Four sandwich spots in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol worth trying

Sandwiches are one of the world’s perfect meals, right up there with pizza, tacos and burritos as easy-to-eat-on-the-go, customizable, flavor-packed joy.

They are definitely beloved. According to the USDA, 47% of all adults in the U.S. eat one or more sandwiches every day. Add in people of all ages and people consuming more than one sandwich daily, and Americans devour more than 300 million sandwiches every day, pretty impressive considering the entire U.S. population is about 330 million.

But we’re not here to discuss statistics. We’re talking turkey, since it’s the weekend after Thanksgiving and most of us are stuffed on the savory poultry. We probably have more leftovers than usual, thanks to shutdowns of the traditional feast with lots of friends and extended families. We’ve eaten our share of turkey sandwiches at home these past few days, and just to keep the holiday spirit strong, many local delis have been celebrating the bird all month long.

Santa Rosa’s 4th Street Deli, for example, has been promoting a November special of Grandma’s Turkey Dinner, combining turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, lettuce and mayo in your choice of a spinach, wheat or flour wrap ($9.95).

At the same time, who wants to cook full meals after the holiday kitchen workout? Sandwiches again come to the rescue, thanks to our delectable delis. Often not known outside of the neighborhoods they serve, these locals’ favorites are well worth seeking out for their sumptuous array of sandwiches stuffed with meats, cheeses, veggies and homestyle specialties like meatloaf.

And there’s not a turkey in the bunch.

Ulia’s Delicatessen

Mmmmm, muffuletta. The recipe originated among Italian immigrants in New Orleans, and the bread isn’t a common item in Wine Country. But Ulia’s makes it, lovingly and generously stuffed with peppercorn-studded Toscano salami, mortadella dotted with rich pork fat, salami, thick-sliced provolone, a housemade chunky red pepper and green olive spread, Dijon and a bit of olive oil seeping into the sourdough loaf ($10.99). It’s everything I love about cold Italian sandwiches: tangy salumi, creamy mild cheese, tart dressing and enough pillowy bread to hold it all together through big bites.

Ulia’s owners Ulia and Paul Bostrom opened on Stony Point Road south of West College Avenue in Santa Rosa in 2002 and now run the small cafe with their children, Andrea, Jason and Axel; “Grandma Betty;” son- and daughters-in-law Steve, Francesca and Lynnsey and grandchildren Lily and Zoe.

They need all hands on deck — if you don’t call in your order ahead of time, you can sometimes wait for up to half an hour, outside, for the kitchen to keep up with the daily breakfast and lunch rushes.

There’s a Greek bent to the bistro, with gyros being bestsellers. You choose seasoned rotisserie beef ($10.99), chicken ($10.99) or lamb (go for the flavorful lamb, $12.99) and enjoy it with the traditional tomato, onion, lettuce and feta cheese all tucked in a white or wheat pita with homemade tzatziki sauce.

I hadn’t seen the vegan Greek sandwich on the menu before, but this new offering is so good it needs to be permanent. It starts with a rustic sour roll (or a pita, which I get instead), then adds in crispy grilled falafel balls, nicely sour dolma, tomato, roasted sweet red bell peppers, cucumber, red onion, spinach, hummus, avocado, muffuletta olive spread and Dijon ($10.49). Just when you think it couldn't get better, a new flavor glides in to delight your taste buds.

The menu is huge, by the way, offering 17 options for breads, rolls and wraps; 14 cheeses and some two dozen meats, including Boar’s Head Salsalito turkey coated with a spicy salsa of jalapeño peppers, onions, sun-dried tomatoes and cilantro. The sandwich artists are clearly having fun, too, coming up with inventive treats like the vegetarian Axel sandwich of chèvre, hummus, carrot, tomato and spinach on toasted multigrain bread ($8.99) or the French sandwich of chicken, Brie, crunchy apple, red onion, mayo and Dijon on a croissant ($10.99).

Don’t overlook breakfast, either. Ulia’s is set in the Stony Point Business Park, and most mornings, you’ll see local workers stopping by for signatures like the Wyatt breakfast pita, overstuffed with egg, ham, green chile, Jack cheese and chipotle sauce ($6.99, served all day).

Is breakfast popular? Well, on just one day during the fires and COVID this October, Ulia’s prepared more than 600 breakfast burritos and breakfast pita sandwiches for PG&E workers, Santa Rosa Fire Department workers, evacuees at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, Sonoma County Emergency Services workers, Santa Rosa city staff, Santa Rosa American Medical Response workers and Hospice of Petaluma staff.

Details: 130 Stony Point Road, Suite F, Santa Rosa, 707-525-8542, uliasdeli.com. Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Canevari’s Delicatessen & Catering

The old brick and stucco building where Canevari’s is located shows its long history, looking rather rumpled with its fading sign and stark parking lot with a couple of picnic tables. But then, founder Ed Canevari did open the spot in 1929. He kept it in the family until 2015.

