Genova’s Delicatessen:

I went to Genova’s Delicatessen in Napa because it looked like the type of legendary Italian deli you find on the East coast. I used frequent an Italian deli in the Bronx where all the employees were jerks. Think college football players when you first meet them. After your sixth visit, they exposed themselves as over grown teddy bears, but at first they might give you a wedgie if you ask to hold the sweet peppers. They were doing you a favor by letting you eat their sandwiches. More arrogant than the employees at Italian delis like this are the size of the sandwiches. Do you really think you are up to the challenge of finishing one of these things?

Genova’s had none of this attitude. The staff was a bunch of cotton tops in white butcher coats ready to accommodate any request one could have. The sandwich that caught my eye was #12 the Dino’s Special. Peppered turkey, peppered salami, affinois cheese, muffuletta, roasted red peppers, and oil and vinegar. Coming off a trip to New Orleans devoid of a muffaleta sandwich I had to give the Dino’s a try. Like any good deli they also had deviled eggs.

The verdict: a boring sandwich that was borderline bad. The affinois cheese was so creamy that it drowned out any other flavors or textures besides the bread. I could feel chunks of olive while i chewed, but never tasted them. The red peppers were like slippery lizards going down my throat. I was really disappointed. The deviled egg was phenomenal.

I don’t think the Dino’s was a fair representation of Genova’s cuisine, but when I am in the Napa Valley I will stick to Guigni’s.