"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across Los Angeles to find the best sandwich in the city. They'll be visiting four locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."
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00:00Buddy, I'm taking you to 4 of the best sandwich spots in Los Angeles today, starting here
00:05right now at Langer's.
00:06They are known for their sandwich, the number 19, and it's a hot pastrami sandwich, Russian
00:11dressing, coleslaw, Swiss cheese on their signature rye bread.
00:16That is amazing.
00:17Man, we are eating good today.
00:19You hungry?
00:20I'm very hungry.
00:21We're back in L.A., happy to be here again.
00:23Sandwiches, one of my favorite foods.
00:24I think they count as kind of their own cuisine, don't they?
00:26I would say so.
00:27Yeah, I'd say so.
00:28I think so.
00:30Hey.
00:31Little famous number 19.
00:33Number 19.
00:34Thank you so much.
00:35This amazing number 88.
00:36Here it is, man.
00:37The sandwich we came for, the number 19.
00:39Dude, are you kidding me?
00:40Just look at this.
00:41This looks like a hell of a sandwich.
00:43I have so much to tell you about this sandwich, but first we've got to take a bite.
00:45All right.
00:46Let's do it.
00:49Uh-oh.
00:50Good morning, America.
00:52I've got to take another bite.
00:53Sorry.
00:54Oh, yeah.
00:55Wow.
00:56Mm-hmm.
00:57This is so good.
00:58Now, I want to tell you about this bread.
01:00Then I want to talk about sandwiches in general.
01:02Okay.
01:03Zoning in on this amazing, amazing rye bread.
01:05Yes.
01:06Here they have a technique where they cook it twice.
01:08Once when they bake it, and a second time to make the outside nice and crisp.
01:12Did you notice what you got for the side there?
01:14I was literally going to say how crunchy that crust is.
01:16It's so good.
01:17I think one thing I really want from a sandwich is a little bit of texture contrast, because
01:21if you just end up with one very homogenous, mushy mouthful, it's not the most pleasant
01:25experience, where it's just having that little bit of crunch on the outside.
01:28Yes.
01:29Thick, crunchy, yet the inside, the rest of the bread, pillowy, soft.
01:34Very crucial when it comes to a sandwich.
01:36Yeah.
01:37I think rye bread is just such a perfect vessel for these deli-style sandwiches.
01:39Obviously, we ate a lot of rye in the pastrami episode for New York.
01:42Yes, we did.
01:43And I quickly realized how good it is for this job, because it's like, that's a stacked
01:47sandwich.
01:48There's a lot going on in here.
01:49I've been generous with the meat, with the coleslaw, with the cheese, but yeah, wiggle
01:52it around.
01:53Yeah.
01:54Give it a stress test.
01:55A little shake.
01:56There you go.
01:57You mentioned our pastrami episode when we visited New York.
02:01Some say that the pastrami here is better than the pastrami in New York City.
02:05It's very good pastrami.
02:06It's got a real nice kind of bark on the outside to it.
02:09Yes.
02:10It's tender, though.
02:11Very succulent.
02:12Really tender.
02:13Because they slice it by hand and not using a slicer, the meat stays juicier and more
02:16tender.
02:17Right?
02:18Yeah, yeah.
02:19Got that technique going on.
02:20I would say, at the very least, this pastrami is as good as New York pastrami.
02:23Just don't take my word for it.
02:25They said that since the inception of this restaurant, they estimate they have sold over
02:308 million pounds of pastrami, which roughly works out to about 300 pounds every day for
02:36the past 77 years.
02:38They are moving pastrami.
02:39Yeah.
02:40That's a lot of pastrami.
02:41They're doing something right.
02:42Goodness me.
02:43What else are you looking for in a sandwich?
02:44Obviously, you said portability is quite helpful.
02:47Yeah.
02:48We already talked about how important the bread is inside the sandwich.
02:50All the ingredients need to be able to work separately and work together.
02:54Also, when together, almost like multipliers, better than the sum of their own parts.
02:58Does that make sense?
02:59A hundred percent.
03:00Pastrami, if I was just having that straight up, I'd be like, this is maybe the best pastrami
03:02I've ever had.
