Heyo!
Your ol’ pal DP here. I just hit 300 subscribers! Hooray! Thank you so much. It’s been a lot of fun coming up with multiple topics to write about every week. I love what I’m doing, so thank you for reading. And to the subscribers who have this newsletter dictated to them through their majordomo, thanks for listening! What an odd life you have.
Alright back to business: I’ve been living in L.A. for almost 7 years now, and you know what drives me insane?
I keep hearing that Los Angeles doesn’t have enough sandwiches. When somebody says that, what are you driving past every torta and cemita in the city? Do we not have outstanding delis? We have plenty of sandwiches, bonehead! And even more food that could be a sandwich. You ever slam two pupusas together with slaw in the middle? You should. Pupusas have excellent handle. Just great grip. I reckon you’d be able to throw a pupusa pretty far if you had to. In fact put me in shallow center field, give me a pupusa, and I bet I could throw a straight piss missile to the catcher.
Alright, alright. I’ll stop playing dumb. Of course we don’t have nearly as many sandwich options as New York. And Jesus race car driving Christ, I haven’t found a hoagie here that’s comes close to what’s available in Philadelphia. Still, Uptown Provisions, Lorenzo, Langer’s, Ggiata, Bodega Park, Bub & Grandma’s, Roma Market—there’s a long ass list of great sandwich spots in Los Angeles. You know what most of them don’t have, however? It’s a sandwich that I fear is becoming extinct despite its inherent greatness. It’s a sandwich Dads everywhere indulge in, usually on a mustard stained recliner. Folks, I’m talking about a delicious and refreshing cold roast beef sandwich.
Admittedly, a cold roast beef sandwich is a bit antiquated. There’s something very Dadcore about it. It’s the type of sandwich that should come with a side of cigarettes and a newspaper. If ever there was a food that said “order me out of a catalogue” it’s a cold roast beef sandwich. I think it’s the words cold and roast beef that just conjure an image of some 57 year old guy named Arnold* eating one. Cold roast beef sandwiches are somewhat of a lost art, but man, you can find a really good one at Jeff’s Table in Highland Park.
*My Dad’s name is Arnold so I’m allowed to make that joke.
The O.G. Roast Beef at Jeff’s Table Is Really, Really Good
I’ve written about Jeff Strauss and Jeff’s Table a few times already, so I won’t go into full detail about his whole story again. Jeff hasn’t been selling food very long, and he’s already prolific. Oy Bar, his modern dive bar/restaurant in Studio City, has been a revelation since opening. Many people put the Oy Burger (a big ol’ beef patty topped with melty Toma cheese, cilantro, hoisin ketchup, cucumber, red onion, and Dijon mustard) in their top burgers in the city. But before Oy Bar there was Jeff’s Table—a micro deli in the back of a hip liquor store on Figueroa Street in Highland Park that serves some of the best sandwiches around.
A lot of people seem to think Jeff’s Table is a pun. As in, Chef’s Table but Jeff’s Table. That is not the case. This is the most straightforward business name of all time. “Hey, my name’s Jeff. This is my motherfuckin’ table. What do you want from me?” In my opinion, more restaurants should be named like auto body shops. David Motors. Karl’s Tires, you know? I’m tried of cleverness. Give me a good Julia’s Restaurant. Bobby’s Kitchen Island. Joe’s Dining Arena.
Earlier I described a roast beef sandwich as refreshing. You read that and thought, “There’s no way he meant to say refreshing there.” I did.
A roast beef sandwich, especially on a hot day, can be immensely satisfying and cooling. Take Jeff’s—the horseradish creme fraîche is cool, creamy, and carries the perfect amount of heat. The roast beef is clean, medium-rare, and the miso crust adds some additional meatiness. The seeded roll is lovely, too. Also, man, I think every roast beef sandwich should come with arugula. The fresh, peppery flavor accents the horseradish cream really well. This is such a simple sandwich, and one that I crave. It costs $14.95, which is very reasonable.
There are many different cuts you can use to make roast beef, but Jeff uses top round. “Active muscle, great flavor,” says Jeff, “Great below medium and a nice fat layer on the outside for the miso cure.” That miso tenderizes the meat and adds some additional umami, too. It’s sliced so thin, but every ribbon of meat is jam packed with deliciously clean beef flavor. Jeff has really elevated deli meat with his sandwiches, but he’s kept them accessible, too. No $20 sandwiches here. It’s chef driven (vroom vroom!!!) but still for the everyman.
Don’t leave Jeff’s Table without chips and a bottle of soda.
Last year I wrote about pairing sandwiches with potato chips. In that article, I talked about marrying the O.G. roast beef with Irvins salted egg potato chips. That was a very indulgent recommendation. Though, according to Jeff, a bunch of people who read the article actually came in to try it. Those salted egg potato chips are delicious, fatty, funky, and probably too rich. They’re expensive, too, and cost $11. If you have $11 for chip money congrats on your generational wealth.
Still, I’m a big proponent of topping sandwiches with potato chips and the chaos that can ensue! Get wild! Mix n’ match! This time I chose subtlety for once and went with the Dirty Maui Onion flavor. Dirty’s kettle-style chips are always adequately crunchy, and the maui onion flavor is really tame. That means these chips will add crunch, but wont’ take away from the sandwich itself. That is the more reasonable move for Jeff’s Table. You don’t want to distract too much from the sandwich.
Oh, and if you haven’t, you should take some time and explore Flask (that’s the liquor store which Jeff’s Table lives inside.) They’ve got an awesome selection of sodas, most of which come in a glass bottle. You’ll see 7-UP, Boylan Orange Soda, Classic Coke, Squirt, Cheerwine, Fitz’s, Dad’s, and many more. The chip selection isn’t bad, though I am much more excited about Flask’s sodas. More liquor stores/corner stores should feature a wide variety of chips. Flask is certainly no 7-Eleven in that department.
All in all, Jeff’s awesome sandwich has me scratching my head and asking, “Why aren’t there more cold roast beef sandwiches?” Lorenzo in Beverly Hills has one that I’m dying to try, but it costs $22 and I think I’m morally against paying $26 for only a sandwich (tip included there.) Most of L.A.’s wonderful establishments seem to omit the cold roast beef sandwich from their menu, however. In a town full of French dips and pastrami, it’s refreshing to see something simply prepared yet so modernly delicious. The move this week? Take your Dad out for some roast beef. Take him to Jeff’s Table.
Jeff’s Table
5900 N. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Open Tuesday - Sunday 11AM - 3PM
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Now got get a cold roast beef sandwich already!
I just stumbled upon your article from last January about "Gas Station Eggs."
(I'm glad The Takeout" likes to rerun old articles). Thank you! I've been eating them for years at my local 7-11 here in Austin for years! HEB grocery also has great ones. It's too bad HEB hasn't dominated the nation yet (only Texas) cuz then you'd see what a GREAT grocery chain really is! (and owned by the same Catholic (kind ones, not the pushy ones) family for 119 years). I digress, sorry, you're writing is starting to affect my writing, anyway, great article! Thanks for being on my egg-cellent team! (Hey, a Palumbo comment without a bad pun-un-egg-ceptable!)! Thanks!