Grubtrotters

Good news for Tender Greens eaters. The new West Hollywood location, originally planned for last September, finally opens tomorrow, March 18, at 11:30 a.m. In addition to the fresh-to-order salads, sandwiches and other favorites from the Culver City location, Chef Fermin Arias will make homemade cheese, vinegars and salumi for the WeHo crowd. As we reported last May, WeHo is just one of many spots in the expansion plan for this casual, eco-friendly, lunch-focused eatery. I’m hoping this means the Culver City joint will be less crowded. Even if it’s not, I’m still inspired to brave the crowds, especially now that I know that its chef/owner Erik Oberholzter eats there everyday and manages to maintain a bod like this.  — Jenny

Tender Greens West Hollywood, 8759 Santa Monica Blvd., 310-385-1919.

Huckleberry Cafe, from Chef Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb, the husband and wife team behind Rustic Canyon, has barely been open three weeks, but word has clearly spread. There was a line out the door today at lunch, despite the rain. Nathan is pretty famous for her pastries, and while Rustic Canyon only had Saturday morning breakfasts, you can buy her goodies for breakfast and lunch every day at Huckleberry Cafe. (Saturday breakfasts at Rustic Canyon are kaput now.)

The cafe occupies a bright, casual space, perfect for Santa Monica, while the menu focuses on “locally sourced, farm-driven” foods, such as salads, sandwiches, soups, rotisserie meats (free-range Jidori chicken, of course, and duck on Thursdays) as well as all kinds of breakfast treats. Also perfect for Santa Monica. There’s a communal table for those who want to mingle with neighbors, a growing trend in LA. I arrived just after 11 a.m. in the mood for a hearty breakfast, but I’d just missed the cutoff. Instead I ordered the one savory, breakfasty item on the lunch menu, a fried egg sandwich with Niman Ranch bacon, gruyere, arugula and aioli on two thick pieces of freshly baked country bread ($9.50). Delicious. The caffe latte hit the spot, too.

I also brought home some moist turkey meatballs in a tomato sauce and three prepared salads, one with farro (a type of wheat), english peas and feta; one with tangy broccoli and one with crunchy/sweet sugar snap peas ($12.75 for the trio). All fresh, healthy and tasty. Thumbs up for Huckleberry Cafe. Not that they need it. – Jenny

Huckleberry Cafe: 1014 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica; 310-451-2311.

Esquire admits that its feature on the Best Sandwiches in America is incomplete. We will help fill at least one gap.

The only real downside to Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica is that the parking lot during lunchtime is the automotive equivalent of a steel-cage death match. Even that hassle is not enough to dissuade devotees of scrumptious sandwiches from packing the place like a pope’s Mass.

You can reduce your waiting time inside the deli by ordering online or via fax. The deli has a separate area for such pickup orders. If you choose to make an in-store order and wait for your number to be called, be prepared for your hunger to explode exponentially. You’re surrounded by such tempting sights and smells — and other people getting their food ahead of you — that it almost seems unfair. But it is worth the wait.

The menu is extensive, but we have our favorites. Jenny usually chooses the Godmother, a combination of Genoa salami, mortadella, coppacola, ham, prosciutto and Provolone that she tops with Dijon mustard, peppers, lettuce, tomato, olive oil and vinegar. My standard pick is the meatball sandwich with tomato sauce, onions and sliced red bell peppers. But if it’s a Tuesday, I will often opt for the daily special of the sausage and peppers hoagie that looks like it came off the set of “The Sopranos.” Their rolls are excellent. The crust has that nice crunch, but the rest is soft, fresh and tasty.

If you do decide to order online — and this is our recommendation — be careful which buttons you press. We once ended up with two Godmothers instead of one, but I hesitate to call this a mistake because it simply extended a pleasurable meal. In fact, I wonder if Jenny will order two instead of one accidentally on purpose from now on. — Victor

Bay Cities Italian Deli; 1517 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, Calif., 90401. 310-395-8279. Closed Mondays.