Deli-Licious Huntington Beach, CA
It’s fascinating to see how people decorate their restaurants. Sometimes it tells you a lot about who they are or what type of crowd they think will come in. More times than not, delis and sandwich shops tend to be very utilitarian because they likely do heavy volume at lunch for a crowd that has to go back to work. Things like basic furniture and a display cases are the norm for a lot of sandwich shops, it doesn’t need to be anymore than that because people aren’t usually there to stay for more than 30 minutes. The Decor of Deli-Licious was made a huge first impression. I know it’s not a big deal for most, but coming from a family who’s business usually revolved around interior design I just took notice (I was the rebellious one that cultivated a passion for sandwiches). It feels a lot like going into a dining room that shares a space with the living room, with pictures of loved ones on the wall and little trinkets on display. Even before I tried any of the food I thought that this place had nice character.
All of the items on the menu are named after someone, such as “Joe Loves Double D’s Burger” or “Hector’s Party in your mouth melt.” it’s a bit corny for my tastes, but it actually works well within the context of the restaurant.
Sue’s Avocado Chicken Caprese
- Sliced Chicken
- Avocado
- Roma tomatoes
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Basil
- Lemon Caper Mayo
- Ciabatta bread
Everything on this sandwich was as it should’ve been, the chicken was hot and it melted the mozzarella to create a wonderful text to compliment the thick ciabatta bread. The avocado was creamy and a good addition to work with the acidity of the tomato and herbaceous basil. The star here was really the lemon caper mayo. Lemon & caper has always been a big flavor for certain proteins, it’s citrus and briny qualities work extremely well for more neutral flavored meats such as chicken breast but sometimes it can get very salty. Like the menu item’s with people names in them, I felt this mayo worked really well within the context of the sandwich, it was like a mix of two popular Italian dishes (Mozzarella Caprese & Chicken Piccata). The portions aren’t big, but they’re good enough.
Deli-licious has some decent food, but it’s charm really lies in the surroundings. It’s homey qualities create the trappings of a casual lunch with family.
-Vy
Deli-licious
16582 Gothard St, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 841-2435