“We resurrected it as it was just about to close up,” said new owner Lou Chambrone, who purchased it with his wife, Kim Chambrone. “Ed was pretty much done with it, and the third generation did not want it.”

Thank you, Lou and Kim, for keeping us happy with Old World Italian-style sausage and peppers sandwiches ($9.95), meatball subs ($10.95) and spicy pulled pork sandwiches ($8.95). And thank you for the premium ingredients, such as meats and poultry from Santa Rosa’s Golden Gate Meat Co., deli meats from San Francisco’s Molinari, produce from Santa Rosa’s Imwalle Gardens and bread from Santa Rosa’s Franco American Bakery.

The robust Italian sausage and peppers are diced for easy eating, the rich marinara is spiked with sweet onion and a thick mantle of provolone caps it all on a toasty, soft long roll.

In the meatball subs, four plump meatballs are perfectly seasoned, smothered in marinara and finished with shaved Asiago and provolone cheeses on a soft ciabatta roll with a crunchy crust. The pulled pork sandwiches feature tender roasted pork shoulder, a swath of spicy Calabrian chile aioli and a mound of orange fennel slaw to cool the heat, all plopped on a grilled soft roll.

Over the past 15 years, the Chambrones have expanded the menu, crafting daily specials like homemade lobster ravioli, chicken cannelloni, creamy mushroom polenta (get it topped with meatballs) and superb crackly-shell cannolis.

Details: 695 Lewis Road, Santa Rosa, 707-545-6941, canevarisdeli.com

4th Street Market & Deli

This gem is not really a secret, at least for locals who have been flocking to the downtown Santa Rosa cafe since it opened in 1995. Everyone knows founder Pete Mogannam and his brother and co-owner Neal Mogannam, who personally work the order counter. And anyone who has experienced one of the 4th Street sandwiches doesn’t forget it or its massive portions of fine meats, cheeses and veggies supplied by local bakers, butchers, farmers and markets.

I have yet to finish a full Mona Lisa sandwich in one sitting, as much as I’ve tried. Each half requires two hands to hold in order to contain the thick layers of ham, salami, mortadella, Havarti, lettuce, olive tapenade, roasted red peppers and Italian dressing on sour roll ($9.95). The roll is thinner than at other delis, all the better to really feast on the fine fillings.

People who devour an entire Early Bird breakfast sandwich ($10.95) earn my awe. The lovely beast is nearly 3 inches tall and stacked with egg (I get poached, for the delicious runny yolk), ham, roast turkey (yes, there’s turkey in this one, but it’s so good), crisp bacon, avocado, pepper Jack, red onion, tomato and mayo on a grilled roll of choice (I like Dutch Crunch).

So many sandwiches are wonderful here, from the Pastrami Pete with its double portions of meat and gooey Swiss topped in pickles and brown mustard on dark or light rye ($9.95) to an elegant panino towering with lots of fresh melting mozzarella, warm tomato, fresh basil, pesto cream cheese and sun-dried tomato ($8.95). The only solution? Go often, and try them all.

Details: 300 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-573-9832, fourthstreetdeli.com. Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Giovanni's Italian Delicatessen & Cafe

If you know Sebastopol, you know this small cafe tucked in the back of a 7-Eleven parking lot on Pleasant Hill Avenue off Bodega Highway. If you’re not from the area, you most likely don’t. But Giovanni’s has been in business since 1975, and on my most recent visit for a late afternoon sandwich, takeout business was brisk, with masked customers spreading far apart in the currently furniture-stripped space.

It’s sad to see the mostly empty deli cases packed mainly with bags of Sun Chips and Kettle Chips instead of the usual abundant prepared salads of all colors and mouthwatering ingredients. But it’s great to see the kitchen busy making signature sandwiches like homemade corned beef glistening with glorious fat on a classic Reuben ($9.95) or an opulent French dip with a good amount of shaved roast beef, grilled mushrooms and onions on a French sourdough roll for dipping in salty jus ($9.50).

New owners Jorge Dzul and Javier Borges took over in 2016 and have kept true to Giovanni’s history while adding new dinner items like ravioli ($12.95) and penne with shrimp, spicy sausage and chicken in cream sauce ($14.95).

The only thing I would suggest to them: more meatloaf, please, and fewer toppings. On my most recent visit, the hot meatloaf sandwich on a loaf-cut French sourdough roll was overdressed with lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, onions, pickle slices and a choice of ketchup or the thin swipe of marinara I got ($9). The meatloaf slice was about a quarter of an inch thick, reminding me of a burger, on way too much bread.

A better choice: the triple-stack club sandwich, which stands tall and proud with lots of grilled chicken, bacon, avocado and Jack and Cheddar cheeses on toasted sourdough ($11.95).

And yes, if you really wanted, you could probably get the club with Giovanni’s house-roasted turkey.

Details: 173 Pleasant Hill Ave. N., Sebastopol, 707-823-1331.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated the street where Giovanni's Italian Delicatessen & Cafe is located.