Before going to Pasadena my friend, Michael Self, and I had dinner at "Oinkster" in Eagle Rock. Located in a converted fast food restaurant, this "slow food restaurant" serves really good upscale fast food. Michael had the pulled pork sandwich -- which he said was excellent -- and I had the pastrami sandwich. I'd read the chef at Oinkster had consulted with Norm Langer on how best to prepare pastrami but I didn't really believe it. But now that I've had the pastrami sandwich at Oinkster I do.

And the chocolate malt -- made with Fosselman's ice cream -- is a real stand-out.

It's also cool that Oinkster is located on Colorado Boulevard which was the path of historic Route 66.