we got to coax you out of venice once in a while 
Venice? We’re east siders where there are cemitas as far as the eye can see! Maybe a taste off in the future?
EDIT: That reminds me, did they include papalo or is that already out of season?
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I was hoping you’d say this. 
el Poblano is far from top dog, just best around here . And 5 times better than the trash one I got from a generalist truck last week
To be fair, Bill Esparza said a while back that cemitas aren’t that great in LA. Of course, that just made me think, “Damn if they’re ‘not good’ here what must they be like in Puebla?!”
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AMAZING! Puebla is not far from Mexico City… Worth a visit.
–Dommy!
With all this talk of cemitas, I thought I’d try Don Adrian in Van Nuys. Cecina Asada cemita, it was pretty good.
While I find cemitas enjoyable, I’ve never been that into them. Most of the time I go it’s because someone else wants to. I’ve had three different people tell me I absolutely need to go Cemitas La China Poblana and it’ll change my mind. Has anyone been?
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I been there. That’s right across the old graveyard in Boyle Heights? It’s been a few, I remember it being okay/fine. I just think cemitas in general are much like the recent weather…dry
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My favorite spot for cemitas is the Cemitas Poblanas Tepeaca truck on Whittier Blvd. in East L.A. So dang good. Not dry at all. But I am a fan of cemitas generally. I’ve had Cemitas La China Poblana, and they were just OK. Would have rather gone down the street to the Tepeaca truck.
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I’ve never met a cemita I didn’t like but some are better than others. I would second Cemitas Tepeaca, it’s neighbor Cemitas Los Poblanos and Cemitas Poblanas El Sapito (formerly Elvirita).
However, one big caveat is I’ve yet to find one cemita spot that is consistent from one experience to the next. Just a couple for instances, sometimes the bread is fine at Sapito and sometimes it’s dry, Cemitas Poblanas can forget the papalo I specifically asked and paid extra for, Don Adrian makes you pay extra for quesillo but last time put a hunk of cheese under a thin veneer of quesillo, etc. Even one of Bill Esparza’s recommendations that bakes its own bread was just fine the one time I went.
That said, I love 'em all and would eat at any one of these places again.
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I make a copycat version of Howard Johnson’s clam sandwiches. Fried clam strips in toasted hot dog buns with a squeeze of lemon juice and tartar sauce. French fries or macaroni salad and coleslaw on the side. I miss their hot fudge sundaes with whipped cream for dessert.
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I think that was cemitas poblanas elverista? They were one of the first places that I was aware of that offered cemitas years ago.
Have you ever been able to figure out any pattern to the inconsistency? Sometimes stuff is way better on the weekends because it’s fresh. A couple of times at Mexican restaurants I managed to figure out they cook certain meats certain days, so I’d have to remember like “It’s Thursday, can’t get carnitas cause it’s 4 days old.” Many times though there is one family member is the consistently good cook, everyone else is all over the place.
That’s a good question! I suspect the worst inconsistency (stale, dry bread) is comparatively easy to solve since places would either receive their bread or bake it themselves on a schedule but I’ve never been to the same place consecutively in small enough time periods to note patterns.
Having said that, I have been told that papalo is more common certain seasons (late spring and summer) and I do tend to get milanesa because I think that’s frequently made to order or borrego (lamb) because that’s often only made on weekends so you know it’s fresh.
Speaking of lamb and made fresh, I did once find a sheep’s tooth in my borrego cemita which was a little off putting… but it was delicious and now I know what unctuous cut of meat they use.
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Ditto. I always feel like it’s something I should like far more than I actually do. In the pantheon of sandwiches, it’d be toward the bottom for me.
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Howard Johnson’s clam strips and sundaes were my favorite part of family road trips.
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Doner sandwich from berlins great lunch time spot flavors, sauces, and bread definitely remind of doners I’ve had in Europe and under 10 bucks
YES!!
To this day, this is the reason I crave clam strips! All you can eat on Tuesday’s at Howard Johnson’s.
There’s a place in Malibu that has a sign out front “AYCE Fried Clams” Tuesday. I think it’s Paradise Cove. Always tempted LOL!
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I went to PC this summer. Wish I had seen the clams. I had the bland, tentacle-less calamari.
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If the calamari was bland, maybe the clams will be too?
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