The Delicious Dory Deli Arrives in Newport Beach

Newport Beach is my favorite city to visit! I used to live there and I miss it dearly!  I am still only 20 minutes from this amazing city & I am there regularly.  It is seriously one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I am happy to live so close in gorgeous South Orange County! 

Newport Beach has a variety of restaurants and shopping and up until recently all of the beach bars I love to frequent that are oceanfront did not have a wide selection of places to stop for a bite to eat….until recently.  Dory Deli just opened last week on Monday, January 26, 2015 conveniently in between Il Gelato and Fine Dining restaurant, 21 Oceanfront.  The address for Dory Deli is 2108 ¾ West Oceanfront Newport Beach, CA 92663.  This location is sandwiched in between my most favorite ham and cheese croissant destination in the world at Seaside Bakery, as well as my favorite beach bar, The Beach Ball, along with many other fine drinking establishments. 🙂

“I’m excited to open Dory Deli,” said owner Mario Marovic. “It’s been a passion project of mine and I’m happy to finally be able to share it with the neighborhood. I wanted it to be representative of the Newport Beach lifestyle: a relaxing atmosphere that offers the best in food and drink. I look forward to coming here early in the morning with my two young children for breakfast or meeting my friends here for a beer in the evening.”

I went to Dory Deli for lunch on Sunday this past weekend for the first time and I was very pleasantly impressed!  The ambiance was very exciting, welcoming, and lively and there were a variety of different customers floating around out and about…Literally it was the most gorgeous beach day, super bowl was going on later in the day and the place was jam packed!!  We seated ourselves at a nice half booth, half seats table outside so we could dine while watching the crystal blue waves crash on the shore while we visited with an adorable Dachshund at the table next to us that was slurping up his water from a bowl outside provided by the Dory Deli.  I seriously loved how dog friendly they were on the patio! 🙂

To start our meal, we both decided to order an ice cold refreshing beer and both my husband and I selected a beer we had never tried from the craft beer selection and we were both thoroughly impressed! I had the Beach City Pierside Pilsner (from a new brewery in Huntington Beach I must go check out) & my husband had the Barley Forge Patsy Coconut Rye Stout and I am happy to say that these beers were reasonably priced at only $6.50 a pint. 🙂 We loved both of the beers and definitely plan to order them again!

For food items, we first started with 2 cold pasta salads that were the Greek Chicken Salad and the Mediterranean Pasta Salad which were both amazing. Fresh Pasta Salads change daily!  Next, we selected 2 warm sandwiches which were the Pistol Pete’s that came with a choice of pastrami or corned beef, ( I chose pastrami) coleslaw, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on marble rye for $9, the Rocky

Balboa with sliced steak, caramelized onions, peppers and house made cheese whiz on a sub roll for $8, the Figgy, which was a burger cooked to perfection with Fig preserves, goat cheese crème, caramelized onions, brioche bun at only $9, & the Fish & Chips which were beer battered, fresh catch, with Kennebec fries, & Creole aioli for $12. As an addition, we made friends with the person sitting at the table next to us with the adorable Dachshund doggie and he lets us try his Clam Fritter which also came with a Creole aioli!

Everything we ate was fresh and made to order and of course we had quite a bit of leftovers to devour for dinner. 🙂  I honestly loved every single item I ate, but the one I immediately finished in full was my half of the “Figgy” burger. It was so full of flavor and the combination of the goat cheese crème and the fig preserves was absolutely delectable…such a great blend of flavor.

The fish and chips reminded me of ones I had in England it was quite refreshing to have an aioli sauce instead of the traditional tartar sauce.  The aioli really made the flavors pop! 

You really could not go wrong with the Pistol Pete’s as a Reuben Sandwich is a traditional staple in any Jewish New York Deli and that is the background in which I grew up, as well as the chef, so he definitely knew what he was doing wit this amazing sandwich!

Last, but certainly not least…the Rocky Balboa…This Philly Cheese steak was unlike any other I have tried here in Cali. It had delicious fresh chunks of whole steak rather than the skinny shredded meat you get in most Philly Cheese Steaks here in Cali.  The chef grew up in Philly, so he certainly got this one down perfectly! 

 

In addition to delicious sandwiches, salads, entree items, craft beers, and a large variety of wine selections, Dory Deli also offers a breakfast menu and espresso beverages made with locally roasted Kéan Coffee and pulled on Newport Beach’s only Slayer Espresso machine.

“We chose Kéan because they’re a local, independent coffee roaster, and Martin (Diedrich) has a lot of respect in the industry,” said owner Andrew Gabriel. “When it came time to choose our espresso machine, there was no question- it had to be a Slayer. We’re the only ones around with this machine, which is handmade in Seattle. It’s unique in that it can flavor profile coffee, which will help make great Kean coffee even better.”

Open late to accommodate local night owls; the deli will serve artisan deli sandwiches and salads. Although deli staples will comprise part of the menu, guests can expect to see more than the traditional Philly cheese steak or pastrami on rye. Chef Chris Rubinstein says, “I grew up in Philadelphia going to delis with my family. Sandwiches and Jewish food always played a big part in what my mom cooked and what we ate as a family. When I was writing the menu, I wanted traditional classics that you could find in any east coast Jewish deli, but I also wanted to put my own spin on them with what I’ve learned in my 18 years of nomadic cooking.”

In addition to an extensive menu of meaty items, there are also vegetarian & vegan options as well, with a hearty selection of plant-based sandwiches like the oyster mushroom po’boy or buffalo cauliflower sandwich. I love how there is something for everyone and I look forward to going back to visit the Dory Deli again very soon! 🙂

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