03:03The slaw, the cheese, the dressing, all fantastic.
03:06But when put together, it feels like they're all bringing out the best parts of each other.
03:12They're all singing together in a chorus in my mouth.
03:15What?
03:16Whatever that means.
03:19There's a harmony to the flavor that works.
03:22They're harmonizing.
03:23I'm a capable singer.
03:24What do you think?
03:25I vaguely get what you're on about.
03:26Is that an apt analogy?
03:27I think so, yeah.
03:28There's a choir here.
03:29We've got a few tenors going on, a few altos, maybe a soprano.
03:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:33So Langers has two James Beard Awards, so obviously the sandwich is no joke.
03:38And even the LA Times inducted Langers into their Hall of Fame saying that this sandwich
03:44should be the official sandwich of Los Angeles.
03:47That's high praise.
03:48High praise.
03:49Do you think it represents LA culture in that way?
03:52Ooh, that's a big question.
03:55We're getting deep this morning.
03:56I mean, well, to understand the importance of Langers in the sandwich,
03:59you've got to go through a little bit of LA history, right?
04:01This restaurant opened around 1947, opened by the now owner's parents.
04:06He took over in the 60s.
04:08People don't realize this, but as much as there is a huge Jewish culture in New York,
04:12Los Angeles also has a very vibrant Jewish community, and it has since the early 1900s.
04:17So the continued success of this restaurant since then is they took what is great about
04:22Jewish cuisine and Jewish delis and brought it to the entire community.
04:26So we also have the number 88, I believe you said.
04:29That's right.
04:30A little taste of this one.
04:31Thought we'd go with the corned beef.
04:32Yeah.
04:33Our waiter said that the number 19 is like the clear favorite,
04:35but maybe like 30% of people will opt for the 88 or the 44.
04:38This looks a lot closer to Aruba.
04:40It does.
04:41I can't see the Russian dressing on here, but that's Swiss.
04:43They've not been shy on the sauerkraut.
04:45Yeah, no kidding.
04:47Here we go.
04:51Yeah.
04:52Oh, wow.
04:55This is an excellent suggestion.
04:57Really good.
04:58This one comes with Russian on the side.
05:00Oh, duh.
05:01Might do a little bloop, bloop.
05:03Do a little bit of a bloop.
05:10Oh, man.
05:11That is Reuben.
05:12I don't know why they're actually calling it a Reuben.
05:16That is at least, at the very least, the best Reuben I've ever had.
05:19I think it might be mine as well.
05:21I've not had that many Reubens, but wow, that's a really good sandwich.
05:24As it compares to this one, though, it's hard to compare,
05:26but yeah, I could absolutely see why this is tied for the number 19
05:29as everyone's favorite.
05:31I really love the texture of that fried rye bread or the toasted rye bread.
05:34It's so crispy.
05:35They must be toasting it on the grill, right?
05:37Yeah, as opposed to toasting the bread and then using toasted bread.
05:40Yeah, because it tastes almost more like a fried bread
05:42that would have a fry-up in the UK.
05:44Yeah, fry-up.
05:46I think the main difference is I know that corned beef is boiled
05:50and pastrami is smoked.
05:52The pastrami here is no joke. It's fantastic.
05:54Maybe the fact that the corned beef has such a pronounced flavor
05:58that it's just bite for bite, it's jumping out more at me.
06:02But if I was here not filming a show and just enjoying a sandwich,
06:06I'd probably lean for the pastrami over the corned beef.
06:08Interesting.
06:09Actually, I might lean the other way.
06:12I think I almost prefer the 88 to the 19.
06:15Whoa.
06:16Yeah.
06:17Well, the good news is for today, we're doing best sandwich.
06:21We are picking specific sandwiches,
06:23but other places will be trying different menu items.
06:25So if you want to take the corned beef to the finals with you
06:30over the pastrami, that's perfectly fine.
06:32That will be allowed for today's video.
06:34That is within the rules.
06:35And within the rules.
06:36Surprise contender. It could be like an upset victory.
06:38Yeah. Dude, I mean, this is incredible.
06:40This is fantastic.
06:41You can see why this is considered one of the best sandwiches in LA.
