By Merv Hecht The Re-View
DELICATESSEN, IN IT’S ORIGINAL meaning, means “fine eating.” Now it has a secondary meaning, but I’m not sure what it is. Like the U.S. Supreme Court said of pornography, “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.”
There are, of course, different kinds of delicatessens; there are Italian deli’s, typically serving meatball sandwiches with shelves of Italian delicacies. There are other ethnic deli’s. But for me, like most of us, it’s the Jewish deli that most often comes to mind. And in Santa Monica, it’s Fromin’s Deli at 19th and Wilshire that stands above all others.
I’ve been a customer there since even before it was there — when Owner Maurice Solomon had his restaurant in the Brentwood Mart. Not only is Maurice still there, watching over everything, but some of the same staff, like Patrick the Frenchman with the pony tail, is still there.
My mom loved Sunday brunch at Fromin’s, and she and Maurice developed a special relationship. Once, when we were out of town, and mom didn’t show up for Sunday brunch, Maurice called her to see if she was OK. She did-n’t have a ride, she said. So Maurice drove over to her apartment and took her to the restaurant for brunch. Now that’s service!
When we go there for Sunday brunch, we usually order the fish plate. The one we get has lox (the best in town, soft and oily), BBQ cod, sometimes whitefish, cold slaw, tomatoes, cucumbers, toasted bagels (sliced in three slices) and creamed cheese.
I put lox and creamed cheese on one slice of my bagel, BBQ cod and creamed cheese on a second slice, and then whatever’s left I put on the third slice.
What many Sunday brunch customers don’t know is how good the rest of the food is. Not only are the traditional Jewish deli sandwiches delicious, such as the corned beef, pastrami, and brisket sandwiches, and the matzo ball soup — there are a lot of non-deli dishes that are great.
My wife likes the Hungarian cabbage-goulash soup. It was never that good in Hungary. There is a touch of tomato flavor, lots of soft cabbage leaves, and a touch of stewed beef. For dinner I like the skirt steak.
At $18 this has to be one of the best values in town. It’s marinated, served on a garlic roll, and it’s big enough for two-maybe three-to share. Even the roast chicken is worth the trip. So what if the French fries are only fair.
For dessert there is, above all, back-home styled pies. I revert to my childhood. I was raised near the Wisconsin border, and we put cheese on everything.
Did you know that there is more Swiss cheese produced in Monroe, Wis. than in Switzerland? So I order the apple pie with cheddar cheese melted on top. Try it!
On the way out, of course, you should stop at the take-out counter. All of the traditional dishes are there: rare roast beef, beef tongue, lox and creamed cheese spread, kishka (delicious, but not on anyone’s diet in today’s world), turkey — and don’t forget to get a big slice of Halvah. If you don’t know what it is, you better not try it; it’s addictive.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 19, 2008. Read the original PDF.