Learn Italian at Angelo’s Deli

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

It’s unfair, I know, but lately I’ve found myself at an impasse with Italian food, frustrated by the $15 price tags and sagging quality at some of my favorite red-sauce restaurants. The way I see it, I’m better off rolling my own pasta dough, feeding it through a Kitchen Aid attachment and making my own meal.

The results have been good enough, sure, but they’re almost always lacking something. More basil? Cheese? Wine? I don’t know. What I do know is that nothing I’ve made has brought back the conviction and devotion I used to reserve for Italian food, an undying love that once convinced me that marinara sauce could count as a legitimate serving of vegetables. And as I boiled a recent batch of pasta, I realized that I wanted all that back.

So it was with a certain resolve that I headed to Angelo’s Deli, intent on finding something that would reignite that extra virgin passion. Luckily, the place is full of it.

Angelo’s is an easy place to miss, but look for the sign on Second Street and you’ll find it: squeezed in between a Thai restaurant and a nail salon. Inside, Angelo’s is cramped but not crowded—wooden shelves carve out tiny little aisles, meats hang above the deli counter. Every bit of the small space is used to good effect.

If you don’t have a particular meal in mind, you’ll probably end up with one of Angelo’s made-to-order sandwiches. The deli keeps a long menu of the hand-held eats, all of which are uniformly excellent. However, I’ve found that it’s best to go for something distinctly Italian like the Calabrese—a fresh roll stuffed with lettuce, tomato, spicy salami, an herb pesto spread and the rest of the usual fixings.

Come to Angelo’s with a specific dish or dinner planned out and you’ll be best served by a fresh cut of meat—try the prosciutto—and a good armful of sides and condiments. Near the front of the store is where you’ll want to start, though, stopping at the virtual wall of oils and vinegars. There are nearly a dozen varieties of each and the boutique, imported stuff is always better than what you find at a big-name supermarket, so stock up and move on.

Pick up some pasta next. Angelo’s has all sorts of varieties, some of which are boxed up from Italy, others are still fresh in bags of loosely tied plastic. The pastas are all relatively inexpensive and are great when paired with anything from Angelo’s selection of sides and condiments, which fill up a number of those old wooden shelves. There are things like canned, stuffed bell peppers, instant polenta with truffles and, of course, plenty of sauces (try the vegetarian Bolognese). The best part about Angelo’s is that everything is quick enough to be convenient, but not so pre-packaged and pre-made that it loses all of its character.

The last thing to grab before you head out (besides a Ricotta cake for dessert) is a drink or two. For the non-alcoholics, there’s Sanbittér, an appropriately bitter grapefruit soda made by San Pellegrino. But if you prefer your pasta with something that’ll take that doughy edge off, pick up a six-pack of La Rossa beer and a bottle of wine from Angelo’s surprisingly good selection, stocked deep with hard-to-find Italian varietals.

Angelo’s isn’t a one-stop kind of place—there’s no produce, after all—but it has so much packed into such a small space that it’s bound to at least inspire. Me? I ended up with a bowl full of squash ravioli, prosciutto, asparagus and a bit of that renewed Italian love I so desired.

ANGELO’S DELI 190 LA VERNE AVE | LONG BEACH 90803 | 562.434.1977 | ALSO 133 MAIN ST | SEAL BEACH 90740 | 562.431.1113

Tags: angelo's deli, italian, Long Beach