06:43For sure. Yeah, absolutely.
06:45I've really enjoyed this.
06:46Good cultural launching pad, I think, for the rest of today's sandwiches.
06:49Yeah.
06:50Save room, buddy, because we've got three more excellent spots to go to,
06:53and I think I'm ready to go.
06:55Sounds good. Let's go.
06:57Oh, boy.
06:58All right. Off to a great start.
06:59Now we're heading over to Roma Market.
07:01Don't let the name fool you.
07:03It is a market, but real heads know that they have a sandwich there,
07:06actually one sandwich,
07:07that's considered by many to be the best in Los Angeles.
07:10Okay. Let's go check it out.
07:13The signature Roma sandwich.
07:16The sandwich.
07:17Yeah, I saw the sign on the outside, home of the sandwich.
07:19Right.
07:20Not home of the sandwich, just home of the sandwich.
07:21The sandwich.
07:22How good does a sandwich have to be to be the only one they sell
07:25and be known as the sandwich?
07:27I'd imagine pretty good.
07:28Yeah.
07:29It is a sandwich of mortadella, capogol, gabogol, salami, and provolone cheese.
07:34The only sauce they put on here, if you want to call it sauce, is olive oil.
07:37Listen to me.
07:38The bread on this.
07:39Crispy, crackery crust, fresh bread, baked every single day.
07:44There is a vegetarian option, which is artichokes and Swiss cheese.
07:48And no thanks.
07:50So we're getting the real event, the signature Roma sandwich.
07:55Should we have a look?
07:56Yes. Let's open it up.
07:59Very Barbie-coded wrapping.
08:01I'm here for it.
08:02I'm sure that was what they had in mind when they wrapped it.
08:05Look at this. Come on.
08:07Oh, baby.
08:08Yo.
08:09This thing looks incredible.
08:10There's a lot of history to this sandwich.
08:12Let's take a bite.
08:20This thing, that's a wolf in sheep's clothing right there.
08:23That's a simple-looking sandwich, but the flavors, a lot going on.
08:30Man.
08:31Now the pro move with the sandwich, right in line, is to get some of their Giardiniera.
08:39This sandwich, $6.
08:41That is a really nice price as far as I'm concerned.
08:44This whole thing of Giardiniera was a little over $7.
08:49And this is for multiple sandwiches.
08:51I want to try it with the Giardiniera.
08:53We'll do that in a second.
08:54So don't demolish the whole sandwich.
08:55Check this out.
08:56It all starts with a gentleman, Rosario Mazeo.
08:59Sorry if I'm pronouncing that wrong.
09:00Emigrated from Italy in the 50s and started working in the shop that would be eventually the Roma Market.
09:08You said the 50s?
09:09Yeah.
09:10He's been there a while.
09:11Been there a while.
09:12He's been working there 70 years.
09:14Hasn't missed a day.
09:16There every single day.
09:17The guy is dedicated to the game.
09:19Jesus.
09:20All right.
09:21So 1959, all right?
09:22A wine importer or seller goes to Roma Market one day and asks Rosario to make him a sandwich.
09:28Very strange because at the time they didn't have a deli counter, nor did they sell sandwiches.
09:33But Rosario's like, okay.
09:35Grab some bread, puts some meat and some cheese on a sandwich, gives it to the guy.
09:39Dude shows up the next day with five of his homies.
09:41We love that sandwich.
09:43We want another one.
09:44He's been doing it like that since.
09:46Hasn't changed the recipe.
09:47Hasn't changed what he makes it with.
09:49Fresh quality ingredients.
09:50Said he makes between 600 and 900 of these a day.
09:54A day!
09:55600.
09:56We went in there.
09:57They had a bunch just sitting there waiting.
09:58They know these things are just going, going, going.
10:01And as you could tell, it's a fantastic sandwich.
10:03What do you think?
10:04So you said there really weren't many ingredients in this, right?
10:06We've got the bread.
10:07Is it three cold cuts?
10:08We've got the mortadella, got the salami, got the gabagool.
10:10Yes, sir.
10:11Capicola.
10:12Yeah.
10:13And some cheese.
10:14It's like provolone cheese.
