RESTAURANT REVIEW:

If you go to Gary’s Deli expecting a traditional East Coast, Kosher-style deli, you are going to be disappointed. It took me a minute to realize that is not what Gary’s is all about. Family run, it is more about a neighborhood spot that serves decent sandwiches.

First, the menu is not nearly as extensive as a regular deli. That’s fine, because I don’t know too many people who have a yearning to nosh on pickled herring or kreplach.

That doesn’t mean they don’t have unique items. I like the meat knish and the chicken taco with the grilled shell.

The good thing about Gary’s is I don’t have to read a cumbersome menu. If I come in for lunch and I have to pore through a 600-item menu, it may be dinner by the time I finish reading it all.

Gary’s is simple. There are deli sandwiches, including triple deckers, salads and hot dishes like grilled chicken breasts and a carne asada or chicken torta.

The other difference about the deli is that space is limited. There are a few tables inside and a nice patio as well as a couple of tables on Coast Highway, but it lacks the expansive dining room that many delis possess.

This is a popular place and lunch time can be a zoo, which is a testament to the quality of the food and the loyalty of the customers. My friend Warren and I went on a late afternoon and found the place much more manageable.

There was a parking space right in front of the deli, virtually unheard of during the lunch hours, and there was a table available, again, another rarity when the noon hour hits.

I wanted a triple-decker sandwich. Gary’s has seven of them, with varying combinations of meat, including pastrami, corned beef, turkey and ham. I went with the No. 2, which has corn beef, pastrami and salami.

Warren opted for the specialty of the house, the New York Special. It is corned beef or pastrami with Russian dressing, coleslaw and Swiss cheese on rye bread.

Substitutions at Gary’s are not frowned upon and I was happy to see that. If you are not a fan of the traditional rye bread, they also offer white, wheat, squaw, sourdough or a French roll.

We both like rye bread and stayed with it. When our sandwiches were ready it was hard to tell them apart. The triple decker was about the same height as the regular sandwich, and that was disappointing since I paid a little more and was expecting more meat.

The meat that was on the sandwich barely covered the inside ends of the diagonal slice of bread. I was moving corned beef over so every bite I would ensure getting something other than bread.

The quality of the meat seemed to be pretty good. The corn beef had a little kick to it and the pastrami was pretty lean, though I did get one bite that had some gristle to it.

One item I should have left off was the mayo. The sandwich is made with both mayo and mustard and it would have been better with just mustard or better yet, Thousand Island dressing. That was my mistake.

Warren had no complaint with his sandwich. He liked the kick the Russian dressing provided, though it was balanced out nicely by the coleslaw. That is a combination that many people don’t know about, but coleslaw in certain sandwiches, as well as a hot dog, is a tremendous addition.

We did get a treat from one of the people behind the counter. She had made too much of a double strawberry fruit shake and we were the beneficiaries of the excess. It was very good, with lots of fresh strawberries and not too much sugar.

It was something I would order on a return visit.

Another item would be the homemade onion rings, which were incredibly tasty.

Again, those expecting a New York deli are going to be disappointed. But free the mind and enjoy Gary’s for what it is, a nice neighborhood place to get a quality sandwich and some distinctive side dishes.

GARY’S DELI

ADDRESS: 3309 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar

PHONE: (949) 675-2193

CUISINE: deli

SPECIALTY DISH: New York Special

ALCOHOL SERVED: none

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $2 to $9.25

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: MasterCard and Visa

RATING: ** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at Nolimepublishing@aol.com or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.