Strawberry Sunday

Greetings, Readers!

I write this while anxiously awaiting the first rain of the season here in Los Angeles. Thoughts of tomato soup, a hearty grilled cheese sandwich, and a heavy porter are already swimming in my head.

Hello, Fall.

This past weekend was gorgeous though. Still a little warm, but significantly cooler than previous weeks, I headed out to the Glendale Americana and tucked behind a fancy, high-end restaurant I found an excellent sandwiching stop: Deluca’s Italian Deli.

Deluca’s has a number of delicious sandwiches listed on their ceiling-high chalkboard menu just inside the door. While the pastrami sandwich really caught my eye at first, I soon changed directions completely and settled on a lighter, more refreshing sounding, special menu option: The Strawberry Blondie.

Between two slices of toasted whole wheat bread, the Blondie is made up of baby spinach, balsamic marinated strawberries, truffle cheese, and sliced turkey breast with a side of balsamic honey dipping sauce.

A refreshing change from the hearty burgers and meaty sandwiches I’ve been having lately.

The roasted turkey breast and thick layer of truffle cheese lent a smoky quality to the sandwich which contrasted with the sweet strawberries on top. While the strawberries did keep most of their natural flavor and sweetness, having been marinated in a balsamic helps cut the strawberries short of being too sweet. A definite bonus.

The spinach didn’t come through on every bite of the sandwich, but that’s not exactly a negative. While it’s always good to have some delicious greens added, the competing flavors of smoky and sweet were enjoyable enough that the spinach flavor wasn’t entirely missed.

Overall, this sandwich was an excellent find, and one that I hope is still on the menu the next time I’m near the Americana. Check it out if you’re in the area.

On another note, thank you all for your suggestions recently on vegetarian and vegan sandwich ideas. Keep them coming, as I’m still trying to put together a meat-free sandwich list to try to take on in the coming months.

Until next time, Readers…

Strawberry Blondie
**** 1/2 Stars
Deluca’s Italian Deli
889 Americana Way
Glendale, CA