Eat Out. Deluca's Italian Deli.

During an afternoon of shopping at Glendale's Americana at Brand on Saturday afternoon while the boys were at The Los Angeles Gun Club, Mrs. Elizabeth Katz (Hank's lovely sister) and I popped into Deluca's for a bite to eat.

I've been really wishing L.A. had Dean & Deluca lately, so I was quite excited to see what I hoped (and expected) was some form of the famed gourmet grocer. Unfortunately it's just a case of the same name, but this little spot isn't bad! The front of the shop has a deli case with several tasty-looking salads, then there's hot food, drinks (including Veuve Clicquot and 1/2 and full bottles of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio), Italian treats (like panettone), and panini galore.

The Panino Vegetariano (pictured above), which we shared, was quite tasty and satisfying. It was warm, on grilled wheat bread, and the olive spread was especially delicious. My lemonade however was nothing special.

The bar-height wooden tables and stools were perfect for a casual lunch, and the atmosphere was pleasant. Also worth noting: they sell packages of sometimes-difficult-to-find garganelli pasta.

Deluca's Italian Deli is located at 781 Americana Way in Glendale, Calif. Info: delucasdeli.com, (877) 701-DELI.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT