As the weather took a turn for the awesome, I felt it a sin to stay indoors.
It was if an angel whispered in my ear, an epiphany of sorts: “head to Angelo’s and make a picnic for one in the sun.”
For those of us spoiled souls who reside in Southern California, it’s like we made a deal with the devil to have such temperate weather. It was one of those days that the warm breeze crept into the subconscious and tied invisible strings on stranger’s lips, leaving everyone on Second Street smiling, on the verge of momentary bliss.
Angelo’s makes a mean sub.
I lived in Italy for more than a year and found few sandwiches that could rival their spicy calabrese. The salami is flavorful and fresh-cut, the pesto sauce is borderline decadent, and the baguette is crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. I get this sub with provolone (instead of the offered blue cheese) and some spicy peppers to bring up the heat factor a notch. Throw on some mixed greens, tomato, and onion, and “ecco la!” A tasty sub is brought forth unto the world.
The shop itself has prodigious amounts of imported pastas, oils, and vinegars, but the main focus is always the deli. I’ve absolutely loved every bite of my sandwich, every time. This excursion heralded the same divine experience.
They’d hiked their prices on the half subs up to $7.99, while a whole sub is only 10 bucks, so the obvious decision was to just to get a foot-long. I grabbed a bag of chips to accompany my spicy calabrese. The cracked pepper “Dirty” chips they have are freaking fantastic. They’re all-natural, with no preservatives, and are kettle-cooked in peanut oil. Their hard crunch is the perfect counterpart to the sandwich.
With a thirst-quenching blood-orange Pellegrino, the holy trinity of a perfect lunch was complete. With drink, chips, and sub in a crumpled brown paper bag, I practically whistled and skipped my way to the beach.
I had to force myself to stop at the halfway point of eating my spicy calabrese for fear of inducing a food coma and slipping into a siesta on the summery sand. Seagulls surrounded me is I packed up my picnic. They eyed me maniacally. I didn’t want to end up like the character with my namesake, Annie from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Needless to say things didn’t really go in her favor. I got out of there before the gulls overtook me and flew off with my sub. I was looking forward to my delicious leftovers.
With spring closing in, grabbing a sub from Angelo’s is perfecto for a picnic, solo or with family and friends.
Angelo’s Italian Deli is located at 190 La Verne Ave., (562) 434-1977
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