Delray Beach’s 3G’s Gourmet Deli: Good deals are easy to find, good meals less so
Fish to salad to meat in the display case at 3G’s
A long-time fixture in Delray Beach, crowds flock to this so-called bastion of New York-style deli for an attractively priced, wide selection of dining options. Are Sabrett hot dogs and Frierich brand cured meats truly Jewish food?
At almost any hour, any day of the week, they wait and wait and wait—for a table at 3Gs Gourmet Deli in suburban Delray Reach. The “they” is a largely older crowd with canes, walkers and wheelchairs (joined by children and grandchildren during school breaks) and they fill the cramped vestibule, mixing with customers waiting for takeout orders from the vast display of deli meats, cured fish and baked goods. They also sit on the sidewalk benches outside. All this for the opportunity to fress on what many consider the best Jewish-style deli in the area.
I often avoided dining there. Alas, it also was my late mother-in-law’s favorite Florida deli, who like other retirees in the area never ventured too far from their nearby condos to any other delis. 3G’s has been in operation since 1986, which is around the same time that many condo communities began to spring up along Jog Road.
I’m not sure what’s behind 3Gs popularity. It certainly isn’t the non-kosher Sabrett frankfurters, the kind that dirty-water dog vendors sell on the streets of New York City, or the deli meat, some of which is supplied by the now-North Carolina-based provisions firm, Frierich (of German-American origin), best known for its non-kosher St. Patrick’s Day supermarket corned beef. To be sure, the salamis hanging from the ceiling to harden are made by Hebrew National
One explanation may be the value. There are a lot of good deals at breakfast, lunch and for early-bird dinners, an attraction for older diners with Depression Era mentalities or who are just frugal. Regularly priced dinner entrees, which range from $18-$24, include an appetizer, two sides, dessert and a beverage.
3G’s dining room
3G’s is found in a strip mall
The dining room, decorated coffee-shop style, is enormous, seating 168. The menu, too, is extensive. Think New York diner with pages and pages of offerings.There are all the traditional usuals: sandwiches of hot and cold deli meats, smoked fish, matzo ball soup, latkes, stuffed cabbage, chopped liver and more.
Depending on your server, service can be cordial and helpful (as it was with Frank on my most recent visit) or gruff and hurried. Your server may or may not deliver a plate of complimentary pickles and generally fresh rye bread and challah. Just ask.
A bowl of matzo ball soup can serve as a meal by itself, filled with wiggles of carrots, chicken bits and noodles and a big fat matzo ball in the middle. The broth needs salt, but the matzo ball is firm, a plus in my book. Coleslaw, too, is finely chopped, but strongly accented by bits of green pepper.
Pastrami on rye was nothing to write home about and chopped liver is pureed so finely and so lacking in taste it could pass for baby food. A baked potato knish is a mass of pasty spuds enrobed with puff pastry. Huh? Skinny French fries are coated with starch to ensure they are crispy. They are.
Stuffed Cabbage
Brisket sliders with fries and slaw
Sabrett franks on display
On the other hand, an order of stuffed cabbage, delivered to the table within minutes of ordering (could it have been reheated in a microwave?), was surrounded by a tangy tomato-based sweet and sour sauce. Surprisingly, it was quite good. The cabbage was firm and crunchy while the ground meat inside was onion-flecked. Hot brisket sliders, too, were good with tender, thin-sliced meat enveloped by caramelized onions and gravy atop crispy, oniony potato latkes.
Parking at 3G’s, which is located in an Atlantic Avenue strip center between Sims Road and El Clair Ranch Road often can be an issue, especially in-season. There may or may not be a valet available to schlep your vehicle from the front door to a parking space. That’s the least of my concerns as I’d rather go elsewhere for real New York-style deli.
3 G’s Gourmet Deli
5869 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33484
561-498-3910
www.3gsdeli.com
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Where do you find any “Kosher” Hot Dogs with natural casings?
I can only find Sabrett’s or Nathan’s with natural casings (both NOT kosher)