Eat & switch: Ex-mayor turns Larry David's deli into an upscale, expensive, organic, goyish eatery

For years, Mort's Deli was the gathering place in the heart of Pacific Palisades, California, where Sunset Boulevard meets the Pacific Ocean. You might know it as the deli that's been featured often on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm-- the place where Larry David had a sandwich named after him (the place was called "Leo's" on the show).

Mort died in 1999, and last year his widow closed a deal to sell the join to former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan, who owns several other eateries in Los Angeles including the crapulous tourist trap Gladstones at Sunset & PCH, and the aged Original Pantry downtown. All through the approval processes, Riordan promised to carry on Mort's tradition as a deli and comfortable, neighborly gathering place.

Did we forget Riordan is a politician? A look through the window this week revealed something that looked little like a delicatessan of any sort. And today, as the new Village Pantry prepares for a "soft opening" next week, it turns out that the deli is dead.

Mort's has gone "upscale." And brisket-less.

An article in the local Palisadian-Post today reveals that Riordan pulled the old switcheroo, and that his plans were very different all along:

The Village Pantry will be 'an upscale casual restaurant that offers deli foods like pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, ' (executive chef Douglas) Silberberg told the Palisadian-Post last Saturday. But it will also feature non-deli items such as the pulled pork sandwich ($12), where the meat is slow cooked in Guinness stout, smothered in barbeque sauce, joined by apple-wood smoked bacon, and served on a warm Kaiser roll...

The entire restaurant has been redone; the only vestiges from Mort's are the ice machine and the exhaust hood in the kitchen, though owner Riordan plans to have a wall dedicated to the former owners, Mort and Bobbie Farberow...

"A lot of people will associate this space with the old Mort's for a long time," Silberberg admitted. "We can't please everyone, but we will please an overwhelming majority. Those who are not initially pleased will come around."

...Meat for the restaurant will come from the Niman Ranch in northern California, where the animals are raised free of antibiotics. Eggs are from free-range chickens raised without hormones and antibiotics.

"Those eggs cost twice as much," Silberberg said, "but because of my background, I wouldn't settle for anything less than the best." Most of the restaurant's produce will come from farmers' markets, and will be organic...

"I'm cooking for myself and my family because we live here," the chef noted.

Looking at the menu posted on the front window at the Village Pantry, a few residents have questioned the prices, which begin at $10 for sandwiches and salads. Various scrambled egg dishes (with toast and potatoes) are $10, omelets $10.50 and French toast $9.

"It's very fair for the quality we're serving and the ingredients we're using,' Silberberg said. One example: the cheddar cheese used in omelets and sandwiches is aged two years and is white instead of yellow (not dyed). "We're serving upscale full-flavored breakfasts and lunches."

During the interview, a Palisades resident came in the back door and told Silberberg that he should have brisket and hot dogs on his Village Pantry menu. Silberberg politely explained that the restaurant isn't going to be a renovated deli, but a new entity, although it will carry Matzo ball soup. He also didn't discount the idea of adding hot dogs.

In addition to potential $15 hot dogs, Mort's banquet room, the Oak Room, is being turned into a "high-end California bistro" in which kids are discouraged because it will also include Palisades' second full-service bar. That's a point in Riordan's favour, though historically, the Palisades has not been kind to upscale eateries. We'll soon see if the former people's cherse underestimated the appeal of a budget-priced sandwich, eggs and brisket joint in the center of a posh suburb.

FUN LINK: Click here and dig the wild connection between Tabloid Baby's author and Richard Riordan, the pol who broke his promise to Mort's loyal customers.