Langer's vs. Katz's - West vs. East Coast Pastrami Debate

I must say that I'm not the biggest fan of pastrami.  But that all changed about a week ago when I got my hands on a Pastrami sandwich from Katz's and then a week later from Langer's.  I've been meaning to go to Katz's (NY) and Langer's (LA) for years now for their famed meat and finally hit both!

There has been tons of debate on who has the better pastrami and personally, it's about perspective and how your taste buds are feeling that day.  Trying to be a diplomat, I loved both but have to have to put my 2 cents in!

So here it is...if I had to choose....I prefer Langer's pastrami ---it's perfectly tender with the right amount of salt, spices and the meat to bread ratio is right on.  However, I feel that Katz's bread is better.  Langer's bread is supposedly double baked but to my surprise...a little too baked for me!  I like my rye bread soft, with caraway seeds lingering to hold it's own against the almighty powerful pastrami.  NO thank you to additions of cole slaw, swiss cheese or russian dressing...love my pastrami sandwiches plain with deli mustard.

I ordered Matzo ball soup at both locations. Hands down, winner is Katz's Deli, broth was delectable and Matzo ball perfectly cooked with a touch of chicken fat that made it superior in flavor. One of the best of I had!

So, what about you? Up for the Langer's vs. Katz's challenge???!!! I'm always willing to hear your story!




Pastrami at Langer's - LA



Matzo Ball Soup - Langer's - LA

Pastrami at Katz's Deli - NY -
Sorry no picture of their great Matzo Ball Soup

Los Angeles Favorites for the Summer

There's nothing like seeking out the restaurants and eats of any city. Los Angeles, happens to be one of the best cities to do this in.  Thing is, I haven't even hit the real nitty gritty places yet. The culture, energy, and weather is incomparable to anywhere I've ever been. During the summer, I love to eat outside and visit the beach and this year ain't no different. Here are some of my favorites-- to eat and do in this town. What do ya think? 

Grillin' and chillin' outside, Steak Salad and a crisp glass or two of Savignon Blanc = perfect evening

Sushi, awesome everywhere in LA.  Aburiya Toranoko in Little Tokyo



Haven't been to many Indian spots here but love concept of sweet, tangy, & spicy.  These are Pani Puri which a friend made



Armenian food at Carousel, who doesn't love Hummus? My new fav dish, Kebbeh Nayyeh (Steak Tartare)

Caesar Salad a go-to but with Fried Oysters at Gulfstream  I admit, I do like Hillstone restaurants if I had to choose a Chain



Nothing like day drinks at the Avalon, Beverly Hills



Ramen not ideal in Summer but that Fried Rice and melt-in-your-mouth Kurobuta Pork Belly from Daikokuya is amazing!

Santa Monica and it's Pier, the Ferris Wheel always makes me feel like a kid again

Did I mention the Fried Rice from Daikokuya?! Here's a close up!



Trucks in LA and Street Restaurant

Meatballs w/Romesco Sauce

Asian Marinated Chicken Tacos

Bool Gogi Chicken Tacos
Bool Gogi Beef Pastel


Banh Mi - Vietnamese Special

Kaya Toast with Egg

I'm one lucky son of a gun. I got to take a mini tour of LA's finest trucks and finshed off in style at Street Restaurant. This was all for work!!! Everything we ate was awesome. I especially liked the Banh Mi at Nom Nom Truck, Asian Marinated Chicken at Komodo, Bool Gogi Beef at Bool BBQ and lastly, the Kaya Toast at Street Restaurant. Enjoy the pictures!

2nd Annual New York 4th of July

Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad

Lamb burgers with Mint pesto fused Yogurt

Gerlyn's fav German sausage

Karoake at Sing Sang

Pizza Margherita at L'asso's

Bone Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade at Blue Ribbon

Our fish tacos

Another 4th in New York, it’s become a kind of tradition, one that starts with me arriving via LA red eye, breakfasts of cheese, charcuterie, & champagne, rained out BBQ’s on Gerlyn and Kirstin’s rooftop, long walks through the city, Karaoke and eating good in general.

This year for the annual BBQ, we did burgers in style; Lamb, Tofu, and the old fashioned Beef. I added my Red, White, & Blue Potato Salad (circa ’05) and we were set! My hosts were nice enough to let me invite family friends over. Along with G, K, and Steve's (3rd roommie) NY pals the party turned into an eclectic mix of people from around the world. We had a guest bring over German sausages, perfect with mustard on a soft bun even hours later. Not to mention the deep intricacies of British food, a.k.a Toad in the Hole and Fish n' Chips Of course, it started pouring as we started the burgers but made the best of it and moved into their cozy apartment. After the fireworks which..we did not make it to due to dark clouds, we headed to a Karaoke spot, Sing Sang and sung our faces off.

