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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Philippe is one of my favorite places to eat. Scoops is great too, as is Pure Luck, the vegan restaurant across the street from Scoops. Scoops is also owned by a CalArts alum. Score!
Scoops is owned by a CalArts alumn? THAT’S AWESOME!
Maybe we should do a bicycle tour next … expand our possibilities … or Multi-Modal …
PS: Love the caption to the subway photo. haha.
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This was such a fantastic day trip! I think we need to give Bottega Louie another go, if anything just to try their pastries!
No way syrup desserts and spring for coffee!
I put a suggestion for Scoops to create a Vegemite icecream. I’m not sure if I’d even be game enough to try it. Super fun times.
Wow that sounds like a really fun day. I wish I was there to experience it with you. Well done Mike!
You would have dug, for sure.
Have you been to Sandwich Shop? It’s on 6th st.
Jeff left out the bike store, he is afraid we will show him on that weird unicycle thing, mike knows the name.
I should totally post a link…
How in the world did you eat all that in one day??
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After gorging yourself on all that “fuel”, you should have ridden your bike back to Newhall.
Love it your adventure. Wish you had a better time at Bottega Louie their torpedo is awesome and so are the pastries.
How about a bicycle tour through SCV for tacos? Got to be 15-20 stops
might happen. Best show in town is a new place in the old fake Tommie’s called El Pato. Everything al carbon.
If you do the taco tour, check out the place on the corner of Soledad & Sierra Hwy! Yummy! don’t forget the horchata…
Tacos lof Toritos?
Si, Tacos Los Toritos!
Swiss on a double-dip????!!!!!! Egads! Swiss (or any other cheese) on a double-dip is like someone ordering a Tommy burger WITHOUT THE CHILI!
I like mine just with the roll and meat… nothing else.. and TRIPLE-dipped.
The only thing that I get with cheese at Philippe is their lamb with bleu cheese.
I’m with you VJ!
Sorry fellas, as I said, I’m pretty food ignorant. Certainly next time I’ll forgo the swiss
Oh.. forgot this.. another one to try at Langer’s is their pastrami sandwich with tomatoes and cream cheese (#65).
Has anybody been to the Mi Ranchito Grill on Solead near Whites (old Burger King location)?
No, but my boys were quite upset about the removal of the play area!!!!! We used to walk there for lunch (when it was “Burber King” that is, quote from my boys).