10:15Provolone cheese.
10:16Yeah.
10:17A little olive oil.
10:18I was worried when you said there isn't really sauce on this.
10:19But honestly, like, even though the bread is quite bready, is a bit like on the dry side,
10:23just that olive oil and the kind of, like, juiciness of the meats and the cheese.
10:27I don't think it's lacking like a sauce.
10:29So the cheese, as you know, provolone, has a stronger flavor to it.
10:33And that pairs so well with the mortadella, which I love.
10:36And you have a bit of a spicier, stronger salami and gabagool.
10:41But all those kind of together in this, like, taste triangle, like, they meet in the middle.
10:47So everything works together so well.
10:49The amount of meat you're getting in there, these, like, thickly sliced cold cuts,
10:52these are way thicker than, like, I would generally get from a deli or something like that.
10:55Kind of what you need.
10:56Yeah.
10:57If Erewhon had a deli counter, that sandwich would be $500.
11:01Easily.
11:02Yeah, yeah.
11:03Don't forget your $60 smoothie to wash it down with on the end.
11:07At this moment, I just realized I didn't get anything to scoop out the giardiniera.
11:11I mean, God gave us hands for a reason, you know.
11:15We've been doing this show for long enough.
11:17I'm going first.
11:20That's so upsetting.
11:22That's way more upsetting than I thought it was going to be.
11:24Yeah, thank you.
11:25Oh, man.
11:26Okay.
11:27I don't think we brought napkins either, so.
11:29All right, tight ship we're running over here.
11:31All right, let me see if I can.
11:32Actually, I'm going to move it to the front to get it all in a bite.
11:40The things we do on this show.
11:43Oh, my God.
11:44Worthwhile addition.
11:47Let me get a giardiniera bite.
11:51Crucial.
11:52Listen to me, everybody watching.
11:53The giardiniera is crucial.
11:56Oh, man.
11:57That's really good.
11:58And I asked for hot, and they delivered.
12:01Got a spice to it.
12:03I tell you, man, as a Chicago Italian, this is like hitting so much nostalgia for me.
12:10I feel like I'm going to be a little bit biased because in a way, I've had this sandwich before,
12:16but in another way, I've never had a sandwich this good before.
12:18No.
12:19Thank God for that one random wine salesman who demanded a sandwich really rudely.
12:25Hey, pup, what's going on with my sandwich?
12:27He's just shelving things like, what?
12:29Sir?
12:30Okay.
12:31All right, bye.
12:32Don't fill up.
12:33The next place we're going to is really fantastic.
12:35Open market.
12:36Let's head out right now.
12:37Okay, I'll take this to go.
12:38Let's hit the road.
12:39It's funny that a lot of people try to play off like,
12:42is everything that's between pieces of bread a sandwich?
12:47Like, is a hot dog a sandwich?
12:48Ooh, now we're getting philosophical.
12:50Have you seen that thing that was like, every food can either be classified as a soup, a salad, or a sandwich?
12:54That's right, I have.
12:55What did you have for dinner last night?
12:57A handful of crackers and some cheese.
13:01I guess that's a salad.
13:03Why?
13:04Because it's not a soup because there's no liquid component.
13:07But I think it'd be more considered a sandwich just like taken apart because it's bread and cheese.
13:11I think a sandwich has to have some element of like layers going on here.
13:15Okay.
13:16You can't just have it all separately.
13:17All right.
13:18We had pasta last night.
13:19I had like a nice mushroom pasta.
13:20What's that?
13:21Ooh, it's a good question.
13:22It's somewhere between a salad and a soup.
13:25Someone's going to step in here real quick.
13:27A moment ago you were like, everything can be categorized into three things.
13:29Yes.
13:30And the first two things we came up with were like, I don't know what category it goes in.
13:33So just to put a button on it, a hot dog is not a sandwich.
13:36Interesting.
13:37It's a hot dog.
13:38It's a taco.
13:39Oh, God.
13:41Open market.
13:42This place is ridiculous.
13:44We're here in Koreatown.
13:45They've been here since 2021.
13:47And word is out that these sandwiches are some of the best in Los Angeles.
13:51New kid on the block.
