A wise man once said, a deli isn’t something one is willing to drive out of their way for in Orange County, much less wait in line. A workman’s lunch should be close, easily accessible, affordable, predictable and tasty.
That wise man was me…until a recent visit to a deli afoot the Newport Beach pier, Dory Deli.
With the sunset backdrop to a thousand selfies, a rare winters wind blew me towards this potential sandwich hot spot. Their bright cobalt lit sign juxtaposed over horizontal wooden planks and a weathervane pointing toward the waves draws me in. Friendly faces smile and welcome me into their warm brick interior filled with family photos and knick knacks.
Expecting ‘Newport Beach’ beer selections, seeing familiar Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Ballast Point Sculpin and Pizza Port Brewing The Chronic, I exhale a sigh of relief scanning their case. Eight taps sit behind the counter with various lagers and local craft beer, some of which is brewed a few miles away.
Food-wise, Dory Deli doesn’t just have personality, it has full-fledged multiple personality disorder.
I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where an old Jewish mother, a vegan surfer, a south-Philadelphian and a picky kid can sit down over a proper sangwich, a knish and perhaps a fun craft soda for the kid.
For the post-surf breakfast or pre-yoga sesh, a ‘Yoga Pants’ burrito (Egg whites, peppadew peppers, arugula, Parmesan cheese) would easily square off next to Keen coffee/espresso piped through their rare Slayer machine.
For dinner, a Figgy Burger (Fig preserves, goat cheese crème, caramelized onions, brioche bun) would go great with Barley Forge’s The Patsy (rye coconut stout). My pick for meatless Monday would be their buffalo cauliflower (Buffalo Mary) with smoked potato salad paired with an Alesmith Nut Brown Ale. There’s so many combinations that pique my interest, Dory did what I didn’t think was possible. She got in my head. She will make my choice of beach to visit that much easier.
Nine months of the year, parking isn’t an issue with plenty of metered parking right out front. After 6 P.M, the meters are free and there was tons of parking. They’re located at the foot of Newport Beach’s pier at 2108 3/4 Oceanfront Dr. Newport Beach and open from 6 A.
M til Midnight. opens 1/26/2015 at 6am.
1) Hitting my 1000’th Untappd check in at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing with the Hops of Brixton, poured by my favorite gal, the Beer Bird herself Catelyn Willig. The beer is a bold ESB shining with British cracker-like malts clashing with East Kent Golding hops. It’s one of my favorites at Beachwood and get it first. Extraordinary!
2) Camping at the Firestone Winery and drinking one-off Barrelworks beers at Firestone Walker’s original brewhouse? This totally didn’t suck! One beer that stood out was a wine/beer blend called “Zin Skin” that poured with a huge fluffy three inch head; only to watch it disappear like a big bubble being popped. Pictured is galpal beer writer Erika Bolden snapping a shot of DBA while on the back of a flat bed in a grape field.
3) When you get invited into the Coolship room at Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine, you go in. When you uncork a beer that was spontaneously fermented in there, that’s pretty damn spectacular. Arguably one of the most acidic beers I’ve had in recent memory, Coolship Cerise simultaneously melted my tooth enamel and caused “instaboner”. But was there sex in the coolship room? I’ll never tell.
7) I never thought Russian River would have two spots in my top ten list as I’m not a huge fanboy. But hey, getting the second pour of Temptation from a 9 Liter bottle by Vinnie Cilurzo himself? Out-fucking-standing.
8) Taking an unreleased beer off of 
9) Of all the ways for a yet-to-be opened brewery to show off their skills, Three Weavers quickly won over my heart with this collaboration with Noble Ale Works. The Messenger was indeed a message in a bottle, saying “hey, I’m a citrusy IPA made with Buddha’s Hand fruit and other fun stuff.” I loved this beer, Noble, and Alex Nowell quite a bit.
