Hey there pastrami fans! I've been away for awhile, but I have an awesome pastrami post for you.
Machine Deli opened up in August on Market and 6th street. They have coffee, which is cool. Of course for me, I'm way more interested in their pastrami!
The pastrami from Machine deli is made at Foreign Cinema. It is also used by their neighbors, Show Dogs. Show Dogs is a hot dog place primarily, but they have awesome burgers and sandwiches.
Interesting they would have two different pastrami sandwiches next to each other on Market and 6th street in San Francisco. And they say SF isn't a deli town? I was privileged enough to get to try both sandwiches side by side. Let's review.
The Machine Deli sandwich came with a toasted rye bread with lemony flavored sauce. It was served with a sweeter pickle and some chips. I really liked the sweetness of the pastrami mixing with the sauce. The pickle accented it perfectly as well.
Machine Deli Sandwich
The Show Dogs sandwich was grilled which did something to the pastrami and bread to make the sandwich noticeably different. The fat from the pastrami rendered out a bit when it was on the grill which made the bread so delicious and rich was flavor. The pastrami itself lost some of the sweetness of the brine on that sandwich - but it didn't matter because the sandwich as a whole was delicious. This pastrami is definitely better not grilled - when by itself. On a sandwich the grilling made it superb.
Show Dogs Sandwich
I found out the pastrami is made from the navel cut. When inspecting the pastrami - it had a nice brine on the outside and the color was perfect. Something about the texture was a bit different than I'm used to for navel cuts. It had some ripples in the meat which was fatty goodness, actually. I think the pastrami on the Machine deli sandwich taster better because all the fat was still in it. However, the Show Dogs sandwich was tasty because the fat rendered out into the sandwich from being grilled
So in review - the Machine deli sandwich was toasted and sweeter. The Show Dogs sandwich was grilled and more savory Reuben style. I say try them both!
Hey there pastrami fans. I have a big post for you today. I hope you're game.
First order of business is to pay homage to the greatest deli in the world - Langer's Deli in Los Angeles. Langer's is celebrating their 65th anniversary by giving away free #19 sandwiches today and tomorrow. The crowds are expected to be large and in charge, but for that pastrami it may be worth it to take the red line over and get yourself one. No take outs, dine in only.
Langer's is very close to my heart - as it was a place my grandpa took me when I was a child and a place where my family still goes today. I want to personally thank the Langer family for consistently making the best pastrami sandwich in the whole world (and if you think there is better please let me know where in the comment section).
I stumbled upon something great recently. There is going to be a show called "Paulie Pastrami: King of Illegal Meats". It looks freaking awesome! Like a Sopranos gangster show, but centered around a guy that sells pastrami in New Jersey. I see a guest cameo coming up as the West Coast pastrami Kingpin. Perhaps not, but I can dream. Check out the trailer video - hopefully you'll be as enthused as I was.
Awesomeness! I can't wait to see the first episode.
Photo credit to Vegansaurus.com
I had been meaning to try Morty's Delicatessen at Golden Gate and Hyde for some time. It has always popped up on my yelp search as a good place to get a Reuben, however I've never been able to make it to the place because it's M-F and not in my work neighborhood. They recently extended their hours till 9 PM and they do catering and delivery - so no excuses anymore. Morty's advertises having an East Coast with West Coast style and it shows on their menu as they have meaty options as well as vegan options. I have to say, Morty's Reuben was the best Reuben I've had for less than ten dollars.
The pastrami did have a slight hot dog flavor to it, but very slight. The bread was a very good grilled rye and the sauerkraut and cheese were above average. I would say the sum of all the parts for $7.75 with tax is exceptional. Most Reubens of this caliber cost you two to ten dollars more and this quality at this price is hard to find in my experience. This was what a neighborhood sandwich shop should turn out though. Solid sandwiches at a good value. I support Morty's and I think you should give it a try next time your in the 'Loin.
Guess who's on the menu at Deli Board? Me! The Teddy.O sandwich is so popular that it made the daily menu for Deli Board. It's really an honor to have a sandwich named after me in SF. I think it further establishes me as the Pastrami King of the Bay Area as well - giving me ammo to shoot down my doubters. It's really funny when I tell people I'm the Pastrami King. I guess it's not something to be necessarily taken seriously, however I know lots of information about pastrami and delis. A sandwich named after me lends credence to the fact I could now be called an established deli food blogger around these parts. Anyone know of any other West Coast Deli food websites? I'd love to know and interact with them. Comments are always welcomed in the comment section for other deli websites to check out.
My last bit of business for this blog entry is to strike up awareness for a new Deli coming to the Mid-Market area in SF. Machine Deli will be opening close to Show Dogs at Market and 6th. However, they held a pop-up service of their sandwich at Lazlo's bar in the Mission (the bar next to Foreign Cinema) while their location is being renovated. I will cover both the Machine Deli and the Show Dogs Reuben in my next post. I still have more research to do about both of these Reubens which I did already try. See this post. I'm always excited to see a new deli coming around town - especially a place with house-cured pastrami like machine deli is going to have. Stay tuned, pictures coming.
Please e-mail me at pastramiking@gmail.com - I love hearing from fans and bloggers. @pastramiking is my twitter, but it's linked to my Facebook page which you can add yourself to by clicking "like" at the top of my page. Thank you for reading and keep pastramifying life.