We took our own tour of the Meat Packing District, West Village and SoHo the next day, with eat/drink spots along the way. Favorites where Spice Market for the atmosphere, La Esquina for the underground-esque bar, L'asso’s, and Blue Ribbon Brasserie. They had this exquisite Mushroom and White Truffle Oil pizza at Lasso’s. At Blue Ribbon Market, the Fried Chicken was excellent along with the Bone Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade. The marmalade cut through the richness of both the marrow and oxtail, it was a perfect combination.

On my last night, we cooked Fish Tacos and Chipotle Chicken Tacos. My cousin, Michelle brought over delightful Chocolate chip cookies. We devoured these alongside Haagan Dazs Crème Brulee ice cream. It was a perfect evening as Steve played the guitar and we sang along to the Beatles and Oasis.

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad

RED potatoes, fingerlings or bliss 3#s

WHITE cheddar cheese, shredded ½ cup

BLUE cheese, Maytag or Stilton ½ cup

Green onions, thinly sliced ¼ cup

Caramelized onions, red ½ cup

Dijon mustard 3 T

Olive Oil ¼ cup

Salt and pepper as needed

1. Boil potatoes half way done, then either grill or roast until all the way done.

2. Whisk oil and mustard, then pour in with potatoes.

3. Add blue cheese, white cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, salt and pepper with potatoes, mix gently.

4. Top with green onions.

Fish Tacos for 4

Snapper, Halibut, or Rockfish 2#s

Oregano 1 teaspoon

Cumin 1 Tablespoon

Red Pepper 1 teaspoon

Parsley 2 Tablespoon

Lime 1 Tablespoon

Lemon 1 Tablespoon

Olive Oil as needed

Salt and Pepper as needed

1. Marinate fish with all ingredients above for at least 1 hour.

2. Grill fish over medium heat until done.

‘Slaw’ for Tacos

Cabbage, white, thinly shredded 2 cups

Cilantro 2 oz

Corn ½ cup

Red Vinegar 1 T

Lime 1 teaspoon

Olive Oli 2 oz

Salt as needed

1. Mix red vinegar, lime, and olive oil.

2. Pour over cabbage, cilantro, and corn and incorporate well.

**Eat with Corn tortillas and fresh salsa!

SD Friends and FroYo

We love it when Sarah and Maria are up from San Diego and it’s time to do the Hollywood/LA thing. This usually entails parties in the Hollywood Hills, clubbing, or watching some sporting event that includes a Boston team. But as we have gotten older our ‘thing’ is eating out and sharing a few bottles of wine. We are getting smarter with the times and finally realize that I can cook and we’d save mondo money. However, we still managed to eat brunch out a few times per Sarah's request, ‘I want to go to place where someone from the Hills would dine at.’

Wish granted, we headed to Comme Ca, the latest dining craze in LA, French bistros or brasseries. Brunch is better than dinner as you can’t even hear your own voice in dining at night. The highlights are the Quiche and the Burger as Mr. Jonathan Gold raves about. It was a hot weekend, heat exhaustion was apparent; hence, we decided to try another LA craze of the moment, Fro Yo a.k.a. frozen yogurt. Pink Berry, Red Mango, Berries, the Big Chill, it is all here. Yogurtland, IMHO, is in a league by itself, this place is a wonderland for yogurts especially since you can pump-your-own with 8 rotating flavors, Taro Root, Peanut butter, Blueberry, Pistachio, Chocolate, Tart, Cheesecake, just to name a few. Then pick your own toppings galore, ranging from rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, coconut flakes, etc. Its 30 cents for an ounce and that is cheap! We loved it so much we went back twice, even tucked in a corner of strip mall on the edge of Little Armenia a.k.a quite far and not nice area of LA.

That night, my sous chefs (Carly, Sarah, Maria) and I prepared light apps which included Pizzettes, Bruschetta, Portobello mushrooms ‘pizzas’ and Summer soba noodles. Afterwards we headed to the Thompson Hotel where we sat on the gorgeous rooftop enjoying life and sipping on cocktails. The next day, we went to another favorite brunch spot, Bread Bar. Bread Bar originated in Paris by the famed bread maker, Eric Kaiser. After full stomachs, much to my delight, we headed to Robertson and did light shopping.

Thanks guys for coming up and Carly for letting us stay at Hotel de Gomez and most of all, helping me remember that LA is truly a cool city. Good luck to Sarah who’s headed off to San Francisco!

