A bit of New Jersey on the West Coast

Oct. 17, 2002 12 AM PT

DINING OUT

A reader recently called about a great hot sandwich he’d had for

lunch -- the best since leaving the East Coast. The sandwich: The

Jersey Shore. The place: Where else -- Jersey Joe’s Italian Deli on

Olive Avenue in Huntington Beach.

All you New Jerseyites will find a home in this small (five tables

inside, three out), casual deli and recognize the familiar brands of

the canned salsa and spaghetti sauces that fill the shelves in front

of the order counter.

The sandwiches are named for family members, well-known Jerseyites

and places. Owner Joe Carchio named this neighborhood deli for

himself -- Jersey Joe. Of the 20 sandwiches, 11 are hot and served on

bread from the Great Dane Bakery, and nine are cold with every

possible cheese and meat combination.

The Springsteen (Small, 6” $4.99, Large 12” $7.29) is lots of lean

hot corned beef (brisket cured in brine) piled high in a soft crusted

French roll with sliced pepperoncini to give it pizazz. The beef is

tender and small and is a satisfying size with mustard and mayo for a

quick lunch.

There are four varieties of hot dogs ($2.99, $3.99), including the

Pulaski ($2.99), a Polish dog piled with slender-cut sauerkraut and

plenty of mustard. It’s a Vienna beef frank in a French roll that

brought back memories of Fort Monmouth in World War II. Memories are

served at Jersey Joe’s too, with a big photo of the Rat Pack and

Frank Sinatra, New Jersey’s favorite son.

It’s not all beef and hot dogs, says Manager Nate Harelson from

Washington, D.C. One sandwich that is ordered the most is Brick Town

Joey, with plenty of turkey breast, bacon and avocado topped with

cheese. Shredded lettuce, tomato and red onion make this a healthy

cold sandwich that will keep you going until dinner. Salads, soups

and pasta fill out the menu.

A disappointment, however, was the pasta -- a generous portion of

al dente spaghetti ($4.99, with meatballs $1) but very skimpy on the

marinara sauce, a thick puree that lacked the fresh taste of juicy

tomato pieces and onions. The golf-sized meatballs were heavy and

without the touch of garlic that would spike them up.

Jersey Joe’s opened four months ago and plans to serve breakfast

in a month, according to partner Tony Zazula, who will have a variety

of coffees, bagels and Danish from Great Dane at a “wake-up” opening

time of 4:30 a.m. Joe is also in the process of getting a pedi-bike

to deliver call-in orders around Downtown.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail