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Pete Tittl: Start spreading the news that we now have two NY-themed delis
| Tuesday, Aug 19 2008 10:52 AM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Aug 20 2008 10:46 AM
If there’s one name that will draw people into a deli, it’s New York, or at least a borough from the area. Now Bakersfield has its second franchised deli open within a year with a New York slant, the first being Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli.
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1110 Calloway Drive
588-6999
Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Paninis and wraps $6.95, sandwiches $6.95-$7.95, soups and salads $3.75-$7.75. Child’s plate $4.25.
Payment: MasterCard and VISA accepted. Does not accept American Express, Discover, personal checks or The Californian’s Press Pass.
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; no alcohol served; few vegetarian options.
On the Web: www.nynyfreshdeli.com
Food: 21⁄2 stars
Atmosphere: 21⁄2 stars
Service: 21⁄2 stars
Next week: Tom’s Famous Burgers
Photos:
Customers line up to place their lunch order at New York NY Fresh Deli, located on the corner of Calloway Drive and Brimhall Road.
The latest, also in the Rosedale area, is New York NY Fresh Deli. It’s the second California location for the company, the other being in Universal City. We’re moving up on the status list, getting restaurants before San Diego or San Francisco.
I wasn’t as wowed by the creations and the staff as I was at the bustling Heidi’s, which has a lot more variety to offer and has an owner cooking up her own gourmet creations to supplement what the founders have created. New York NY is just a bit more buttoned-down of an operation, not without its charms but seeming a tad less complete in the Big Apple deli category.
The menu does offer paninis and wraps, gourmet sandwiches, New York subs and seven different salads, some with meat, some without.
The desserts, on the other hand, don’t have the homemade taste of Heidi’s cookies and killer carrot cake. When we visited we tried the chicken cordon bleu Panini ($6.95), the NYC cheesesteak ($7.95 for a 12-inch) and the oven-baked meatball ($7.95).
Pricing is odd here. A 6-inch sub is $6.95. A dollar more and you get one twice the size. In these tough economic times who wouldn’t share one with a friend or take half home for dinner if you’re not that hungry?
Anyway, the prince of the city in this case was the meatball, which we ordered on whole wheat bread (recommended) with large, fresh-tasting, garlicky, soft meatballs, a decent marinara sauce and a few slices of provolone laid over the top before the inevitable toasting that most sandwiches go through nowadays. I’d order this one again, and might even rank it up with a neighbor in the shopping center to the north, the great Caesar’s Deli meatball sandwich.
The cheesesteak was not bad, the beef juicy, a lot of provolone melted inside but not enough onions and green peppers to make much of an impact. The beef had the hot steamy taste and texture of meat used in all the other beef sandwiches rather than some fresh-grilled steak. It just didn’t seem as if it was cooked on a grill with the vegetables.
I really wanted to like the panini, with ham and actual chicken breast meat rather than sliced/processed poultry, but it seemed so dry on the outside. I always brush the outside of mine with olive oil. I realize I may just be trying new ways to work the greatest oil known to man into my diet, but it sure does leave a crunchy flavorful outside. Not here, not this time.
Other interesting sandwiches we didn’t get a chance to try include a roast beef with bleu cheese and red peppers sandwich, a BLT with fresh avocado and a corned beef with pastrami sandwich.
I saw cookies and cheesecakes and carrot cakes in the counter near the front, but they did not have the alluring look of the baked goods at Heidi’s. Not worth the calories to me.