'It looks like a war.' How a $38 Armenian brisket sandwich ignited debate over culture and cost
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Set us as preferred On the plate, it’s a half pound of Wagyu brisket smothered in pickles and Mornay sauce, all cradled in freshly made pita bread.On the internet, it’s a cultural flash point.In late June, the viral basturma brisket sandwich from Glendale restaurant Yerord Mas found itself at the center of hundreds of comments dissecting cost, tradition and respect after a content creator deemed the sandwich “not worth” its $38 price tag.
But it was the influencer’s additional jab of “F— the traditional style” that especially upset Yerord Mas chef-owner Arthur Grigoryan.He called creator Richie Gaines’ words “offensive” and announced that Yerord Mas would no longer serve the sandwich that L.A.
Times restaurant critic Bill Addison, in his review of the restaurant, said was “phenomenal, a statement piece of excess and engineering ...easily enough to feed two people.” At Yerord Mas, a second-generation son of the city takes the cooking of his people and turns it into something personal, deeply researched, modern in lightness and inspiringly delicious.
His viral $38 basturma brisket sandwich is worth the hype.Days later, after receiving numerous calls, texts and online messages asking him to continue serving the basturma sandwich, including from legendary kebab and rotisserie shop Zankou Chicken, Grigoryan decided to keep the sandwich on the menu after all.The incident brings into stark relief an influencer culture that has set local restaurateurs at odds with content creators.Instagram, TikTok and Reddit boards are filled with roughly 1,000 comments regarding the Yerord Mas “ragequit” debate, some discrediting the restaurant and others the influencer.Gaines said his TikTok post about the sandwich, which has racked up more than 125,500 views, was never intended as a critique of Armenian cultur...