You may have already seen videos of the viral $38 basturma brisket sandwich from Yerord Mas Bakery & Deli, an Armenian restaurant located in a Glendale strip mall. I already clutched my pearls when I went to Langer’s Deli and paid a whopping $30 for the #19. But how good can a sandwich be to justify a $38 price tag?
Born and raised in Echo Park, Arthur Grigoryan moved to Paris to study at none other than Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating, he spent two years immersed in the world of fine dining, working at restaurants like Drouant by Antoine Westermann, and Chateau Siaurac in Bordeaux. When Arthur returned to Los Angeles, he worked for Nancy Silverton at her two Italian institutions, Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza.
During a trip to Franklin, Tennessee, in 2017, Arthur had a lightbulb moment: fusing Texas-style barbecue with his Middle Eastern roots. The name, Yerord Mas (III Mas), refers to the 3rd district of Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, where Arthur’s father is originally from. For the brisket sandwich, Arthur takes Australian wagyu brisket, smokes it Texas-style, and coats it with a blend of aromatics and spices inspired by basturma, the Armenian cured-meat seasoning.
Arthur started selling the sandwich as a pop-up in 2018 out of his Sherman Oaks residence, then at the Smorgasburg Food Market: basturma brisket, Swiss cheese, sliced Persian cucumbers, and chaman spread hugged by Egyptian flatbread using Arthur’s mom’s recipe, who grew up in Egypt.
In 2024, Arthur and his wife Takouhi were making the sandwich, alongside other Middle Eastern fusion items from a ghost kitchen in Glendale. Back then, the sandwich was priced at $24, significantly less than its current $38 price tag…