy, but it is truly rich.

Spoon shows clean, fresh ingredients…delicious.

Sandwich # 19, very famous…after 39 years of eating this sandwich I’m still impressed with the wonderful rye bread [I bought a loaf of bread and a quart of soup for tomorrow night]. The hand carved pastrami has a layer of swiss cheese with a generous portion of delicious slaw and topped with Russian Dressing. According to the menu, the pastrami is “a Select Cut of Beef, Sugar-Cured and Seasoned as Corned Beef, Then Slowly Smoked for Tenderness and Tantalizing Taste and Flavor, Then Covered with Choice and Costly Spices.” The beef is procured from Vienna, Chicago’s famous beef and hot dog producer.

Wow!!  Double wow!!  This is great!

You can almost taste it in this close up…perfect.

Langer’s has old fashioned waitress service. A good one delivered a real old fashioned chocolate milk shake…not a thick mass of ice cream too thick to drink like a human being…no made right with whipped cream on the top and the metal container for the balance of the shake.

It was so good and went down so well, I just had to have two.

What a meal. Langer’s is still on the beam after 60 years. It is too far downtown to go regularly, too bad, but if I’m within 10 miles, I’m there.