13:52I feel like the other sandwiches we're having are maybe like very traditional, very historic.
13:56Whereas this one, yeah, like a little bit more new, a little bit more different.
14:00Although from what I'm seeing on the menu, definitely inspired by a lot of like classic L.A. stuff.
14:05Glad you asked, my man.
14:06I mean, I could have taken you to so many newer places open in the past 10, 15 years.
14:09The thing about open market and the reason I wanted to come here is that what the chefs and the owners are doing
14:15is they're taking styles and food cuisines that they have consumed their whole lives,
14:21being people who live in Los Angeles, and fusing them together for new things.
14:24I think it's definitely brave, which I really commend.
14:26Like when you're taking very recognizable, very iconic, very well-known sandwiches
14:30and putting your own fresh spin on them.
14:33But, I mean, we're here, so I'm guessing the responses have been really good so far.
14:36The Olympic, which we're getting, for instance, is connected with the chef's love of Thai grilled chicken growing up
14:42and also the classic Vietnamese banh mi.
14:45It's a lemongrass chicken sandwich that also has pickled radish, serrano mayo, mint, cilantro, basil,
14:51nam jim vin, and crispy chicken skin.
14:55Get out of here.
14:56Immediate fusion cuisine.
14:57Right.
14:58Taking Thai food, Vietnamese food, mixing it up in L.A. to create something completely new.
15:02Yeah, so everything here is a homage to the many flavors and options and cuisines and cultures here in Los Angeles.
15:11Want to try something else on the menu?
15:12They're calling it the most interesting breakfast sandwich.
15:15Okay, not necessarily the best, possibly the best, but definitely the most interesting.
15:19I don't know why it's the most interesting, but I think there's only one way to find out.
15:22I agree.
15:23There you are, my guy.
15:24I feel like we should start with the Olympic.
15:26Yeah, definitely.
15:27This looks and smells incredible.
15:29I'm curious about how they—I understand crispy chicken skin on the chicken.
15:35But it looks like they—
15:37It looks like maybe this chicken has been de-skinned.
15:41They've crisped the skin up and then just like sprinkled it on.
15:44Okay, let's do this.
15:51That is a phenomenal sandwich.
15:53It's really good.
15:55The bread's fantastic, too.
15:57The bread's more like a classic French baguette-style bread.
16:01Nice and crispy on the outside, still airy enough that it's not falling apart under the weight.
16:06Surprisingly, the mint flavor stands out a little bit.
16:09Not too much, not overpowering, but it really adds something to a delicious sandwich.
16:13There's also a serrano pepper mayo.
16:15Yeah, a little heat to it.
16:16The amount of char that you're getting on this chicken is brilliant.
16:19That's adding a whole new flavor dimension as well.
16:21The chicken's cooked perfectly, I think.
16:24In terms of the complexity of flavors, I think this is the most complex sandwich that we've had today.
16:29Definitely, definitely.
16:30And it is reminiscent of a banh mi.
16:33It's not a banh mi, I understand that it is not.
16:35But it has that kind of same banh mi energy.
16:38You can see where they took the inspiration of that sandwich and brought it to this.
16:43It's really fantastic.
16:44Yeah, particularly with the cilantro on there.
16:46Coriander, as we say in the UK.
16:48Oh, yeah.
16:50But this is very much still its own unique sandwich.
16:53But that isn't the only sandwich we've got on the plate here, buddy.
16:56The owner, Ralph, described this as the most interesting breakfast sandwich.
17:01And you know, I like a little interest, a little intrigue in my breakfast in this way to start the day.
17:05A lot of ingredients going on here.
17:07I know there's a house sausage patty.
17:09There's also cheddar cheese, a fried egg, pickled fennel, arugula, harissa tomato jam, and a paprika aioli.
17:16And that is a milk bun.
17:18Should I try and have this for us?
17:19Yeah, it's good enough.
17:20If any way, you're going to be breaking that yolk open, too, on that egg.
17:24Oh, yeah, some yolk has just escaped on my side.
17:28It's stuck in, buddy.
17:32Interesting.
17:35It's interesting. It's also so delicious.
17:37That's so fantastic.
17:39Right?
