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Enjoy Euro Deli & Market |
Having just returned from the culinary wonder that is
Europe, I was longing for a place to enjoy my lunch at a leisurely “France
like” pace enjoying a Turkish coffee. I found my slice of European delight
right here in Arroyo Grande. Now they are having a hard time getting me to
leave. Enjoy Euro Deli & Market is a multi-ethnic endeavor, a Mom and Pop
shop like the ones that litter every corner in France and England. Offering of
a plethora of amazing foodstuffs from the homelands and fresh made dishes and
soups.
My first trip I met the engaging owner Lana who served
remarkable Turkish coffee. Served in a china cup with a saucer, and I knew that
this was my nirvana. She knew most of the people coming in the door, and
offered suggestions to those with new smiling faces. She is a delightful
Ukrainian lady, taking care to help all of us through the unusual, but
comforting food. She had a plethora of open items for us to sample.
Her Russian Chef, Tolya brought me the first items we
ordered a Smoked Salmon sandwich that had both smoked and salted salmon on
buttered white bread with capers, havarti cheese, lettuce and onions. It was delectable;
it reminded me of sandwiches my Nana made with the touch of love. I had it with the Borscht soup. I hadn’t had
since I was in my Great grandma’s kitchen.
Hearty and chock full of cabbage, potato, onions, carrots, beets, and
garlic, a memory in my taste buds. Gary started with six offerings from the
dessert case. None too sweet, all very authentic. He tried Baklava, Cheesecake covered with sour
cherry preserves, Tiramisu, Bureka, Tajik and a Bird’s Milk cake. He was astonished at the freshness and
different flavors that made our earlier donut run feel like a culinary
crime. Then he had the Estonia Salami
sandwich, served on dense rye bread with Lithuanian cheese, a subtle vegetable
spread, and mustard and fresh greens, he loved every bite.
My next visit I took a chef. She was blown away at the
authenticity of this Euro Deli. We
started with the Bureka that are bite sized filo dough stuffed with feta
cheese. I grabbed a Russian soda from
the fridge and adored the salty goodness. I ordered the Schnitzel and Pilaf.
Served on fine china this deep fried pork steak was pounded and breaded with
rye bread crumbs and covered in delectable gravy. Served with wild rice pilaf
and a fresh salad, this was a flawless comfort food (and there was enough to
have some for dinner too). My friend had
the Mortadella sandwich and a bowl of Portuguese soup called Cale Verde. The
Mortadella pork hash with pistachios cut thick and served on rye bread, it was
intense and enjoyable. The soup was a
vegetarian with kale, potato, turnips, carrots, tomatoes and kidney beans,
again a symphony of flavors.
The daily specials abound including homemade Borscht on
Saturdays and a diversity of soups and foods including Stuffed Cabbages, Sausages,
Spaetzie, Schnitzel, and sides of fresh salads, mashed potatoes and more. You
can gather any of the amazing variety of sausages from the display and have a
custom made sandwich or wrap. They have many to choose from including Bratwurst,
German, Hungarian, Polish, and Slovak sausages, Russian salami, Blood sausage,
Liverwurst, and more East European meats.
Other items in the “grocery” section include Kielbasa,
Summer sausage, smoked fish, Ukrainian cheese, Russian yogurts and all kinds of
candies. They offer all kinds of exotic flavors, teas, and syrups (my chef
friend found a pomegranate syrup she had been hunting for years).
But the breads are my favorite grocery find. These are dense
German and Russian breads, filled with pumpkin seeds and real wheat among other
things. I’m here to tell you once you sample these breads you will never call
Wonder anything except cardboard.
Lana and her husband with their Russian chef clearly take
real pride in providing a rare treat along with foods that our in most of our
histories and should be part of our table today. Enjoy Euro Deli & Market,
a true Mom and Pop endeavor where a scrumptious array of foods from Russia, Ukraine,
Hungary, Germany and Greece all offered at sensible prices. They are located at 1436 E Grand Avenue in Arroyo
Grande; call them at (805) 481-1998. Open
9:00am to 7:00pm every day.
