More Deli at Moore's Deli

By Felicia Friesema Mon., Nov. 8 2010 at 11:30 AM

Categories: Delis, New Restaurants

Felicia Friesema

Moore's rare roast beef on ciabatta with arugula and house made aoli.

Little Flower Candy Company owners Christine and Robert Moore have been dreaming a little bigger these days. Inspired by Robert's parents' 1947 San Francisco sandwich spot of the same name, they opened Moore's Delicatessen on October 4th in the civic center of Burbank (across the street from the police headquarters), serving pancake breakfasts in the morning and bacon-wrapped meatloaf during dinner. And in between, of course, there are the sandwiches, piled high, in generous deli-style, with medium-rare roast beef, pastrami, and delectably slippery slow-cooked brisket.

On the exterior, deli fans from Attman's in Baltimore to Langer's here in LA will recognize the deli signage standard cursive above the all-caps, blocky descriptive. Fans of Little Flower, which has its own savory line of gourmet meat and bread combos, will also notice a few happy similarities. The ubiquitous crispy and just-right-sour pickles that come with the sandwiches at Moore's are from East L.A.'s A-1 Eastern Pickle Company. And just like the menu at Little Flower, Moore's has an ample selection of vegetarian options, including tempeh with onion sprouts, a yellow lentil dal, brown rice bowls, and for any cheese head, an open-face toasted brie sandwich covered in garlic mushrooms. Salted caramels are also technically vegetarian and are happily available as more modest, single bites at $0.50 a pop.

Felicia Friesema

Moore's brisket of beef with fried onions on ciabatta.

Both Moores have extensive local food cred (Robert is the former executive chef for Dodger Stadium and Christine is one of L.A.'s finest bakers) but the breads aren't baked in-house. Still, their ability to identify and source great ciabatta (from Europane), challah (from Delicious Bakery), and assorted pastries (from Little Flower, naturally) means the substrate is as good as the center. Where Little Flower is ¾ kitchen and ¼ café, Moore's is an exact opposite. Getting a great table is less of a challenge: they have two separate and generous dining rooms, but it means the kitchen is a case study for efficient space design. Regardless, the crew gets it done, from the house-made aoli to the barbeque sauce for the pulled chicken and pork sandwiches.

Perhaps the more pleasantly surprising aspect of Moore's is the craft beer menu. There's a smooth White IPA from Allagash in Maine. But if you're a fan of hops, there's a dank (the brewmaster's word, not ours) but well balanced hoppy brew from San Diego. Beers were chosen first for flavor, then for availability, and then on whimsy (the Racer 5 is for Moore's Speed Racer loving son Collin and the Avery was chosen for his eldest daughter of the same name) and sell for a craft-reasonable $6 to $7 a pour.

Plentiful local parking, both in their own small lot and surrounding public lots makes it a trouble-free stop, except maybe on Saturday mornings. Moore's is directly across the street from Burbank's popular farmers market, so arrive early and sup on some local City Bean coffee and take pleasure in a warm waffle before picking up your seasonal produce for the week.