17:42It's that harissa tomato jam in there.
17:44That really adds to it.
17:46I've never had harissa on a breakfast sandwich before.
17:48Oh, haven't you?
17:49Uh-uh.
17:50But now I kind of want to do it in the future.
17:52Yeah, really good.
17:53And the arugula is a nice touch, too.
17:54Oh, and that sausage patty.
17:55Egg is perfectly cooked.
17:56Yep.
17:57Runny yolk.
17:58I really like the milk bun, actually.
17:59It's like a very soft texture to it.
18:01I think it's fantastic.
18:02I think it's perfect for this.
18:03It's pillowy.
18:04Like a good sandwich, the bread keeps it all together.
18:06This is especially a messier, runnier sandwich with the egg yolk and the sauce.
18:11But no signs of it falling apart.
18:14Do you have a favorite of the two that we've tried here?
18:16Yeah, the Olympic.
18:17That's a really great sandwich.
18:18I really love it.
18:19I'm really impressed with how good it is.
18:20I actually think it's really clever.
18:21I think the sandwich is a really good vessel for creating this kind of fusion cuisine and your own unique thing.
18:27I think the sandwich is a little bit disrespected sometimes.
18:30I think people see a sandwich and they think, oh, you know, it's just a sandwich.
18:34It's like a lunch thing.
18:35But actually, it's such a good vessel for experimentation.
18:40I mean, sandwiches are a smart business to get into.
18:42Do you want to guess how big the U.S. sandwich industry was in 2023?
18:48Just in the U.S.?
18:49Maybe like a billion-dollar industry?
18:51Surely you jest.
18:53$45.2 billion.
18:55Bro, we love our sandwiches in this country.
18:58That's so much money.
19:00To be fair, the popular sandwich chain Subway is responsible for about $8.5 billion of that.
19:07People are stealing at Subway.
19:09Why?
19:10I don't know.
19:11Stop doing that.
19:12I don't.
19:13Come here and eat a delicious lemongrass chicken sandwich.
19:15If I wanted to take my laptop out and work somewhere, I'd go to a Subway before I went to a cafe.
19:20Do I really want to be some client?
19:22My local Subway.
19:23My local Subway, man.
19:24No one's bothering you in that place.
19:26All right.
19:27I want to try just about everything else we can on this menu.
19:29But I have another sandwich I want you to try, so let's get going.
19:31All right.
19:32Let's go.
19:33We're on our way to our next sandwich spot, Philippe the Original.
19:36We're going to be getting their famous French dip.
19:38Ever had a French dip before?
19:39The manicure or the sandwich?
19:41The sandwich.
19:42The manicure's not called a French dip.
19:44I'm pretty sure it's a French dip manicure, and I haven't had either.
19:46No, is it really?
19:47Yeah, I'm pretty sure.
19:48Is it really?
19:50This is a French manicure.
19:53Yeah.
19:54But you're not dipping it in any sort of juice?
19:57It's a regular French manicure, but your fingers kind of still smell and taste like the juices.
20:03If you bite your nails.
20:05Yeah, the bottom smells like teeth.
20:06It's like, mm, mm, mm, mm.
20:07Yeah.
20:09All right.
20:10My man, we're at Philippe's the Original, downtown LA, and we are getting their famed French dip sandwich.
20:15They put the delicious sliced beef on a roll, and they, you guessed it, dip it in au jus, gravy, whatever you want to call it.
20:24I think it's closer to an au jus than a gravy, but I think they refer to it as gravy.
20:28Now, this sandwich was actually invented here, or so they say.
20:32So it has been around since, jeez, I think 100 years, probably even longer.
20:36This is a quintessential Los Angeles sandwich I'm having here.
20:39Also, they have pickled eggs that they pickle in beet juice, so they're purple.
20:43Pickled pig's feet, what do you think?
20:46Okay.
20:47All right, you seem a bit apprehensive, but I'll get us some sandwiches, possibly some pickled goods or some other sides.
20:52I'll put the order in right now.
20:53Sounds great.
20:54I appreciate it.
20:56Yes, you too.
21:00Yo, I got some food.
21:01Okay.
21:02Oh, wow, those are actually pig's feet.
