The Hat Pastrami

This weekend, our travels took us to Alhambra for a celebration of my grandmother's 98th birthday.

But instead of cake and ice cream, Grandma wanted something savory. Her pick? A take-out pastrami dip sandwich from The Hat, an institution in Los Angeles since 1951.

This famous little take-out restaurant, known for its neon chef’s toque sign touting their World Famous Pastrami, looks like nothing special from the street. But when you see the lines of loyal patrons lining up on the corner of Garfield and Valley, you know The Hat pastrami must be worth the trip.

Since its opening, The Hat restaurant has expanded its locations to Brea, Glendora, Lake Forest, Monterey Park, Pasadena, Rancho Cucamonga, Simi Valley, Temple City and Upland. But for the best LA restaurant experience, there's nothing like eating at The Hat in Alhambra.

In addition to their famous pastrami sandwich (which comes with 1/2-pound of meat tucked in a French roll with mustard, pickles and au jus), The Hat menu includes a variety of burgers, hot dogs and cold sandwiches. I tried the tuna sandwich, which was excellent, and our kids enjoyed the hot dogs.

My dad couldn't stop raving about the pastrami dip, saying he'd been "waiting for years to find a good pastrami sandwich like this." And Grandma finished the whole thing.

An interesting aside — pastrami is made from raw beef navel or brisket that is cured in brine and seasoned with a dry rub made rub allspice, paprika, garlic, black pepper, cloves, coriander and mustard seeds. It's smoked, steamed, and sliced thin for sandwiches. Here in LA, pastrami is served on a French roll. In New York, it's always served on Jewish rye bread.

Be sure to add a side order of chili fries, topped with tomatoes and pickles, or wet fries served with gravy. You can also get onion rings, potato salad and chili on the side. Drinks include soft drinks, iced tea, coffee, milk, lemonade and Horchata Ole (a Mexican rice milk drink).

Though the Alhambra location offers everything to-go in paper bags, there are a few picnic tables in the back for outdoor dining. Just watch out for those pesky birds!

The Hat Alhambra is located at 1 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra, CA 91801. Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Call (626) 282-0140 or visit http://www.thehat.com/