Port Hueneme deli gets a "perfect" rating
By JR Grant 07/02/2009
Boar’s Breath Deli,
Grill & Spirits
719 W. Channel Islands Blvd.
Port Hueneme
984-2333
$6.50 - $13
A certain friend of mine is a terrific cook, an inveterate restaurant visitor, and has phenomenally high standards about all things culinary. When I invited her to lunch at the Boar’s Breath Deli, I was nervous; I had already decided to write a very favorable review, and was curious how the exacting standards of her palate would rate this little Port Hueneme neighborhood deli.
When she ordered the hot pastrami (served on grilled rye with Swiss, mustard and pickles) I was pleased, because that was one sandwich I had yet to taste. (I was having the Blue Kobe, but more about that amazing treat in a moment.) My friend’s sandwich arrived, and the slightly salty, briny, yet rich aroma of very fresh pastrami immediately sent its mouthwatering fragrance around the table. One bite and my usually picky friend was hooked. “Wow!” she said, “This has got to be the best pastrami sandwich I have ever tasted. And I’ve never seen pastrami this lean!”
Not all sandwiches here get that kind of praise all the time, but seriously, most do, and on repeated visits never disappoint. The Boar’s Breath deli uses only Boar’s Head meats. Boar’s Head is a family owned business begun in Brooklyn in 1905 by Frank Brunkhurst, and still prepared by his descendants to the same very exacting standards of quality and excellence. All 28 meats are certified by the American Heart Association for the top criteria for saturated fats and cholesterol, and their phenomenal leanness and the near absence of any fats are sure to surprise and please the most health conscious diner.
On my first visit, I ordered a Reuben, a good standard deli choice from which to make an initial impression. Actually, however, at Boar’s Breath I was a little disappointed. The corned beef was too lean — absolutely no fat whatsoever and I wanted a less perfect cut of meat. However, the flavor was extraordinary; the Thousand Island dressing had just the right mixture of spiciness; the Swiss cheese was an ideal accompaniment; the sauerkraut had a homemade cut and taste to it, and the grilled rye could have been from New York. Very tasty, but somehow the meat was too perfect. (Maybe I’ve been to too many delis in New York.)
Also, the steak fries that came with the Reuben were not perfect — in fact, they looked prefried and tasted soggy. That said, the owner, Tom Frazier, insisted I try his wife, Gina’s potato salad (from her grandmother’s recipe). The potato salad was terrific; bits of chopped egg, celery and black olives with a hint of celery salt. Really, really special. Most desserts come from the Cheesecake Factory and are stupendous, but the chocolate lover in me prefers the Oreo tart from Stone Ground Bakery in Agoura. The whipped cream is so thick and heavy in the chocolate, you probably won’t have room to finish it, particularly after the very large and filling sandwich.
The French dip is one of the better I have ever had, but I’m saving my favorite till last: The Bleu Kobe Burger. The leanest of lean Kobe beef is ground into a scrumptious hamburger, and then cooked to order, topped with blue cheese crumbles that have perfectly melted over the beef. Served with lettuce, tomato, red onion and mayo, this burger is nonpareil in Ventura County. The flavor of the beef mixed with the bleu cheese was extraordinary. And this time, the steak fries were perfect (again, with a hint of celery salt).
For my beverage I opted for an old favorite of mine from back east: Dr. Brown’s ginger ale. Although they offer Dr. Brown’s cream soda as well, the only thing that would have made beverage choice even more ideal would have been if Boar’s Breath also carried Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray tonic. I mentioned this to the owners, and I’d be willing to bet you the next time I return, it will be available.
Tom and Gina Frazier want everyone to come back to their restaurant again and again, and also want you to tell them what you like and what you think could be improved upon. After my friend declared her pastrami sandwich “perfect,” I don’t know what improvements could be made. Except maybe the addition of that Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray tonic.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT