Junk Food Nation, it’s shameless plug time!  My buddies Dubba and Nick over on OnSecondScoop.com are having a KILLER CONTEST.  They are my go-to experts in ice cream, and you won’t believe how much they consume.  Dubba, each year, has a “State of the Freezer” address, where he shows you just what’s going on inside his fridge.  Absurd.

Oh right, the contest.  Well, the OnSecondScoop guys want YOU to have an absurd freezer too!  They are giving away a $100 gift certificate to icecreamsource.com.  That’s ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS WORTH OF ICE CREAM, people.

How to enter?  Go to the contest post here, read the State of the Freezer, and learn the details! They’ve got second and third runner up prizes too, so this looks to be a big score.  Enter and win!

Today I wanted to talk about Fat Sal’s Deli in LA!

Fat Sal’s in LA

So, while I was in LA, my sister took me to a sandwich place near UCLA called Fat Sal’s.  It is known for creating incredible combos of sandwiches.  Sandwiches like:

THE FAT MONA: Fried eggs, ham, crisp bacon, sausage, sauteed peppers and onions, melted american and mozzarella cheese, fries, ketchup, salt and pepper on a buttered grilled roll.

THE FAT JERRY: Cheesesteak, chicken fingers, mozz sticks, crisp bacon, fried eggs, fries, mayo, ketchup, salt and pepper on a hero.

You pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down?  It’s one of THOSE places.  Perfect for a college area.  When I stopped by, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and was surprised to find such a cute little sandwich shack with some limited outdoor seating and TVs that played ESPN constantly.  MY KINDA JOINT.

The menu

Fat Sal’s in LA has a TON of things on their menu (a clearer version can be seen here), and there was a lot to choose from.  I decided to go for gusto (and since I had Actor Sis to help me indulge), and ordered a bunch of things that sounded good.  Two sandwiches: The Fal Sal (original) and the Fat Cookout.  And then three different egg rolls (for those of you who listened to our last Nosh Show podcast, you’ll know I LOVE EGG ROLLS): Pizza Rolls, Reuben Rolls, and Buffalo Chicken Rolls.

My haul!

Good god, that’s a lot of food.  Reminds me of a Hoagie Haven-style feast, my other go-to sandwich place for things like this.  Not photographed on my standard leather ottoman, this feast was brought to you by Actor Sis’ glass table.

The Fat Sal

First up: The Fat Sal.  It’s made of roast beef, mozz sticks, onion rings, fries, brown gravy, mayo on a garlic hero.  The first thing I noticed about this sub was how actually NOT sloppy it was.  The subs were tightly rolled, and not huge 24″-ers…these were a good size, but not overwhelming.  I liked that.

The Fat Sal: Close up

The taste of the Fat Sal: AMAZING. Like, really amazing.  The sandwich was warm and soft with the exception of the crisp outer roll.  The insides were a decadent delight.  The beef flavor was great, and highlighted by the wonderful brown gravy.  The beefy onion flavor of the gravy worked well with the onion rings, and the mozz sticks and fries just made the whole thing very munchable.  Didn’t feel heavy at all, just a nice beefy, cheesy, starchy bite.  The mayo was the food lube that held everything together, mixing with the rgavy to let those mouthfuls slide right down my throat.  Thumbs up, big time.

The Fat Cookout

Next up: The Fat Cookout. This was cheeseburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, potato chips, pickles, ketchup, mustard on a hero roll.  When I opened it up, it smelled like a cookout.  Charred flavor, nice and smoky, and lots of that campfire smell (somehow).

The Fat Cookout: Close up

The Fat Cookout also TASTED like a cookout!  The burgers and hotdogs were nice and flavorful, but more than anything, they provided a perfect meaty smoky base for everything piled on top.  The potato salad and pickles provided a nice tang to the sandwich, while adding a crispness with the pickle and a nice starchiness with the potato.  The cookout aspect of it was of course punched up by the mustard and ketchup, and the chips?  Well, I am a BIG FAN of adding chips to a sandwich.  It gave the Fat Cookout the crunchiness I know and love from potato chip sandwiches.  All in all, EXCELLENT.  Loved this.

Meat Luv’rz Pizza Rolls

These “Meat Luv’rz Pizza Rolls” are spring rolls filled with pepperoni, ground beef, sweet Italian sausage, provolone, mozz, and then you dip it in marinara sauce.  And lemme tell you: AMAZING.  Best Pizza Rolls I’ve ever eaten.  Gooey, salty, and FULL of Italian meaty flavor.  Plus, nice and crispy on the outside.  Just an awesome, awesome treat.

Pastrami Reuben Rolls

These Pastrami Reuben Rolls were spring rolls filled with hot pastrami, swiss, and sauerkraut, and then you dip it into russian dressing.  These were ALSO outstanding.  The pastrami flavor was bold and very meaty, and didn’t get lost in the russian dressing.  I was worried about the deep fried hot sauerkraut, but honestly, it plus the melted swiss combined to create a warm, gooey, cheesy, tangy combo that was complemented the pastrami well, like a good Reuben.  I’m drooling just remembering these again. Best Reuben in bite size form I’ve had in a while.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Unfortunately, these Buffalo Chicken Rolls were the least successful of the meal.  Sorry, Fat Sal’s, gotta criticize somewhere.  The flavors were there – cheese, scallions, and chicken inside a spring roll, dipped in hot sauce.  How can you go wrong?  I’ll tell you – the chicken was BREADED chicken, pre-stuffing into the wrapper.  The result? The breading got all mushy and was NOT crispy, so these ended up tasting like a lot of bread to me.  I’d like them better if they relied on the crisp of the wrapper itself to simulate “breading” and let the chicken alone.

BUT ALL IN ALL, Fat Sal’s is a MUST VISIT if you’re in LA.  Excellent food, and honestly, I didn’t feel gross at all after sampling these goods (maybe if I had devoured all of it, the story would be different).

Now that you’ve experienced eating these delicious contraptions through me – go enter that ice cream contest!  And I’ll talk to you guys soon.

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy