I few weeks ago, I my friend from NYC, Richard, came to LA for a visit. Like all New Yorkers, Richard has a certain disgust for all things LA, and thinks that the best everything is in New York. While I will concede slice pizza and bagels, he insists that New York has better sushi as well. But that is another story.

Today we are arguing about Pastrami sandwiches. Langer’s, I argue, may have the best pastrami on either coast.

“That’s inconceivable,” he says. “You are telling me that Langer’s has better pastrami than 2nd Avenue Deli, Katz’s, or even Carnegie?”

“Yep, and they have curbside delivery. Try to get that in New York,” I replied.

After much heated debate, inevitably, the only way to settle this turned out to be to actually head over to Langers.

Going to Langers is an experience in itself. The neighborhood around Langers has become completly Latino, and bears an uncanny resemblence to Tijiuna. Langers seems to be the only thing in this neighborhood which has resisted this change.

When you order, there is a funny numbering system for the different configurations you can order your pastrami in. Both Richard and I opted for #19, Pastrami on Rye with Swiss Cheese and Coleslaw. Even Richard had to agree that it was an outstanding sandwich.

“The texture and tenderness of the pastrami is incredible. And the crisp rye bread is an amazing counterpoint,” he raved.

However, like a true New Yorker, he refused to concede that it was superior to a Katz’s pastrami. “There is something about the energy of having pastrami in New York,” he said. “It’s like you are encountering it in it’s natural environment.”

Yeah, whatever Richard. By the way, the Knicks suck.

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Forget chicken noodle… today, it’s all about the pho (pronounced “f-uh”).

This Vietnamese noodle soup is a cure-all, can’t get enough, basic food group category in itself, mmm…mmm… delicious meal!

A huge swirley whirlpool of thin vermicelli rice noodles delicately float in a dark, aromatic beef broth. You can order it with thinly sliced raw beef that cooks gently in your steaming hot soup, or with fish/beef tempura balls, egg, pork or chicken. The giant bowl of soup comes with a plate of fresh herbs and veggies - usually bean sprouts, lemon basil (tear into small bits & throw into your soup), and other leafy veggies to throw into the mix. Squeeze a slice of lemon over the soup, add some spices/condiments, and if you’re daring - throw in some spicy, butt-burning green chillis.

Proper way to eat -
In one hand, pick up some noodles & veggies w/ your chopsticks. With your other hand, hold the deep, white Asian soup spoon & gather some broth. Add the noodles to the spoon and slurp it all up in one go!

By the way - loud slurping in Asian cultures is perfectly acceptable - in fact, encouraged. This is the proper way of consuming soup - the slurping gathers air to enter your mouth & allows you to enjoy the full aromatic flavor of your broth. So slurp away!! (It’s sometimes deafening eating soup w/ my family.)

Pho is not only a delicious meal during these chilly winter months - it’s an incredible cure for the common cold, next-morning-hangover, and the “hungry on a budget” syndrome. A typically bowl of pho costs only $4.50 - $5.50. I highly recommend the mom & pop restaurants that barely wipe down the table between guests.

In San Francisco - visit the Tenderloin District. In Los Angeles, you can find the best pho in Alhambra and Monterey Park.

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I can still have vivid memories of the first meal I had in Italy. I had just gotten off the train in Rome and was starving after a long day of travel. My Austrian travel companions and I decided on a bustling eatery near the train station. I went with spaghetti carbonara, and a fresh arugula salad. Wow. The carbonara tasted unlike any pasta I had ever had in the states. The flavor was simple and relied completely on the freshness of the ingredients. The salad was outstanding as well. It was a very simple arugula salad dressed olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic. But the salad tasted like it had been plucked from the ground minutes before it was served. I was surprised to find that in Italy (as in most of the continent) salad is served after the the main course.

That night I learned a few things about Italian cuisine. Freshness is the key. Simple dishes can really shine with fresh, high quality elements. In Italy pasta is always made from scratch. You won’t ever see any self respecting restaurant boiling noodles from out of a box. In addition, there is a real conservational attitude in Italian cooking. Scraps of meats and cheese are always being saved and reused for other things.

Since my trip to Italy I have realized that we have a big misconception of Italian food here in the U.S. 90% of what is sold in the U.S. as “Italian” food is about as Italian as Taco Bell is Mexican. In Italy you will never find a restaurant that will serve you spaghetti and meatballs, or a pepperoni pizza. You will also have a hard time finding any of the creamy white sauces in Italy. Pizza is also a much different affair in Italy. It is far more refined than the American version, and seldom has meat toppings. Most of what is served to us in the U.S. as Italian food is actually Italian-American food, it’s bastard child.

Below, I’ve listed a few of my favorite Italian dishes. Give them a taste at your local authentic Italian eatery, or try to whip them up at home:

Spaghetti Carbonara: Spaghetti noodles with Italian bacon, parmesan cheese, and eggs.

Pizza Margherita: Pizza with mozzarella, tomato, and basil.

Steak Florentine: Steak marinated in olive oil, rosemary, and garlic.

Chicken Marsala: Herb Chicken in a sweet Marsala wine and mushroom sauce.

Chianti: No discussion about Italian food would be complete without mentioning Chianti, the excellent full bodied Italian red wine.

Gelato: Italian ice cream is some of the best in the world. Bacio (chocolate hazelnut) and Stracchiatella (sort of like chocolate chip) are my favorites.

Tiramisu: Best described as a mocha flavored whip cream. Delicate and airy, yet rich.

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