Deli spans globe for European delights

Greer Wylder

If you’re craving Hungarian goulash, schnitzel, hearty Baltic rye

bread or buckets of homemade sauerkraut, you’re either reading this

from Poland, your grandmother is from Munich, or you’re the ideal

customer for Globe European Delicatessen. It’s a one-stop shopping

destination for Eastern European groceries in Costa Mesa.

“Once you’ve lived in Europe, you’re hooked,” co-owner Manfred

Kunze said. “Nearly half of our customers have spent time in the

service or on business in Europe. They can’t get away from the beer,

cheese and meats. That’s how it goes.”

Globe Delicatessen provides important specialty items that make a

difference to those dedicated to European culture, foods and

products.

Kunze bought the 37-year-old delicatessen five years ago with his

wife, Winnie, who’s worked here 25 years, and improved on the Globe’s

original concept.

“We’ve added a much better, much larger product base in the

history of the store,” Kunze said.

Globe European was originally a butcher shop, famous for its

homemade sausages. Now it’s a specialty European grocery store that

also does a large mail-order business, shipping hard-to-find products

all over the country. The tiny retail store on Harbor Boulevard in

Costa Mesa makes the most of its space -- part grocery store and deli

with just four tables for seating.

The deli side of the store offers sandwiches served on rye bread

($4.50 to $5.50); prepared salads, including German potato salad with

vinegar and bacon, homemade sauerkraut and homemade red cabbage ($1

to $6.99); and hot lunches. The lunches include rouladen (beef rolls

filled with bacon, onions and pickles) served with potato dumplings,

red cabbage and a roll ($9.99); goulash with noodles, red cabbage and

a roll ($9.50); fried pork schnitzel served with mashed potatoes, red

cabbage and roll ($9.99); bratwurst served with potato salad and

sauerkraut ($6.99); and kassler -- smoked pork chops served with

choice of potato salad, sauerkraut and a roll ($9.50). Fresh meats

include calves liver ($4.25 per lb.) and veal schnitzel ($15 per

lb.).

Kunze, a German immigrant, spends his time seeking out high

quality products. He stocks the shelves and cases with Polish, Czech,

Croatian, Hungarian, Dutch and German foods, beverages, cosmetics and

gifts. He’s choosy, carrying at least six suppliers for sausages and

cold cuts. The store offers a full line of German sausages --

including bratwurst, bockwurst, weisswurst, frankfurters and

knockwurst -- cold cuts, ham, salami and cheese, including Limburger,

Kochkase, Harzerkase and Tilsiter.

“From each supplier, I carry what I consider is their best

product,” Kunze said.

His collection of top purveyors includes New York’s award-winning

Schaller & Weber, a sausage and cold-cuts manufacturer; and

Dimpflmeier breads from Canada.

“Eastern Europeans cannot get used to American bread. Bread is a

big part of their life,” said Kunze. “They’ll go through barricades

for our breads.”

To satisfy customers, Globe carries dozens of breads including

pumpernickel; farmer rye, or Bauernbrot; sunflower seed bread, or

Sonnenblumenkerne; Holland rye; linseed, or Leinsamenbrot; monastery

bread, or Klosterbrot; whole rye with muesli; and Bavarian rye

breads.

Customers are thrilled when they find favorite European items at

Globe that they’ve missed. Kunze said they get excited when they find

Quark, a European-style yogurt cheese; Malztrunk, a non-alcoholic

beer that most kids in Germany grew up on; Dutch mayonnaise;

spreadable Krauterkase, a Swiss or German cheese made of skimmed milk

and herbs; German spices that you can’t find in other grocery stores;

Hero Cassis, “a highly addictive juice from Holland;” and Dutch

candies.

Other specialty items include stollen, pfeffernusse, spekulatius

and springerle for the Christmas season; marzipan candies; German

wines; and a large selection of sugar-free products, including jams

and Nutella.

Globe European Delicatessen also offers party platters for

entertaining.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

[email protected]; at 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626;

or by fax at (714) 966-4679.