A Summer Weekend in DC

I love taking that red eye flight from Los Angeles, leave at 10 PM and bam, it’s 6 AM the next day when you arrive in DC. This trip was short and I had 4 missions;

1. Eat at 3 Star (Washingtonian Magazine) French restaurant with foodies, Mom and Aunt

2. Meet with a good friend for drinks and snacks at the hot DC restaurant, Zatinya

3. Cook brunch for my best friends family (see below post)

4. Eat Peking Duck with Dad for Father’s day

I definitely had to nap when I landed, I hardly slept on the plane since my neighbors were yacking the entire night AND my seat was broken and would not recline back. It was an uncomfortable ride but at least Jet Blue has satellite TV and Terra Blue Potato chips. Let me tell you the satellite TV was sweet on the way back televising the US Open! I digress, so, yes, I slept a total, 2 hours since we needed to be in DC by noon to dine at Le Paradou. It was easy though, slipped into a skirt, hopped in the car, and 15 minutes later, we were in the Nation’s capital.

Today’s lunch was a prie fix of $29 for 2 courses or $39 for 3 courses. The menu selection was vast ranging from hot & cold appetizers, Salads, Meat & Poultry and Poisson (Fish in french). Dessert was separate but we were fine with that since none of us really has a sweet tooth. To start, I had a glass of Sancerre along with Lobster Tail sautéed with Grapefruit, Butter, followed by the main entrée, Stuffed Quail with Mushrooms, Pistacchios, Chestnut Gnocchis and Sage jus. Mom shocked us by ordering the Beef Medallion Roast, Leeks and Roasted Shallot Jus (she never eats red meat!) and started off with Morel Mushroom soup with Sea scallops. My aunt chose the Stuffed Squid with Pine Nuts, Olives and Lavender Blossom and then had the Scallops with Crab Stuffed Raviolis, Red Snapper and Lobster jus (yes, detailed indeed) as her entrée.

Out of all appetizers the Morel Mushroom was tastiest, such depth and freshness, the scallops were seared to perfection. My aunt’s squid was well executed, baby squid stuffed with good flavor not to mention the dish was beautiful. I found my entrée to the best, the quail was exquisite, rich in flavor, strong in taste, loved each bite. For dessert, we had Poached pears stuffed with Chocolate and Ice cream. The pear embedded with chocolate was genius, I will attempt it to duplicate!

The service was attentive and the French speaking servers are always a nice touch. Afterwards, my aunt requested for me to meet Chef Yannick Cam who has been in Washington since 1978. To my surprise, my aunt had taken my grandfather to his famed restaurant Le Pavillon back in ’79, why yes, I was only 1 years old! Chef Cam was charming enough to take a picture with us and speak briefly about his years in the area. To many, he is one of the first chefs to put DC on the map for French fine dining. Overall, the meal was one of the best I have had all year putting a totally different light on dining in LA!

Later that evening I met up with Sarah at Zatinya in DC. Still stuffed we shared a mélange of appetizers, Grilled Ocotups, Kibbeh, and Zucchini fritters. The bar was hoppin’ and it was nice to be among fellow East coasters. After, we ventured to the National Gallery of Art- Sculpture Gardens for what look like the tail end of Jazz at the Gardens, the night was gorgeous. As I sat there, I thought about all those muggy summer nights as a kid wondering what my life would be as a grown up. I never dreamt it would be eating at restaurants of all kinds from DC to LA to Paris! When I got back to LA, I emailed my aunt my thoughts, she replied back, ‘yes, you are living the high life at age, 30.’

Authentic Mexican food in LA

My love for Mexican food started back in Virginia eating Taco Bell and Tippy’s as a youngster. I loved Tippy’s Taco House which was down the street on Lee Highway, as a matter of fact, some of the cousins fondly remember and joke about it, as it was served at my 12th Birthday party. My go-to was the Enchilada combo meal, 2 cheese and 1 beef Enchilada, red sauce, rice, refried beans, finished with a Beef Taco and tortilla chips, por supesto.

Fast forward, L.A. where I work for a Mexican food company. We had to give a presentation on Mexico and the different regions where the staples are no where near what we think is Mexican is: no burritos, no enchiladas INSTEAD moles, tamales, flavors that are tantalizing and tasty. We pepared Mole for the presentation and used 16 different ingredients, amazing. Ever since, I have wanted to explore every region and its indigenous foods. According to Chef Rick Bayless, there are 6 food worthy regions of Mexico; Chihuahua (Northern), Puebla (Central Mexico), Mihoacan (West Central), Oaxaca (Southern Mexico), the Yucatan, and Veracruz (the Coast).

Back to the point of this blog, down the street from South Pasadena is Highland Park, known for their hole-in-the-wall Mexican joints. I haven’t been to any probably because most of my friends don’t eat pork and most of them are MTA (Models Turn Actresses)….you can guess that H.Park isn’t safe at night either. I dragged Eric one night and we pick a joint that specializes in the Yucatan, Villas Durangos. A French trained Mexican chef was welcoming and proudly showed off a picture of himself in Paris. The salsa is super hot, chips straight out of the fryer, and beer ice cold. The waitress speaks Spanish so Eric and I struggle to order, still all the more amused My dish, Pollo Pibil was delicious while Eric was forced to order Carne Chile Colorado since the Cochinita Pibil (pit roasted pork seasoned w/an achiote paste, sour orange and wrapped in banana leaves) was fresh out! The meal with 3 beers, 2 very filling dishes came out to be $18, cheapest and tastiest meal I’ve had in awhile! I plan to visit more Mexican places in Highland Park but don’t think that will be too often unless I make more carnivore eating friends!

