I was the Editor-In-Chief of my high school yearbook and part of this job was selling senior ads from the parents of soon-to-be graduates. Of course, I made my mom buy an ad for me and I remember her writing I am so proud of you blah blah blah and then, “I hope you find great sandwiches and hot cement in LA.” Since then I have lived in LA for 6 years and I have found some great sandwiches. One of my uncouth gourmand icons is Liz Lemon and this quote may be the most profound thing I ever heard about humanity:

“Can I share with you my worldview? All of humankind has one thing in common: the sandwich. I believe that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich.” –  Liz Lemon, 30 Rock

My place of choice is not a beach somewhere, after all no one likes a sandy sandwich. My place is actually lying with a towel on hot cement with a sandwich and a book/magazine. That is my description of heaven. Here are my top sandwiches in no real order, although the first is actually the best.

1. Langer’s: Pictured above is the #19 from Langer’s and in the words of Joe Jackson, “Nineteen Forever.” It is better than good. It is perhaps the best sandwich I have ever had. Fresh baked rye that is toasted but still soft enough, thick pieces of pastrami, swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing. It is truly the best thing I ever ate in LA. This Jewish deli is located in the area of MacArthur park, which is the hotspot for some illegal activity and in a very Salvadorean neighborhood. I just happen to be Jewtina: Jewish and Latina (Salvadorean, to be specific) so this place feels like an absolute homecoming. Josie and I first tried it within the last year and we were both shook to our core. This was the best sandwich either of us had ever tasted. We are not the only ones that think so either, when I was there last Saturday and paying at the counter a man and his wife came up and said,  “We have been to every Jewish deli in New York, Florida, and Chicago and this is without question the best.” I nodded in agreement and from some comments I heard in the ladies room there are very few to disagree with this notion.

2. Europane Bakery I have already written about this sandwich multiple time, but it is truly the BEST thing in Pasadena to eat. If it’s good enough for Ruth Reichl, then it go enough for the UGs. If you want to read more about this soft boiled egg love fest that comes to you open faced, then you must read the earlier report on this sandwich of dreams.

3. Starry Kitchen has been on the UG radar for a very long time as our fellow bloggers gush over the food that used to be sold only out of one couple’s North Hollywood apartment. Since that time, only a few months, Starry Kitchen has grown immensely and now is an actual a real restaurant in one of the must bustling office lunch areas, the California Plaza Downtown. One day as our old site was being moved over to this beautiful location and our emails weren’t working, I realized that there was nothing left to do but go to lunch. I texted my friends that work and eat in Downtown telling them I was going to try Starry Kitchen that day, and to my surprise A.K. was already there. I rushed over, parked, and then got a little lost in the plaza and kept finding gems that I had heard so much about. There was Mendocino Farms and Mixed Greens and then I saw stars and I knew I was where I ought to be. I tried some of AK’s beef bulgogi burger and I knew I was in for a treat when I went to order. The menu concept is simple and you build it yourself, basically you pick a protein (which change often), you pick a vessel (salads, sandwiches, wraps, over rice) and then you pick a side. Since I am girl that loves sandwiches, especially Vietnamese ones, I got the bahni mi with the Malaysian Chicken Curry and for the side I got the garlic noodles. The star of this dish was no doubt the chicken. I had a long talk with the owner about how delicious and moist the chicken was. He explained to me the stir frying and braising process and then we realized that the true heart of this delicious meat was that it was dark meat. I told him that was the biggest surprise when going to China, I forgot that chicken had dark meat and fat and bones. I always quote my other favorite tv foodie Grace Adler, “I’ve been living with a gay man for so long that I forgot what the skin of a chicken tastes like.” This was a great sandwich and I totally recommend asking for a side of curry and treating it like au jus on a dip and just dipping endlessly. I know that their meats may change but this was the tastiest and most interesting bahn mi I have ever had.

4. Handy Market is another huge sandwich favorite. Thankfully, they only offer it once a week or else I’d be there every day. It is on Saturdays when this great little grocery stores does a barbecue that you can smell for miles. You walk past the bbq, through the grocery store aisles, to the back by the butcher where you order the tri tip barbecue sandwich. Don’t worry that is also where everyone else in the store is heading. This sandwich is so good that in college I canceled a date with a hot guy just to eat this sandwich. Here is the full story but if you are in Burbank on a Saturday you must try this baby!