21:04What did you think they were going to be?
21:05I don't know, but hey, here they are.
21:07By the way, I got it wet, so this is as dipped as it gets.
21:11Completely submerged.
21:12You could call it some sloppy steak that we're eating right now.
21:14That's right.
21:15There's dump water on it.
21:16All right, cheers, man.
21:22Right?
21:24I mean, they weren't kidding.
21:26It has been dunked in au jus.
21:28I think going into this, we were talking about what we want from our ideal sandwiches.
21:31Yeah.
21:33One of mine was kind of like texture.
21:34I think you need a little bit of crunch in that.
21:36Okay.
21:37And the fear that I had going into this was that it was going to be a bit wet because it is dunked in liquid.
21:42I don't personally love the texture of the bread once it's been dipped.
21:45I do want to make it fair to say that there are three levels of dipping, dipped, double dipped, and wet.
21:50I went wet.
21:51I went as dipped as possible.
21:52I believe that if you do less dipping, they just kind of like boop the bread in there, and I think it remains some of its crust.
21:59So, if you have an issue with its wetness, that is on me.
22:02I'm going to have another bite, baby.
22:03That said, while that is maybe a slight criticism from my side, I will say the flavor on the whole is excellent.
22:09The flavor of the beef is fantastic.
22:11And the gravy as well just emphasizes that even more.
22:14Savory.
22:15And it's very juicy, as you can imagine.
22:17Yeah.
22:18So, there was a little bit of local lore about who invented the French dip.
22:23Philippe's claims that they invented it, and another restaurant here called Cole's also says that they invented it.
22:27The Thrillist did a deep dive investigation into it, and they came out saying they're pretty sure Philippe's is telling the truth.
22:34They actually invented it.
22:35Now, the story goes something like this.
22:38Philippe's at the counter making a sandwich and apparently dropped or was asked to dip the sandwich in the ajus that was sitting there.
22:47It was then a pork sandwich.
22:49Sure.
22:50Dipped it.
22:51Gave it to the guy.
22:52He left.
22:53And he kept coming back being like, what's going on with this dip sandwich?
22:55And since then, it has been on the menu.
22:57Absolute hit.
22:58Like I said, it was originally a pork sandwich.
23:00Then they switched to beef, which is the more traditional well-known sandwich as of today.
23:04Do you want to try the pork?
23:05Technically, the original was pork.
23:07Yeah, this would be the pork.
23:08So, let's give this one a spin.
23:09All right.
23:10I guess the beef's really good.
23:11Yeah.
23:12Tough to beat.
23:18Mmm.
23:20Good.
23:22I will say, regardless of the assembly of the sandwich, both of these meats are roasted to perfection.
23:26Yeah.
23:27Super tasty, juicy, amped up even more by donkey in that gravy.
23:31But I could happily just eat both of those meats on their own.
23:34They also have this house mustard that is very strong.
23:38Okay.
23:39I know you Brits like your mustard.
23:40We love our mustard and we love our strong mustard.
23:42Yeah.
23:43Let's give this one a quick spin.
23:46I don't know if there's horseradish in there, but it definitely has a horseradish-y strength to it.
23:52Mmm.
23:55Get in on that.
23:56Oh, yeah.
23:57You've got to get in on that.
23:58That's real good.
23:59It is spicy.
24:00This is mine, right?
24:02That'll clear your sinuses out.
24:05That's really good.
24:06That's the move.
24:07Oh, man, I'm going to come here next and I'm stuffed up.
24:08Oh, man.
24:09Woo!
24:10Woo!
24:11Honestly, putting that mustard on it has kind of just made me forget about the texture.
24:13Wow.
24:14And now this is, like, super delicious.
24:16This is very much like a classic roast beef and horseradish that you might get in the U.K.,
24:21just in a slightly damp sandwich form.
24:23So Harry's tip is definitely have the sandwich in the restaurant, don't get it delivered.
24:26Forget DoorDash, you need the mustard's key.
24:28Mm-hmm.
24:29Did you notice that we had pickled eggs?
24:31Mmm.
24:32And they are this color because they pickle them in, I mean, not just beet juice,
24:37but beet juice is a part of it that flavors it and also dyes the color.
