Wexler’s Deli

Wexler’s Deli
317 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-620-0633

Wexler's Deli is a stand at the Grand Central Market.  I've been to other stands at the Grand Central Market like; Kismet Falafel,  Prawn, and Horse Thieves BBQ- which has a very large and loyal following!

There was a huge line when I go there, but the line was for the ice cream stand across the way.  When that line was redirected to another aisle, there were only 2-3 people ahead of me.  There are about ten seats along the v-shaped counter.  There are other seating throughout Grand Central Market.

Ruskie-$11 egg salad, pickle, and a kaiser roll.  The egg salad was great.  Well seasoned, with some green onions, and mustard and mayo.  But, the kaiser roll left a lot to be desired.  Not good at all.  A bit undercooked, and the onions on top didn't work well with the egg salad.  Cole slaw, you got a choice along with potato salad, was very good.  Not much mayo, which I really like, and just a light refreshing cole slaw!

Service was good.  We got our sandwiches quickly.

I would go back to Wexler's but I may ask for a different bun.  Maybe, even on a bagel!

Nano’s Deli-Closed

 Nano’s Deli
2250 S Archibald Ave Ste C
Ontario, CA 91761
909-923-3354

 Nano’s Deli has been opened for about two months.  Between a martial arts studio and a Lebanese restaurant, it's a good sized space.  The counter and prep area is to the right as you enter.  In front of the deli cases are different varieties of potato chips, some I've never heard of before.  There are about 10 tables and chairs and the drink dispenser on the left part of the space.

They use Boar's Head meats, and that is made known by the signs and the sticker that is on the paper wrapped around your sandwich. 

Veggie sandwich, $6.99- choice of bread and two cheeses, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and sprouts. I asked for no onions and mustard, with squaw bread.  This was a good filling sandwich.  The bread was soft, good texture, and the veggies were fresh.  Two slices of both cheeses. Everything was fresh. 

Service is good.

This is such a great option for sandwiches in Ontario!  I saw about ten people who work at Niagara Water, so that must be close by.  I may give Alina's, the Lebanese restaurant next door, since David Allen gave it a good review!

Eagle Rock Italian Bakery & Deli

Eagle Rock Italian Bakery & Deli
1726 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
323-255-8224

After going to Eagle Rock Green Dragon I noticed Eagle Rock Italian Bakery & Deli was across Colorado.  Since I've been to so many restaurants on Colorado-; Cindy's, Eagle Rock Public House, CaCao Mexicatessen, Meea's, Larkin's, Brownstone Pizza, both of them are now closed, Oinkster, Colombo's, Casa Bianca, Blue Hen- which recently closed- I figured why not add another one!! So, I decided to give them at try!

Eagle Rock Italian Bakery & Deli is really an Italian market that has a bakery and deli section.  There are no tables to sit at and eat your sandwich.  You could go across the street and eat at Tommy's.  Or do what I did- eat at the tables at Meea's!  

Large cheese sandwich-$6.75 with cheddar and pepper jack cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato.

This could have been a very good sandwich.  It was about maybe 8 inches long.  The cheeses were good quality cheese.  The veggies were fresh.  But, what I didn't like about this sandwich was the bread.  An Italian roll that had a very hard crust.  The inside was soft and had good texture, but the hard outside just turned my off on this sandwich.

Service was friendly, but slow.  There were three people working behind the counter.  While one lady ordered a ton of stuff, the other two maybe had a handful of items.  But the workers were going in slow motion!  I mean 5 minutes to slice a pound of salami?  The girl who helped me made my sandwich pretty quickly, but they just took forever to help the people in front of me.

While the bakery part of Eagle Rock Italian Bakery & Deli looks very good, I wasn't too impressed with the deli part.  They need to improve the bread on their sandwiches.

Greenblatt's Delicatessen & Fine Wine Shop-Closed

Greenblatt's Delicatessen & Fine Wine Shop
8017 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood
323-656-0606

A few blocks east of Carney's is Greenblatt's Deli.  I had planned to eat at Carney's but there was a long line at Carney's.  When I passed Greenblatt's on the way to Carney's, I realized it has been on my list of places to try.  So I came here.

