Bella and I rarely get back to LA since we left in 2007.  Regardless, we try and “sniff in” a couple of times a year.  The focus of this voyage will be some LA institutions as well as a “New Kid on the Block.”  As is “par for the course” we were able to squeeze in some golf as well.  Enjoy the aroma via my visual and word canvas.

Langer’s Deli: Dining Room

I miss the grit of LA once in a while and this neighborhood and restaurant exhibit plenty to go around.  The hood is old and seedy with convenient validated parking around the corner in a small private lot.

“Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city.” 

— Dorothy Parker, Writer, Poet

Langer’s Deli: The Counter

Langer’s Deli: Counter Seating

In the name of speed and “diner nostalgia” we sat at Langer’s counter.

Langer’s Deli: #19 Sandie

The #19 Special Sandie: rye bread; coleslaw; 2 thin slices of swiss cheese; 3 to 4 layers of thick pastrami; russian dressing.  This is NOT a small “sandie” my friends…

Langer’s Deli: Sandie Prep

“Brother’s from another mother?”  Same mother?

Langer’s: #19 Sandie

The pastrami may not be as smoky or quite as thick and wet and juicy as Katz Deli in NYC but in my book this is the best pastrami sandie on the West Coast.  And if Katz is an A+ this is surely an A- or better.  In NYC they smoke their pastrami where on the West Coast they steam it.

I proclaim that this #19 sandie is the Jewish version of a “Carolina Pulled Pork Sandie”.  The creamy sauce and crunchy slaw work so well here.  The thinly cut rye bread doesn’t dominate or interfere with the enjoyment of the multitude of flavors inside.  The thinly sliced swiss cheese is subtle but a very nice addition.

Langer’s Deli: #19 Sandie

A big boy and worth the $15.95 to any true pastrami lover.

Langer’s: #19 Sandie

Un-be-liev-a-ble!  And the counter service is lightning fast.

Langer’s: #19 Sandie

Oh, the humanity!  Yum…

HOP: Dining Room

HOP (House of Pies) is located down the hill from Griffith Park, The Greek Theatre etc.  They’ve upgraded the bathrooms since the last time I was here in 2006 and the design is truly bizarre.  The 4 rooms have frosted green glass and steel elements, are oddly shaped and look like ATM vestibules or an updated modern airport or train bathroom.  Adding to the “facility” intrigue is that this average sized restaurant has 4 individual rooms (2 for men and 2 for women) and each are HUGE (tall and wide) spatially.  They just don’t fit or make sense in this dated LA landmark establishment.  Only in LA…

I love the dated and weathered look in the dining room including aged soda spray on the wall and the urban grit evident of years of wear and tear.  This is so NOT like most of South Orange County.

HOP: Coconut Cream Pie

The fake stiff whipped cream is attached to the top of the pie (I hate that stuff, nearly as much as I hate the glaze sauce on supposedly “fresh” strawberry pie).  “Some” shredded toasted coconut is on top but there is not enough.  The cream is pretty good but not great or exceptional.  It could use more shredded toasted coconut in the cream itself.  The size is medium-sized or greater and it is moderately sweet.  The crust is typical and good but not flaky.  This pie isn’t close to the best coconut cream pie I’ve ever had which was at Jongewaard’s Bake N’ Broil in Long Beach.  Check out Yelp for pics of that amazing pie.

Clubhouse: Griffith Park Golf

The history inside the Griffith Park Clubhouse is priceless regardless of the “wear and tear” factor in the building.

Wilson Course: Elfie’s Approach Shot

The Wilson Municipal Golf Course is pretty well maintained with super thick grass in the roughs and spongy dense grass in the fairways.  Since when did LA have less patchy and greener courses than a comparably priced OC course?  The roughs are consistently full of grass that is so thick you would think they were trying to replicate a PGA tournament at the Torrey Pines South course.

Wilson Course: Bella “Tee’s Off”…

I’d forgotten how close we were to K-town (Korea Town) until I noticed 93% of the players on the course looked to be of Korean descent.  Even Bella thought that was a little surprising.

Wilson Course: Bella’s Finish

The course design is relatively simple and straight-forward with some interesting hills and lots of trees.  The views here must be splendid in the late Fall or Winter months.

Wilson Course: Griffith Park

A light and brief misting rain came down which was refreshing on this hot and muggy day.

Wilson Course: Par 3 Hole

On one green I “pinned it to win it” on a 65′ plus putt which bent significantly to the left and uphill.  There were so many leaves and pine needles on the green I eyed the hole as if none of those obstacles existed and muscled it through.   🙂

Wilson Course: Male Mule Deer

Mr. Deer came down the hillside as we were putting on a nearby green.

“Deer in the Headlights”…

His coat was really pretty.

“Not a Fan of the Camera”…

Either the camera, our golf cart or our proximity did not agree with him.

“Mr. Deer is Hiding from Me”…

Bella doesn’t blame him one bit as she knows how annoying I can be in regards to animals.  😉

Bella About to “Open the Crush Bar”…

She is the most consistently straight hitter in fairways I’ve ever played with.  That is why I tell her she is — “A.E.E. Certified” (Asian Efficiency Expert).

Bludso’s Bar & Que: Dining Room

Bludso’s Bar & Que is a modern day darkly lit sports bar and barbecue restaurant located on La Brea Avenue.  We ordered: collared greens; pulled pork; beef brisket; cornbread and pork rib tips.

Bludso’s: Collard Greens

There is some biting “heat” on the throat here via lots of garlic and the soupy broth the greens rest in.  These are seriously tasty.

Bludso’s: Beef Brisket

They feature the best brisket I’ve had in Cali.  This is due to the smoke and charred ends, the shine and the moist and juicy tender meat.  Also it has a nice ratio of meat to fat which helps keep the meat moist.  Hands down, this is my favorite item here.  I only wish they served “burnt ends” which would likely surpass the brisket.

Bludso’s: Cornbread

Some BBQ joints supply sides like cornbread as more of an afterthought or add-on just to supply expected BBQ joint side options.  As a result, this cornbread isn’t very exciting.  It is your typical drier and crumbly version.  It is not moist nor is it sweet or savory.  It is quite simple (not always a bad thing) and still good with butter.  However, after having the cornbread at Leadbelly’s BBQ in Fullerton this one doesn’t “hold a candle”.

Bludso’s: Beef Brisket

You can also see some pulled pork in the foreground.  This pulled pork is pretty decent but not amazing.  A friend of mine owns a commercial BBQ truck and he uses various parts of pork shoulder (as I recall) which results in different textures and flavors with more  caramelized edges.  This seems to be the key difference between good pulled pork and great pulled pork.

Bludso’s: Pork Rib Tips

The crust on these rib tips is almost as good as the meat beneath it.  These are probably the best rib tips I’ve had in Cali.  Bludso’s is a fantastic BBQ joint.  Their Yelp reviews feature pics of beef ribs.  Given they reside in CA one can only hope those beef ribs will make it back to their menu one day.  Hint, hint…   🙂

So after a full day these two “Sea Whales” are heading back to the OC to relax on the couch.

“Los Angeles is just New York lying down.”

— Quentin Crisp, Author

THE END!