The hot pastrami sandwich at America's Classics winner Langer’s in L.A. is so good it has inspired fierce devotion among deli lovers, among them Nora Ephron, who wrote an homage to it in the New Yorker. “It’s soft but crispy, tender but chewy, peppery but sour, smoky but tangy,” she wrote of Langer’s version of the quintessential deli dish. “It’s a symphony orchestra, different instruments brought together to play one perfect chord.”
The restaurant steams the well-spiced cured meat for hours before hand-cutting it into thick, tender slices. To make this popular variation, Langer’s layers the hot meat on twice-baked rye bread, still warm from the oven and slathered with Russian dressing, and tops it with Swiss cheese and a scoop of their sweet-and-sour coleslaw. Make it yourself.
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