5. Pasadena Sandwich Company I always think that the mark of a good deli is difficult to follow hours. This little baby, in East Pasadena, is open 9-2:30 M-F and 11-3 on Saturday. Whenever I drive by and they are open, I feel blessed. There are always a ton of people and two different counters to order from. The sandwiches are good, fresh, and enormous. I am never able to eat more than half and the most miraculous part is that when I refrigerate the sandwich and eat it later it is still just as delicious. I can’t think of another sandwich that can tolerate the refrigeration process better than these sammys. Everything I have ordered there has been great and I always get the feeling that this where all of the locals go. The sandwich shown above is the New Jersey, which is roast beef, turkey breast, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing on Rye. The sandwich that I love the concept of and I always want to get is the “Trust The Cook.” However, I am pretty sure I am too much of a control freak to ever order this.

Other sandwiches that I love but that I eat too quickly to photograph

6. Porta Via Italian Foods this gourmet to-go place in Pasadena makes a sandwich that I just adore. If you know my palate then you know that I LOVE vinegar and whenever I make sandwiches at home I soak the bread with balsamic. The Chicken Toscano panini is similar to that but is just of the highest quality. Also, I always make them add marinated artichokes inside my sandwich for even more vinegar. It is probably my most “go to” sandwich when I don’t know what to eat. FYI: this place also has the most delicious lasagna even though it is $13 per slice.

7. Grub and Home If I had to pick a favorite sandwich then it is probably a tuna melt. I remember my best friend and I when we were 5 having this be the second dish we made. As much as I love vinegar, I love pickles and for me tuna was always made to see how many varieties of pickles I could use. We’d thrown in relish, cut up dill pickles with knives, and sometimes chop in fresh cucumbers. As much as one of my life missions is to find a good sandwich, a good tuna melt is even more important. I have been to Home numerous times and love their tuna, but Grub was also quite good and there wasn’t that big awkward turtle moment that happened at Home. Let me just say that there was a guy masturbating at brunch covering it behind a copy of Marley & Me. Too much info, oh well, I am uncouth.

8. Philippe’s and Cole’s: Both of these places are downtown and both serve up some great french dips. At Philippe’s you can get the double dip, which makes it doubly as delicious but at Cole’s you can get some good whiskey to wash it down with. Anyway, I don’t want to choose, they are both damn good.

9. Larchmont Village Wine Spirits and Cheese: I have told several people about making this list and several people have mentioned this place. I have only been once and it was on a first date with this guy that had suggested it. It must be a good sign because although I rarely see him, I am still seeing him, and saw him as recently as this weekend. Take me to a good sandwich and I won’t throw you out after one date. If I remember correctly I ordered the caprese and he got a turkey. We then ate half and switched the other half with one another. That is as romantic as the noodle in Lady and the Tramp. I also have a huge soft spot in my heart for liquor store and bakery delis.

10. Pollen Catering Josie and I both have a bad habit of forgetting about those people that are out there and reading our blog that are vegan. We know that one of our Gourmandments is “Thou shall not dabble in veganism” but it is a choice that some people make and we don’t want to lose them as uncouthies. Yesterday a former professor of ours that is now a Vegan Chef Extraordinaire brought us a vegan Reuben to try and, well, we both finished all of ours. There was pickled red cabbage, a swiss “cheese”, marinated orange peppers, and seitan. This wheat meat, swiss “cheese”, the rye wheat wrap, and the rest of this sandwich were all completely homemade and delicious. The taste of the Reuben was definitely there and the pickled cabbage that was marinated in Ume plum vinegar totally made this sandwich. This is a new company that is just starting to make the rounds but if you are looking for a vegan caterer this is the place to go. They will also be serving up some food next month at this event that the UGs will be attending.

Alright so that is my list of top sandwiches. Please let me know if you agree/disagree or if I missed anything. In the next month I am going to attempt to hit up:

• Bay Cities
• The tuna sandwich at Joan’s on Third
• Mendocino Farms
• Huckleberry