Bucking the trend

Among the 4,000 food columns in this space during the last three years, you’ve found a whopping two stories about deli-sandwich fare. That’s not because I don’t like delis per se; it’s just that, like sushi joints and Mexican restaurants, they’re all over the place. And  most of ’em way overdo their condiments, loading up on lettuce and mayo and stuff to make the sandwich look fatter. You pays your money and you takes your chances with venues like these, and as tasty as that sandwich may be, those chances say you’re paying too much for far too little.

It’s only too bad, then, that Park Place Liquor & Deli is in far-flung Coronado. But if you ever happen by, you’ll savor deli fare as it’s meant to be sold. For less than $6, you get just about any style of bread with the usual toppings. And the fare is not only delicious; the bread can barely hold it. When this place says “turkey, ham and cheddar” on rye, it’s not kidding—a few modest wedges of lettuce top the mountain of food, with only a hint of mustard or mayonnaise as a seasoning. And the neat thing about the bread is that it’s real rye, the honest-to-God cereal grain so often confused with overtoasted wheat slices. Park Place is a full-service deli, too, which means you have your pick of just about any drink in the universe, from alcohol to pomegranate juice.

Park Place Liquor & Deli is at 1000 Park Place in Coronado. It’s open from 9 a.m. every day until it feels the hell like closing; during those hours, you can call your order in at 619-435-0116. After you pick it up, there’s nothing saying you can’t go enjoy it at the city’s pretty Star Park Circle, only a block to the west—presuming, of course, you can lift it.