Double lunching at Philippe's and Langer's

Last Friday I took take the day off from work to take of some personal matters in and around the downtown LA area. Knowing that I'd be in the vicinity of some truly fine eats, I made sure to plan my day's agenda around--what else--eating. Of course I had to plan carefully and strategically as there are a handful of downtown eateries I still haven't tried, and despite what you might think, I can only consume so much grub in a limited time.

Lazy Ox Canteen would have been tops but I just paid them a visit for lunch during my birthday week. Drago Centro and Bottega Louie are also up there, but I'll hit them up for when I can drag a few friends (at least) so as to try a number of different dishes. There are, however, a few classics that have been around much longer than this foodie has, and that foodie is way overdue to give them a shot.

I start my day with an early lunch at one of Los Angeles' oldest restaurants--Philippe's--to try their famous French dip sandwich. Opened in 1908 by French immigrant Philippe Mathieu, Philippe's is both a deli and a sit down restaurant that serves deli staples such as cured meats, mayonnaise laden salads, baked pies, and of course a gamut of sandwiches.

I keep things simple with a roast beef "double dipped", a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade and a baked apple which came highly recommended by the Yelp reviewers:



The sandwich is very simple and very good. Tender slices of beef showed no signs of gristle or excessive fattiness and has a deep savory flavor. Even better was the fresh roll which was soft, aromatic, and partially soaked with the au jus. The meat to bread ratio was perfect in my opinion, especially when you consider the sandwich only set me back $5.75. Lightly sweetened lemonade was ice cold and refreshing--and not too sweet. And that tomato-looking dish in the upper right is the baked apple. The first few bites were good, but because the apple is bathing in sugary water, the taste becomes progressively sweeter to the point where I was trying "dry" out the apple with a napkin.

So one lunch down, and another lunch to go. The location of my next appointment for the day was near Langer's Delicatessen, and of course that's where I enjoyed lunch number two. Sure I was probably content and full with lunch number one just 20-minutes ago at Philippe's, but I'm rarely in this area so why not take FULL advantage of the good eats?

I arrived at Langer's--located about 10 minutes west of downtown in the Koreatown area--just before the lunch rush and take a spot along the counter. Langer's is famous for its pastrami sandwich on rye--special #19 in fact is the sandwich I'm after and it was recently listed in Jonathon Gold's (LA Weekly food critic) "99 Things to Eat in LA Before You Die." In fact Philippe's is also in that list and I think I'm now at 18 out of 99 on that list. Yeah I've got some work to do.

Here's my sandwich:




It's not cheap at $14.45, but folks this is in fact the best pastrami sandwich I've ever had. Everything about this monstrosity works in harmony to create a mouth full of flavor and texture with each bite. The soft, thickly slicked rye bread. The Russian style cole slaw dressing. The Swiss cheese. And the lean, beautifully seasoned pastrami meat. At about three-fourths into the sandwich I was beginning to experience that feeling of being uncomfortably full, but I took a few breaths and went Man vs. Food style on the last few bites. I took the last mouthful, wiped my hands and mouth with the napkin and threw it down on the plate while doing a little victory dance in my bar stool. Missions accomplished. Yes I said missions.

Needless to say I was quite full for the rest of the day but I managed to regain enough of an appetite for a dinner outing at Upper West--my new favorite local restaurant. That review is coming soon.

So would I go back to either place? Langer's a is definite do-over and I'd gladly wait in a 30-minute line for that #19 special. Philippe's, however, was good but it's not as if their French dip has made its way into my dreams as Langer's #19 has. I still have yet to try the French dip from Cole's and it'll be interesting to see how the two compare.


Philippe's
1001 N Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012


Langer's
704 S Alvarado St
Los Angeles, CA 90057