The Great Burbank Deli Hunt – Part 2

Greetings, Readers!

Have you been anxiously awaiting another entry in the adventure through Burbank?

For our next stop, my sandwiching partner Bryan Mahoney and I were a bit confused.

We knew we wanted to hit Tony’s Deli in Burbank, problem is that there are five of them.

Five. All with different owners. All within a few miles of each other. All with different options.

I could do a 5 week entry on these delis alone, but I won’t.

The first Tony’s we stopped by is the one located on Olive Ave near Buena Vista, very close to WB and NBC.  On two of our previous outings we arrived only to find that it was closed for the day. For those of you interested in visiting Tony’s, make sure you swing by before 5pm during the week, and closed Sundays. It’s very easy to visit though if you work at WB or NBC and can get there for the lunch time rush.

One of my favorite things to do while sandwiching is talking up the people who work at the places I visit.  The guys working at Tony’s were very open to talking about the history of their shop (and the others that have been owned by owner). It’s always great to also hear their recommendations about what the most popular sandwich is, or which one is their favorite too. It puts a human face on the places we eat, and is just one of the reasons to keep returning.

While the pastrami was touted as one of their best sandwiches, we decided to go a different route. Looking at a sign over the deli counter proclaiming their new invention of Jerk Turkey and Colby Jack Cheese, we knew we had found the sandwich we were looking for.

Jerk marinated turkey, colby jack cheese, lettuce and onions on top of a sesame seed roll, this was a sandwich with quite a different style from others I had tasted.

The sandwich has quite a kick to it if you’re not used to spicy things, unlike myself, but it won’t exactly melt your face off. While the colby jack cheese has pepper flakes in it, it’s the turkey that brings a bit of the heat with jerk seasoning. The smoked turkey flavor pairs excellently with the flavor of the jerk spices.

The sesame roll was lightly crisped and easily held together until the end. Not a ton of flavor from the roll, but it did very well in its performance.

Overall, I have to say that this is one of my new favorite sandwiches in Los Angeles. On one hand, it’s a simple turkey sandwich with cheese, but it’s the extras in style and flavoring that put this classic over the edge into greatness.

While it may be hard for most people to make the stop because of the early hours during the week, I must emphasize my stamp of approval for this particular Tony’s (more to come in the next few weeks btw). An excellent take on an old classic should be right up any sandwich enthusiast’s alley.

Until next week, Dear Readers…

But for the time being, check out Bryan Mahoney’s second entry for The Burbank Leader about our epic trek through Burbank here.

Jerk Turkey Sandwich
**** 1/2 Stars
Tony’s Deli
2609 W. Olive Ave.
Burbank, CA 91505
http://www.tonysdelisubs.com/