Query: What’s a group of young, internet-savvy SCV food connoisseurs to do with themselves in a town that pines for a Cheesecake Factory above all else?
Answer: Un-Think SCV and get the hell out of town on the Sandwich Train to Los Angeles
That’s just what I and about 11 others did last weekend. After some extensive planning by SCVTalk reader and fierce BBQer Mike D. and Lady Ducayne, the 12 of us boarded a Metrolink train Saturday morning in Old Town Newhall and left with empty stomachs, fat wallets and high expectations of finding some good eats in urban Los Angeles.
Metrolink: An Eco-Friendly link to LA
We are very fortunate as a community to have Metrolink services at three train stations throughout town. On Saturdays you can buy a round-trip ticket to downtown Los Angeles for only $11, a bargain when you consider the cost of gasoline and parking at various spots in LA (also, a Metrolink ticket also allows you free transfers on MTA’s rail system).The trip south only takes about 43 minutes from Old Town Newhall to Union Station in downtown LA during which time you can enjoy chatting with friends aboard a clean and comfortable Metrolink train.
The SCV Sandwich Train crew at Union Station with MTA Headquarters in the background
Langer’s Deli
Our first stop was Langer’s Deli near MacArthur park. To get there and try their world famous pastrami sandwiches, we hopped on board MTA’s Red Line and got to experience that most un-LA like sensation: riding an east-coast style subway.
No, we didn't get mugged
Now ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you I’m not generally known to be very knowledgeable or critical about food. Generally I look at food as fuel: the relationship between taste and quality is inversely proportional to my hunger levels. In other words, the hungrier I am, the less I care about taste and quality.
But on Saturday, I had no choice. The whole day was programmed out in advance by skilled food strategist Mike D, so I arrived very hungry at Langer’s and enjoyed a pastrami sandwich (extra lean) and pickles that were, to put it mildly, an extravagant feast for my ignorant taste buds:
Not just lunch, a veritable Sandwich Experience
The rest of the Sandwich Train crew, experienced and critical eaters all of them, enjoyed Langer’s too.
Next Stop : Fancy Ice Cream
What better way to wash down delicious pastrami than with some fancy gourmet ice cream at a well-known indy ice cream shop in a hipster neighborhood?
Enter Scoops, reportedly one of LA’s better ice cream stores, and just a scant few blocks away from another Red Line subway stop.
Delicious: I chose Orange, Merlot Sorbet and Oreo Vanilla crunch
The neat thing about Scoops is that they change the ice cream flavors constantly. In fact, they make fresh ice cream daily, and when they run out, that’s it. They close. That means you have to get there early to enjoy the good stuff. Scarcity, it turns out, is sometimes good for business.
After enjoying that tasty treat, we checked out a nearby bicycle shop then walked the few blocks back to the Red Line station for a trip back to downtown LA.
Bottega Louie
Next we stopped at a ritzy place named Bottega Louie. This fancy restaurant took so long serving us simple foods (I ordered a salad) that we left out of frustration. The Sandwich Train crew are currently savaging it on Yelp.com (Southland restaurants, beware their wit!), so I won’t pile on here, but sufffice it to say, this restaurant was a disappointment, though their tarts looked amazing.
But we had an ace up our sleeves, a sandwich place that never disappoints, and we headed there post-haste onboard the Red Line once again.
Phillipe
How to describe Phillipe? I suppose one could say Phillipe is to Downtown Los Angeles as Saugus Cafe or Waystation is to Santa Clarita: a veritable eating institution, over 100 years old. Serving delicious French dip sandwiches to people of all incomes, races, nationalities and statuses, Phillipe French Dip and delicious lemonade never leaves you wanting
My double-dipped French Dip served with melted swiss cheese and lays chips added in for extra crunch
Post Script
Sufficiently fattened and satisfied, the weary Sandwich Train crew hopped back on board Metrolink for an easy ride home. The trip was a total success, and more are planned in the future, but you don’t have to wait for us! The Metrolink and SCV stations make exploring LA a snap; you can even bring your bicycle along if you want.
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