24:40These things are gorgeous.
24:42They look beautiful.
24:43Yeah.
24:44It's not a massive pickles guy on the whole, right?
24:46No.
24:48All right.
24:49Mmm.
24:50Pickled eggs are other pickled things I do enjoy.
24:53Speaking of which, okay, pickled pig's feet.
24:57I just saw this on the menu and I thought, why not?
24:58Why not?
24:59This isn't what I thought it was going to be and already I'm kind of like, what, what, what, what?
25:03What did you think it was going to be?
25:04I guess I thought they'd be smaller and—
25:06Oh, and pigs are pretty big, right?
25:07Okay.
25:08Pigs are pretty large.
25:09Oh, no.
25:10I'm thinking, like, right—
25:11I'm just going to kind of nibble at it.
25:12Right here?
25:13Yeah.
25:14Get a little bit stuck in.
25:19I wish I could really eat the little guys.
25:22They might be spicy.
25:23Watch yourself.
25:24Yep.
25:25Oh.
25:26Yeah, I got a kick.
25:27Why did I do that?
25:30And that's a wrap on food tours.
25:32Good night, everybody.
25:34Not too bad.
25:35I think, I mean, like—
25:36I'm going to cool down with some sandwich.
25:37I don't know exactly what I was expecting.
25:38I was hoping there would be, like, more meat on this, but it does seem to be mostly bone
25:42and tendon, which—
25:43That's the foot.
25:44Isn't the best.
25:45But, you know, slightly porky, mostly pickly vinegary taste.
25:49It's all right.
25:50You see on the wall?
25:511999 James Beard Foundation Award.
25:54Above all the little Dodgers bobbleheads.
25:56Yeah.
25:57It's all quintessential right there, yes.
25:59I'd say this is, like, a very non-pretentious restaurant, which I really appreciate.
26:03The everyman restaurant, which I like.
26:04Everyman restaurant.
26:05Have we gone to one pretentious place today?
26:07Not really, no.
26:08I mean, it's the sandwich, right?
26:10Sandwiches are not a pretentious food.
26:11Exactly.
26:12Well, my friend, we went to four fantastic sandwich places today.
26:15Had more than four fantastic sandwiches.
26:17Tasted a lot.
26:18What's your favorite?
26:19It's really hard to pick a favorite because we've had very different sandwiches over the
26:21course of today.
26:22I think for me, it would kind of be a very close call between a top two, which would
26:26be the number 88 from Langer's, not the 19.
26:30The number 88 I think I actually slightly preferred, and the Olympic from Open Market.
26:35Do you have a top one or top two?
26:37Ooh, favorite?
26:38Yeah, I'm thinking, I'm leaning that I think my favorite today was also the Olympic.
26:42Really?
26:43Yeah, I thought it was a really fantastic sandwich.
26:44Yeah.
26:45I thought everything about it just works so well together.
26:46I mean, every other place we went to today, I feel like people are going to stumble upon
26:49it regardless.
26:50But Open Market, someone's like, yo, you need to go here and see what their guys are doing
26:53down there, because it is absolutely amazing, new, inventive, delicious.
26:57I think, honestly, the 19 at Langer's was my close second.
27:00Yeah.
27:01Yeah, so we both are Open Market and Langer's.
27:02I'm going to put Open Market number one, and Langer's slightly number two.
27:05I think the pastrami there was just like out of this world.
27:08It's really good.
27:09Okay, now that you've said that, I think I will just slightly bump the 88 to my number
27:13one spot.
27:14And I cannot stress this enough, and only you, but anybody watching this, every single
27:17sandwich we had today was like A to A plus.
27:19If you're staying in the downtown or Chinatown area, got to come to Philippe's.
27:22Like, it is a must.
27:24And if you're out in the Pasadena area, you know, you got to hit Roman Market.
27:28I mean, every single one is like, if you're near one, go there, because you're guaranteed
27:32to get an absolutely amazing sandwich.
27:35I think I'm ready to go to sleep.
27:37Yeah, I'm ready to be sandwiched between my mattress and a duvet right now.
27:41Okay.
27:42Let's go lay down.