Canter's Patty Melt on Rye

canter's delicatessen, north fairfax avenue, los angeles

Canter's, oh how i love thee. One of the top deli restaurants in LA, Canter's very rarely gets it wrong. While their Reubens for the most part are the superior sandwich choice, this patty melt on rye was certainly a worthy contender. The first thing I look for with any meal is always the quality of the individual ingredients. And in this case they were pretty solid. The bread was tasty, but honestly could have been slightly fresher. I really couldn't tell if it was over-toasted of maybe a little unfresh (not stale by any means). But overall i'm a big fan of the somewhat soft on the inside, toasty and crispy on the outside bread, and it succeeded in that for the most part. The quality of the beef: pretty good, pretty good, but not stellar. I would say that hamburgers are probably not Canter's forte. The grilled onions, the cheese, and the sauce that i can't define were all great though and that made it a very solid sandwich overall. Little bag of ruffles came with it, which was fine. If i had this sandwich at any other place i would think it was pretty damn great, but coming from a place like Canter's, it gets a solid B.

canter's rueben

canter's delicatessen, north fairfax avenue, los angeles

In my last post, I described Canter's pastrami as A+. This is true- it's one of the finest pastrami sandwiches I've ever had. That being said, when the reuben arrived, I forgot the pastrami had ever existed. Canter's reuben is maybe one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten in my life (true this time, true the last time). I took one bite of this and almost melted in my seat, it was so good. I'm pretty sure I would have fainted if I had been standing. "Dearie me, I do believe I have the vapours!" I would have exclaimed, then bang-o, laid out on the ground. If you aren't speaking like a bourgeois Victorian-era woman while eating this, you are probably speaking in tongues. LA is full of wacky cults and New Age methods of attending universal knowledge and spiritual fulfillment, but this right here is the only true path.

canter's pastrami

canter's delicatessen, north fairfax avenue, los angeles

My little bro came to town to visit (from Santa Barbara, where he is embarking on the college experience) and the pressure was on to prove that I'd learned at least SOMETHING about LA in the six months I've been here. I couldn't take him to some bammer restaurant. No, I had to show him the real deal. It was an easy decision to make - with the exception of the bologna incident, Canter's is a no-fail situation. We decided to go half-and-half on our orders (I think we decided- I might have unknowingly pressured him into it so I'd get to eat two different types of sandwiches), and the pastrami arrived first. What's there to say about this sandwich? The rye bread ruled, and the pastrami was spicy, salty and delicious. A little mustard and you're set. A+ as usual. You know what it is!

bologna sandwich

canter's delicatessen, north fairfax avenue, los angeles

I like bologna. That might gross out some people or maybe just seem like a weird thing to say. Yeah, I know processed food in general is gross and grinding up a bunch of meat and pressing it back together is a pretty gross concept. I also like hot dogs and American cheese. If you've been reading this blog you probably know that I am not too picky about what goes into my stomach, and none of this should surprise you. So I'd love to be able to stand tall and say "I LOVE CANTER'S!" and "I LOVE BOLOGNA!" and "THIS SANDWICH WAS GREAT!". But sadly this sandwich was not great, this bologna was not great, and I really regretted not getting another reuben. The meal wasn't a total loss though, because it introduced me to the awesomeness that is Beaver mustard (both dijon and sweet-hot varieties). Can't win them all, I guess.

A Top Mt. Meat

canter's delicatessen, north fairfax avenue, los angeles

Another savor of Canters-
though not my own
my taste buds have licked this before.
pastrami curls like a little school girl
clothed in cheddar cheese,
her and Mr. Mustard stroll amidst
the french-bread rolling hills

corned beef reuben

canter's delicatessen, north fairfax avenue, los angeles

this was the second visit to Canter's Delicatessen for me and JoJoJoJo. this deli is totally awesome- the menu has a billion items, and it all looks tempting. the owner's son was buddies with Slash, and they sell a book about the early days of GNR. I got the corned beef reuben, which I think is what I got last time. it was just as good as last time. the rye bread was buttered and grilled very nicely, crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. I found it interesting that the 1,000 island dressing was served separately, which worked well- it was very creamy and tangy, and it wasn't necessary to add too much to the already flavorful sandwich. the sauerkraut was not terribly noticeable, and the ratio of meat-to-sauerkraut was more in favor of the meat than most reubens. but then, the corned beef was definitely the centerpiece of the sandwich. the creamy dressing, the bite of the sauerkraut, the buttered rye- all were merely window dressing for the delicious corned beef. it was fairly dry, as the meat on a reuben should be. and it had a delicious flavor, peppery and perhaps with a hint of cinnamon? I couldn't really figure it out, but that was my best guess.