Canter's Deli

There's just something about Canter's that's irresistible.  It's this wonderful Jewish delicatessen, restaurant and yummy bakery that seems to belong in New York, but instead got plunked down in the middle of  the Fairfax district of Los Angeles - and it's been around since the 1930s.

Canter's is a bit of an institution.  Johnny Carson mentioned Canter's in his monologues, and the vinyl upholstery of its booths has seated a lot of famous tushies through the years.

It had been a very long time since I'd been to Canter's when we decided we needed dinner - at 11:30 p.m. one night - after attending a theatre production in Hollywood.  Where better to go than an a deli-restaurant that's open all night long?

My friends perusing the menu

Of course, if you're at a real deli, like this one, you have to get a Reuben sandwich. It's the law. My corned beef Reuben was wonderful.  In case you don't know what a Reuben is, it's a sandwich featuring not only meat (such as corned beef or pastrami), but sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese on rye - all grilled to perfection.  Ours were served with Russian dressing and all kinds of marvelous mustard.

Our busboy was kind and funny and kept bringing us various kinds of mustard to try.  I found a really wonderful, horseradish-y one that I thought went beautifully with the sandwich.  Yum.  I had to eat this with a knife and fork!

A Classic Reuben

The great thing about Canter's, though, is the wait staff.   We had the best waitress - thank you, Sheila! - and that made the whole evening so much more fun.

We laughed the whole time we were there.  Really!  Perhaps it was just we were giddy from being tired, but Sheila kept us in stitches, and then gave us a complimentary dessert.  What a kind lady!

But that's part of the Canter's experience, saucy waitresses who make you laugh, and really great food.