Gandolfo’s opens in Mission Viejo to hungry crowd

Cordillera Elementary teachers (left to right) Claire Ferrell, of Ladera Ranch and Marianne Hindman, Judy Williams and Cindy LeSueur, of Mission Viejo, wait outside Gandolfo's on the restaurant's opening day.
Brianna Dowdy, of Irvine, pauses after biting into a Bridge Hampton (turkey, avocado, and bacon) at Gandolfo's.
George and Ellie Duncan, of Mission Viejo, finish their sandwiches. George Duncan, originally from Brooklyn, and Ellie, from suburban Boston, said they see a scarcity of East Coast-style deli food in the South County
A Rockefeller Reuben (corned beef, swiss cheese and sauerkraut)
Dan Trujillo, of Irvine, and Michelle Ayres, of Aliso Viejo, unwrap their sandwiches
Ryan Hawkins, of Mission Viejo eats a Godfather (chicken breast, mozarella, paresan and tomato sauce) while Pete Mitchell, of Mission Viejo, pauses from his Big Apple (cappicola, roast beef, pepper jack, feta and pepporoncini). Hawkins discovered Gandolfo's while in college in Utah in the 1990's.
Gandolfo's co-owner Yami Marin, gives Sannon Haslam, of Lake Forest, her sandwich
Customers wait in line at Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen in Mission Viejo on May 29, the restaurant's first day in business.
John Cosentino passes out sample deli salads to Sandy Smelser, right and Lee Ann Smelser, of Mission Viejo, as Gandolfo's opens.
Gandolfo's co-owner Elizabeth Marin helps Drew Krycerick of Lake Forest.

By Orange County Register | Orange County Register

May 29, 2009 at 4:20 p.m.

MISSION VIEJO – Gandolfo’s New York Delicatessen opened its first Orange County franchise today in Mission Viejo.

By noon, dozens of customers lined up from the counter through the front door, waiting to order from a list of 70 sandwiches, salads, hot dogs and other deli staples.

Many of them said they were East Coast transplants who have struggled to satisfy their cravings since moving to Orange County.

“Here you don’t find that many fine delis,” said George Duncan, who grew up in Brooklyn and lives in Mission Viejo. “It gets worse as you go south.”

Sandwiches dominate the menu at Gandolfo’s. Most carry names of New York landmarks or neighborhoods, and the ingredients include a variety of meats, cheeses and toppings. They range from the classic “Knickerbocker”— roast beef and provolone — to the more exotic “Throgs Neck Bridge,” which includes chicken breast, bacon, avocado and ranch dressing.

Duncan ordered the “Little Italy,” a combination of ham, salami, pepperoni, and provolone cheese. He said the sandwich fell short of the best East Coast deli versions, but he called it “very good.”

“I have no complaints,” Duncan said. “And the pasta salad is delicious.”

New York native Craig Gandolph started Gandolfo’s in 1989 in Provo, Utah, and the chain, still based in Utah, has expanded to 15 states. There are now four California locations, including restaurants in Oceanside, Rancho Cucamonga and Santa Clarita.

Sisters Yami and Elizabeth Marin started the Mission Viejo franchise, and said they want to transition away from other careers. Yami’s husband grew up in Queens, and she said she fell in love with deli food on East Coast trips.

Some California natives said today they didn’t care about the restaurant’s New York theme, but were looking for fresh sandwiches and an alternative to the larger chains nearby.

“It’s very good, and fresh,” said Dan Trujillo, of Irvine, who visited Gandolfo’s with his co-worker, Michelle Ayres, of Aliso Viejo. “We were going to go to Jack in the Box.”

Boston native Robert Saitta admitted when he walked in the store he would hard to please.

“I’m trying to see if they have real pastrami and corned beef,” said Saitta, of Mission Viejo. “I know I’m going to be disappointed because I have been for the last nine years.”

He was.

“I was incapable of calling that pastrami,” Saitta said.

“But the bread was fresh and the lettuce was fresh,” said his wife, Lorraine Saitta.

Contact the writer: 949-454-7350 or wjason@ocregister.com