Greenblatt's is a two story restaurant.  The ground floor has a small number of tables, the deli counter, and a huge retail store.  The upper floor has seating for about 40 people.  It was pretty busy when we arrived, all the tables were taken on the ground floor.  So, the bus boy said there was seating up stairs.  Notice, there was no host or hostess greeting people. Anyways, we were seated at the last empty table upstairs.

Pastrami sandwich, $12.95.  The menu at Greenblatt's said their pastrami was rated best pastrami.  Now The New Diner readers know I'm not a fan of Langers, what people says is the holy grail for pastrami; it's good pastrami but nothing great, certainly not the holy grail!  Personally, my holy grail for pastrami is Katz's in New York City!

So, I had to order the pastrami.  Sliced thin, the pastrami was flavorful and tasty, but a bit dry.  There was a good amount of pastrami on the sandwich, well worth the $12.95 price tag.  What made up for it was the great rye bread!  The crust was tough but chewy and the bread was just fantastic!   I got a side of fresh fruit and everything was good, expect for the very sour orange slice.

Service is below average.  While the server was nice, he wasn't around that often.  It took a long time to even place our order, get refills, he forgot to bring the extra napkins we asked for. To cut him some slack, I think it's how the restaurant assigns servers.  It seems our server had a couple tables upstairs but had all the tables downstairs.  I also didn't like the no host policy.  If the busboy didn't happen to walk by, I may still be standing there waiting for a table!

I wouldn't go back to Greenblatt's.  The pastrami sandwich was fine, but nothing great and service left a lot to be desired.

Schreiner's Fine Sausages

Schreiner's Fine Sausages
3417 Ocean View Blvd
Glendale
818-244-4735

Schreiner's Fine Sausages is a long time Glendale institution.  They have a big deli case full of deli meats, hot dogs, sausages, and meats.  The other half the building is their dining area, where you can order sandwiches.  

Hot dog, $2.80, with mustard.  A hot dog on a French roll?  Come on.  The hot dog could have been very good, but it was served lukewarm, and the skin was tough and chewy.  If they had steamed the hot dog properly, this could have been a very good hot dog.  The hot dogs sell for about $6.29 a pound in the deli case.  The roll was too tough and just overwhelmed the hot dog.  They need to use a regular hot dog bun!

Corned beef sandwich on roll with mustard, $4.05.   I'm not expecting New York deli corned beef like I get from Canter's Deli, but this corned beef was like any corned beef you get from Boar's Head or a supermarket deli case.  When you order the sandwich they ask if you want the sandwich hot or cold.  I asked for hot, and I'm betting the meat was put in the microwave and heated for about 30 seconds. 

Service was good.  For some reason Schreiner's was packed when I went, but they moved the line quickly and your food is served quickly. 

I was disappointed in Schreiner's because I heard very good things about it.  The hot dog could have been good, if they cooked it properly.  But, the corned beef sandwich was no better than a supermarket sandwich.  I would go back and buy some hot dogs from the deli, so I can cook them myself.  But, I wouldn't go back for their sandwiches.

Izzy's Deli

Izzy's Deli
1433 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica
310-394-1131

Izzy's Deli was the second stop of my two stop Santa Monica deli tour.  I went to Fromin's Restaurant first and wasn't impressed. So, I was really hoping Izzy's Deli would be much better. 

A large deli with counter seating, I liked the vibe of Izzy's much better. 

Corned beef, pastrami, muenster cheese, on rye with macaroni salad, $15.50.  The rye bread was very good, nice texture and flavor.  The pastrami was pretty good, well cured, though it may have been a bit too salty.  The corned was very good, well balanced, flavorful, and well cured.

Service was good.  The server wasn't some kid, but an older lady who cared about her job and her customers.  The hostess was also very friendly and nice.

Izzy's Deli is so much better than Formin's, it's not even funny.  If you're in Santa Monica, don't waste your time and money at Formin's, just go a few blocks west to Izzy's Deli!

Fromin's Restaurant

Fromin's Restaurant
1832 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica
310-829-5443

I decided to do a two stop deli tour in Santa Monica.  Figures, the day I pick to be in Santa Monica it's one of the warmer days in summer.  No, wait, it should be fall!!  I went to Formin's first, then I went to Izzy's Deli.  Both are four blocks from each other on Wilshire Blvd.

Formin's is a big deli but they do not have counter seating.  There is a small bakery and deli counter in the front and a big dining area on the left side of the room.

Half corned beef sandwich; $8.95, with cole slaw.  The corned beef was dry as a desert.  A very bad example of corned beef.  I really liked the rye bread, with lots of caraway seeds, a soft texture and a firm but not hard crust.

Service by the host and cashier was very good.  I was greeted when I walked in and was taken to a table right away.  The cashier was friendly while I paid my bill.  But, the server and busboy was terrible!!   After being seated, I waited a few minutes before she even came to my table.  During that time the busboy asked if I wanted coffee, I said No thank you, just ice water please.  He comes with water and a few cubes of ice.  I then asked him for some ice, and he cops an attitude!  I mean WTF?  If he had put more ice into the cup before I wouldn't have asked. 

Once the server came to my table, no Hi! or Would I like something else to drink.  Just "Have you decided or do I need a few minutes."  Now, I knew what I wanted, but I felt as though she was rushing me out of the restaurant.  It was like I interrupted her Sunday, and she couldn't be bothered.   She only came to my table to give me the check.  No, how is everything or if I wanted something else.  I can appreciate she did have other tables, but it wasn't busy when I was there. 

I wouldn't come back to Formin's again.  A terrible example of corned beef and terrible service by the server, means they lost a customer!

Mario's Italian Deli & Market

Mario's Italian Deli & Market
740 E Broadway
Glendale
818-242-4114

I reviewed Mario's Italian Deli & Market, over six years ago. While I did say I would not return, I changed my mind, because I wanted to try their Italian cold cut combo sandwich. It's weird, as recently as two years ago I had never had an Italian cold cut combo sandwich anywhere!! Then I got one at Capri Deli & Kitchen, and it's my usual sandwich at any Italian deli.
 
Mario's is both an Italian market and deli.  The deli counter is huge, it goes about the length of the store.  If you're ordering a sandwich make sure you take a number.  They have a good selection of soda including many imported sodas.  There are about 6-8 tables if you want to eat there.  A Glendale fixture since 1961, which was also the first year of the Los Angeles Angels. Real baseball fans know that the LA Angels played their first season at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. Unlike the drunk, idiot, loser Chicago Cubs fans, they also know that the first night game at Wrigley Field was in 1961, not 1988 when the Chicago Cubs continued their losing ways. Hey loser Cubs fans leave Bartman alone!! It wasn't his fault, it was your loser players who lost the game and series!! I love knowing the Cubs best chance of winning the World Series ended when the Houston Astros moved to the American League. If the, then Florida, now Miami Marlins had moved to the American League, the Back to the Future 2 prediction may have come true. Isn't it pathetic that the sorry loser Chicago Cubs fan base have to rely on a stupid movie for their World Series title hopes? There is no such thing as a curse!! It's about loser players, owners, managers, and especially fans!

The best play ever by any Chicago Cubs player; Rick Monday, who at the time was playing for the Chicago Cubs. He save the American Flag from being burned by two pinko gutless losers.:

Italian cold cut combo; $8.65, mortadella, salami, cappocollo, and ham.  Mario's still cuts the bread into three pieces.  The Italian roll is a bit too hard and chewy for my taste.  The triple cut is weird and unnecessary.  But, the meats are good quality meats.  The salami was had a very nice flavor.  The cappocollo was also very good.

Service was better than last time.  It still takes a bit long to make the sandwich, but overall the people were friendly and helpful.

The bread is just too tough and chewy for me to come back for a sandwich at Mario's.  But, the quality of the meat is very good.  I would come back and get a few pounds of each and make a sandwiches with better bread!