The CIA of Napa

FYI, CIA stands for Culinary Institute of America. The main school is in Hyde Park, NY and about 10 years ago, they opened a facility in Napa and more recently San Antonio. Yep, am pretty darn lucky being able to take yet another cooking class that work has sent me to. The trip and class was more like a vacation and boy was I excited to get out of the hustle and bustle of L.A.! I chose to take a classed called, Healthy Flavors of Latin America, Asia and the Mediterranean which lasted 5 days. The class was right up my alley; lectures by a trained PHD of Nutrition , demos from a CIA chef instructor, and hands-on in the kitchen preparing a variety of recipes from the above cuisines. The class consisted of a few restaurant chefs, private chefs, food scientists, and even a foodie who just wanted to learn. The CIA kitchen; filled with French bonnet ovens, vast selections of spices, herbs, produce, meats, pretty much any ingredient, not to mention other equipment like vita-mixers, robocoups, blochett ovens, and automatic pasta makers! YIKES! Nothing like my old alma mater back in Philly where were scrapping for anything and everything.

I am now fascinated by the flavors of Morocco, India, Mexico and the Mediterranean in general. Each day had a differen theme/cuisine. New dishes I made were buckwheat pasta, Bengal fish curry, Roasted tomato chipotle shredded chicken salad. I added to my repertoire of grains, beans (Rancho Gordo) and cooked them in water with flavors like lemongrass, and root vegetables. It's amazing what a little nob of ginger can do onced cooked in rice pilaf or stewed beans! On the last day, we shopped at the local farmer’s market in downtown St Helena and created our own ‘healthy’ dishes.

The perks of taking class at CIA is unimaginable; breakfast, lunch, free wine tastings at local vineyards, discounts at the school store (awesome knives and such), and wonderful hospitality at the hotel and restaurants, Napa loves chefs! All and all, it was a fun week as I had many visitors and headed into SF a few times too. See one of my favorites dishes of the class.

Bengal Fragrant Fish Curry

Haddock, Salmon or Grouper, 3 oz pieces 1 1/2 lbs

Mustard powder 1 tsp

Cumin, ground 1 tsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Red pepper, ground 1/2 tsp

Vegetable oil 2 T

Onions, thin sliced 1 cup

Garlic, sliced 1 T

Serrano chiles, thin sliced 1 T

Tomatoes, peeled and chopped 2 cups

Lemon juice 1/2 each

Cilantro, fresh, chopped 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

1. Please the fish on plate and rub with all spices, set aside for about a half any hour. Heat oil on high and saute fish, unseared, 1 minute on each side. Transfer to plate.

2. Heat same pan on medium, add oil, onion, garlic, and chiles. Cook until onions brown, then tomatoes and salt. Cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

3. Add fish, and cook until it is done throughout, about 4 minutes.

4. Plate and serve, sprinkle with lemon juice and cilantro.

Adapted from CIA Greystone, Classic Indian Vegetarian by Julie Sahni.

Pierre Gagnaire Restaurant

Food is involving incredibly as we see more restaurants and chefs using classical methods but turning them into a style of their own. It’s not about generous portions of hearty fare, modernism has taken over the way we eat. Food has taken on new meaning, art in a rare form while meshing science and chemistry. Take Arian Ferran, El Bullli, (the hardest reservation to get in the world) in Spain and in Paris, Pierre Gagnaire.

We ate at the Pierre Gagnaire restaurant, met the chef first hand and toured his kitchen. The experience was about incredible service and textures and juxtaposition of food. We had dishes that were uncommon to any expert palette. “Jello” or citrus aspic with goat cheese hidden underneath; edible leaves that resembled lily pads from Monet’s Giverny; what looked like cherries instead were bursts of cherry liquor embedded in dark chocolate, most favorite dish, an eclectic mix of chickpea mash, diced mussels, Indian spices, watermelon cubes finished with parsley oil. Every dish and its component where thought out meticulousy, garnish for the garnish, sauce for the main sauce, three desserts subconsiouly leading up to the grand finale dessert. The plate presentation could even make Van Gough jealous, colors of all sorts that married each ingredient perfectly like sweet kisses, taking food to a greater appreciation. After the meal, I felt I had taken a visit to the Musee D’Orsay which we did afterwards too! I was exhausted, a day filled with inspiration and understanding of ones’ search for passion. Clearly Monsier Gagnaire found his; he has received 3 Michelin stars in 2007. I only hope to inspire like he does one day.