This weekend's Greek Food Festival reminds us how local restaurants like Yasoo Yani, Papapavlos, Pegasus and Petra Deli have helped make Greek and Mediterranean-style meals an increasingly popular choice. To this list, we add California Deli , a Venetian Bridges fixture for 14 years, with veteran chef Lynn Meath in the kitchen. On a recent visit, we were impressed with its selection, quality, price and personal touch. The menu is Greek, Mediterranean and American, so options are diverse enough to please most palates. On the other hand, the retro '60s soundtrack should be swapped for taverna-style guitars, unless James Brown and tabouli are your bag.
Service is another plus.
Our server took the kind of watchful and polite interest in us that led her to refill our iced teas without our asking and bring a second sauce for our tasting because we'd expressed interest in the ingredients of the first. She also offered no-cost little samplers to patrons unfamiliar with Greek and Mediterranean flavors. It's those little courtesies that count. With its diverse menu of signature sandwiches and salads, modest prices and solicitous service, California Deli has a lot to offer, especially if you're in a Mediterranean dining mood.