Letter to Mona Lisa Italian Delicatessen

Manager
Mona Lisa Italian Delicatessen
2061 India Street
San Diego, California 92101

Phone: (619) 234-4893

Dear Sir or Madam:

When we first walked into your deli (adjacent to Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant), we were excited about the fresh pasta, large selection of Italian olive oil and balsamic vinegar and extensive Italian wine selection, though we keep coming back for your wonderful deli sandwiches.

Our favorite sandwich is the Caprese Sandwich (Number 11): fresh mozzarella, fresh sliced tomato, whole pieces of basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil on an Italian roll. The Caprese is the only vegetarian sandwich on the deli menu, but even meat eaters love it. The house-made fresh mozzarella is creamy, with a delicate flavor and the tomatoes and basil are always fresh.

The Italian rolls you use on all deli sandwiches have a crunchy exterior that are well worth the occasional scrapes on the roofs of our mouths. On the inside, the rolls are chewy and absorb all of the flavors from the sandwich fillings without becoming soggy.

Your selection of Italian meats is the best we’ve found in San Diego. We’ve tried the sopressata, capicola, mortadella and pepperoni and all bring an authentic Italian flavor to the delicious sandwiches. Though there is a large selection of sandwiches, they all come dressed with shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and mayonnaise, except the Caprese. Your deli does not subscribe to the typical vegetable overload that many “sub” shops do. The simplicity of your sandwiches and the quality of their ingredients is what makes them great.

Your drink cooler has a good selection of beer from Italian and local breweries, which are perfect to take out on your patio along with a sandwich on a warm day. You have a variety of Italian goods that are otherwise hard to find in San Diego and we also appreciate that all of the bread you sell and use for making your sandwiches is baked just down the street at Solunto Baking Co. We especially enjoy the focaccia and ciabatta toasted with good Italian olive oil. Walking into Mona Lisa is like walking into an Italian neighborhood deli in New York, complete with baskets of baccala (dried, salted cod) and bread under the deli counter. We hope it never changes.

Yours Very Truly,

San Diego Restaurant Review