Given that I grew up surrounded by classic, old-school delis in the Detroit area, I have somewhat of a Pavlovian response when someone mentions the word “deli” or especially “new deli” with regards to a restaurant opening in the area.
Such was the case when I heard about Ernie’s Craft Deli & Wine Bar opening in Encinitas in the former Elizabethan Desserts space tucked off of El Camino Real and next to the popular Pho Ever. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that while location can be helpful in the success of a restaurant, many of my favorites have been tucked away in a shopping center.
But honestly, I’d rather have a killer meal served in a strip mall by folks with a passion for what they are doing than a mediocre one in a killer location with a hipper-than-thou waitstaff with an attitude.
At first glance, both the menu and the beverage selection at Ernie’s made me want to get there in short order, which I did on what I thought would be a mellow Wednesday evening. To my surprise, the joint was jumping so I decided to get some backstory on the owners and come back for lunch the next day.
The husband and wife team of Dave and Erin Goodman both come from families in Central and Northern California. Dave’s mother came from a family of Italian fisherman, so he grew up eating fresh seafood feasts at every holiday, and his dad came from Chicago and is an accomplished home chef who could and would create “culinary masterpieces for dinner, holidays, or any time I had a group of hungry friends over,” as Dave put it.
Erin is from Atascadero, near San Luis Obispo. Her grandfather was a CEO of a steel company in Chicago and gave Erin and her three siblings a taste of the finer things in life when he’d visit, including fabulous meals and high-end wines. That same grandfather retired to St. Helena to become a winemaker, where he had his grapes bottled by the beloved Chappellet Winery.
So yeah, that’s when backstories are important, as they help detail and shape the desire of folks who have experienced the joys of food and wine at a higher level, to a point where they have to incorporate it into their daily lives and share it with others. In other words, dump the career and open a restaurant.
And yes, taking a step back here, there were careers involved with Dave and Erin that started, as they do with a lot of restaurateurs, waiting tables, in their case in Los Angeles. That segued into a “real job” for Dave in software sales. It was a successful 20-year run at that, but alas, their mutual passion for food and wine, and the realization that there was a void in the deli space in North County, where they had lived since 2008, led to the agreed-upon decision to explore their restaurant options.
There is a bit more to the backstory as Erin’s childhood nickname was Ernie, so when Dave proposed that name and that she would run the wine program…the deal was done and Ernie’s was born!
They stumbled on the location “kind of by cosmic accident,” as they described it. Erin had a hankering for some cupcakes so when she arrived at the Elizabethan to find it out of business, the location presented itself. It was in the area they had been targeting on El Camino Real between Leucadia Boulevard and Encinitas Boulevard, so it seemed like it was meant to be.
The menu is a unique, deli-lovers mix of regional sandwiches, boards and sharable entrées.
It consists of a bunch of things that Dave and Erin love eating and would make frequently for family and friends, with some signature spins on them to make them unique to Ernie’s. Their nighttime menu was cultivated by Erin and her sister Emily, a sommelier, with the idea to provide some light fare that was delicious and also pairs nicely with the wine list they’ve constructed.
I’ve sampled a few of the sandwich offerings, including the Turkey Club with turkey, bacon, havarti cheese, avocado, lettuce tomato, sweet-hot mustard and a Bam sauce on Dutch crunch roll. As with all of their stellar sandwiches, they like to offer a pairing. In this case it was a chenin blanc, one of my favorites. It was lunch for me though, so I kept my beverage choice of the NA variety with a cane sugar Dr. Pepper, a first for me and so good!
We also tried the Curry Chicken Salad with dried cranberries, chopped celery in a creamy mango chutney curry sauce with romaine, tomato and again that Bam sauce on another Dutch crunch roll. By the way, for those not familiar, Bam sauce is basically a variation on a spicy-sweet mayonnaise blend that adds a nice touch to just about any type of deli sandwich. I have to say their Curry Chicken was as good as I’ve had.
House-made meatballs are a nice touch, along with a Po’ Boy, a fine looking Italian sub, and a dozen other sandwich options that I would have no hesitation devouring with pleasure. You can also build your own sandwich with most of their protein and veggie options. Word is that you can also put most of their sandwich toppings on a bed of greens, which I will definitely take them up on. They do have a very nice looking Chopped Salad, but when I went, it was only on the dinner menu.
Dinner is a mix of shared slider options that include Meatballs, Po’Boy, Pastrami and Broccoli Truffle. Twice-cooked fries are really the best way to prepare them, and of course they incorporate that method…some folks just get it.
Then it gets really fun with Bruschetta, Tin Fish, Cheese and Charcuterie boards that elevate the whole “food on a board” concept to a level that really intrigues me and highlights the level of creativity that Erin and Dave have put into all their dishes.
Bread is sourced from local bakers, including their Dutch crunch rolls. These were new to me so I had to research and found that a Dutch crunch roll is a soft white bread roll with a crispy, slightly sweet outer crust. The crunch comes from a paste traditionally made of rice flour, oil, sugar and water that is brushed onto the dough before baking. When baked, this topping cracks and browns, creating its distinctive texture and pattern and, hot damn it’s good!
Their French rolls are delivered from Northern California from the bakery where Dave got them growing up.
As I mentioned earlier, I love their mix of wine offerings. I’m a huge fan of Vouvray, chenin blanc, viognier, white Burgundy and really their whole list. Erin and her sister curate the list and focus on boutique wineries and varietals that one may not typically see offered. This also translates into wine and food pairings elevated in a manner above a traditional deli — that’s a good thing!
A few other updates worth noting are the addition of smashburgers during the day on Saturday and Sunday, live acoustic music and their Wino Bottle Club. The club is owned by Ernie’s sister, Emily Gladnick. Wino features a different boutique California winery each quarter, offering a curated selection of three or six bottles of all red, all white, or a mixed lineup of wines every three months.
These wines are also featured at Ernie’s for the same three months and are available to all restaurant guests by the glass, bottle, flight or retail. Club members also enjoy perks at Ernie’s.
So yeah, consider me a fan of Ernie’s. Besides all the great food and beverage options, they put a strong emphasis on solid customer service, and it shows in their staff…a big plus!
Check them out for lunch or dinner at erniesdeliandwine.com and at 114 N. El Camino Real, Encinitas.
