Can this Deli Make the Corner of Carrillo and Santa Barbara
Streets a Hub?

The corner of Carrillo and Santa Barbara streets must be one of
the busiest in town for car traffic, but it’s oddly lacking in
pedestrians. Though there’s plenty of offices around and it sits
smack between our fancy courthouse and El Presidio State Park — two
of the hottest spots for visitors — that corner often seems like a
ghost town, both on the weekends and weekdays. And perhaps that is
why so many delis and mini-marts have shuffled through the building
at 135 East Carrillo, from the Whale Tail to the Four Seasons and
many more far before those.

But now there’s a new challenger in town staking claim to the
space with the goods to finally make it stick. 805deli.GIF After a few months of needed
facelifting, The (805) Deli swooped in to the corner’s hopeful
rescue. Run by the husband and wife team of Todd and Anne Pazier,
who opened the deli to be able to spend more time together as a
family, The (805) Deli offers the right mix of ingredients to
survive and even make this busy-yet-somehow-vacant corner a new
off-State Street hub of downtown dining and shopping.

As a resident of the neighborhood, I happened to walk in the
deli one recent morning, appeased by the offering of a less-than-$5
breakfast burrito. Though it was only about 10:15 a.m., I opted for
a “design your own” sandwich. I went for chicken salad with
crumbled bleu cheese on sourdough, topped with “The Works”
(lettuce, tomato, red onion, pepperoncini, and pickles) as well as
dijon mustard, sprouts, cucumber, and a dash of Italian dressing.
(For the topping lovers, there is also yellow mustard, mayo, BBQ
sauce, black olives, and, for extra money, bacon, avocado, and
roasted red peppers.) And to drink, a massive iced tea of the
do-it-yourself, free refill sort, which made my guzzling mouth and
dehydrated brain happy.

Also on the menu are pizzas from American Flatbread in Los Alamos for $7.95 american%20flatbread.jpg and a ton of signature sandwiches in the
$8 range “inspired by some of our favorite (805) locations”: the
Rincon Reuben, the Santa Ynez Rancher (roast beef, cheddar, and
horseradish), Court House Club, American Riviera (Italian sub),
Gaviota Gobbler, Firehouse Chicken (buffalo chicken and bleu
cheese), Tri-County Tri-Tip, and Ventura Veggie. The day’s soups
were cheddar broccoli and Italian wedding. (Read
their full menu here
.)

As I waited for the sando, I walked around the store, noticing
their holiday wine sale (Kalyra, SB Winery, and Laetitia all on
sale!!), their full coolers of soda and beer, their amply stacked
salad bar in the middle of the one room, and the shelves of
805 clothing
for sale
near the front. 805%20clothing.gif A TV in the upper corner of the deli
played VH1 above a man who was eating a breakfast burrito and
reading the paper. I also learned that the owners also run Central
Coast Gift Basket
, a fiercely local service that offers baskets
of Firestone beer, spa products, baby stuff, wines and gourmet
treats, and custom/corporate gifts. As such, they’re banking on
doing lots of corporate lunches, and even their website touts their
ability to provide for 50 or more diners. Soon enough, about
halfway through my first iced tea, the sandwich arrived.

Though I planned to take it to go, I figured it would be just as
easy to eat in. So I did, and watched a handful of folks come
through the door between chomps. 805%20deli%20sando.jpg The sandwich was good, the zesty
chicken salad getting the right treatment from the bleu cheese. I’m
not sure why I didn’t order one of their specialty sandwiches,
because I only saved $1 on this one; I will when I return, because
that is the true mark of a deli. As for the foot traffic, it wasn’t
busy by any means, but people are surely taking note, and I’m sure
that by lunchtime, the outdoor tables along Santa Barbara Street
get filled.

And let’s hope they stay filled, because this part of town,
while stacked with sandwich slangers like Panino and Three Pickles,
certainly needs a reliable place to buy a cheaper lunch plus cold
beer, endless iced teas, 805 gear, overflowing salads, and good
wine for affordable prices. Plus, we dig the localism inspired by
the place, so stop by, support The (805) Deli, and make the corner
of Carrillo and Santa Barbara streets the hub it deserves to
be.

The Details: The (805) Deli is located at 135 East Carrillo
Street. Call 962-5596 or see www.the805deli.com. For more on Central Coast
Gift Basket, see www.centralcoastgiftbasket.com or call
692-4013.

Login

Please note this login is to submit events or press releases. Use this page here to login for your Independent subscription

Not a member? Sign up here.