Willie's Pastrami

Willie’s Grille - 929 S Victory Blvd. Burbank, CA 91502 (Alameda and Victory)

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GreaseFactor

At Willie’s they mix a blend of chopped onions and pastrami, fry it up on the griddle, and throw it on a yellow mustard spread French roll. The contrast of the hot greasy pastrami and fried onions, with the soft yet crusty French roll is a perfect match. They top it with sliced pickles and a side of sport peppers. I usually don’t go for the peppers, but sometimes I squeeze the juice on the sandwich for an extra kick. It looks good, tastes great, and the griddle shares the space with a liquor store which gives it points for ambiance.

Ralph's Pastrami

Ralph’s - 12842 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA 91604 (Coldwater Canyon and Ventura)

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I was pretty certain that ordering a hot pastrami sandwich from a supermarket deli wasn’t a great idea. When the lady took a sandwich baggy of pre-weighed pastrami and threw it in the microwave, I knew it was a bad idea for sure. You get to pick your toppings, so I went with cheese mustard and pickles to resemble some kind of sandwich from a real deli. I must say the roll seemed fresh but that was just about the only good thing about it. The sandwich was bland and forgettable; unfortunately I took a picture on my phone so I will always remember how bad it was.

Johnnie's Pastrami

Johnnie’s Pastrami - 4017 Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City, CA 90230

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GreaseFactor

The flashing neon sign that says 'French Dip Pastrami' is an instant draw. Once seated, you’re served up a complementary cup of pickles, which are very good I must add. I was instantly confused when I didn’t see French Dip on the menu. The waitress informed me that their signature dish, the Hot Pastrami is made French-Dip style in their ‘specialty prepared sauce’, which I assume is a pan full of greasy succulence. I was curious because if they did indeed dip the sandwich why wasn’t it soggy? To the contrary, the exterior of the roll had a delicate yet nice crunch. But it still had the radiant sheen of a fully dipped sandwich. The pastrami in the roll is not like the traditional sliced pastrami on rye and in my experience can be very hit or miss. This pastrami was a hit, dead on. The only setback is that the sandwich does not come with any potato salad or coleslaw, which I almost expect when paying top dollar at one of the cities premier pastrami properties. It was top of the line in flavor none-the-less. I can’t wait to return to try some of their other offerings.