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January 29, 2008
Stylish Six: Great Hot Sandwiches
Filed under: Pasadena, Best Of, Westside, Downtown, Eat — StyleGuide @ 9:29 pm
Bread + Meat = Art? With these six hot sandwiches, you betcha.
1. Eastside Market: The universal sign of good cheap eats? Watch where government employees go. Sanitation workers in orange coveralls, City Hall staffers in suits and ties, firemen in uniform — they literally spill out of the door and onto the sidewalk at this odd, ancient downtown sandwich shop. Try the #1. It packs two links of the best homemade sausage in town into a soft Italian roll, then tops them with tomato sauce and grilled peppers and onions.
2. Philippe’s: This is a Chinatown oddity — a cavernous old school, All-American sandwich shop with sawdust on the floor. The line for the counter can number in the scores, but still moves along at a good clip. It seems an unexpected choice, but the turkey sandwich, paired with rich blue cheese and dipped in aromatic broth, delivers big-time.
3. Spring Street Smoke House: While Eastside Market and Philippe’s have been around forever, a new downtown treasure opened last year. Legend has it that on the other floors of the same building that houses Spring Street, the owner cooks for inmates in County lock-up. But this ain’t no prison grub. For a sliced brisket sandwich, they low smoke the beef in a Texas smoker, then deli slice it, pile it high atop a french roll, and smother it with homemade BBQ sauce.
4. Langer’s: If I could eat just one sandwich for the rest of my life, it would be Langer’s #19. Rough-hewn pastrami with bits of fat still clinging to the edges is served on soft rye bread; a thick layer of creamy cool coleslaw completes it. A $12 sandwich may seems excessive, but Langer’s sandwiches transcend that ancient equation of bread and meat. It is an experience that touches your soul. In MacArthur Park, no less.
5. Europane: It’s not surprising that this Pasadena bakery is legendary for pain au chocolate, since the owner formerly baked for Campanile and La Brea Bakery. What is surprising is that they also serve a stunning meatloaf sandwich. The sandwich is toasted, topped with tomato and lettuce, spread with homemade mayo and mustard and finished with tender grilled onions. There’s a choice of fresh, homemade breads for your sandwich – the rosemary currant bread was unbelievable. Another perk of getting lunch from a top-notch bakery? The free cookie on the side.
6. Bay Cities Italian Deli: Hit this Santa Monica strip mall deli and grocery for knock-your-socks-off sandwiches. You can skip the super-long line at the deli (even though there are amazing cold sandwiches there, too) and head to the much shorter hot sandwich line near the entrance. Their sausage sandwich, served steaming and tightly wrapped in foil, is nearly as good as Eastside Market’s, but their hours are much better.