Best of 2003: Best Place To Stock Up On Russian Food

Continent Deli
4150 Regents Park Row, Suite 110, La Jolla
858-623-0099

Can there be a better place in all of Southern California to buy salami? Owner Irina Kanevsky claims her University City store typically stocks no fewer than 79 different varieties, many with names that make you want to be adventurous ("bear salami," "tourist salami," "square salami"). The deli also sells a half-dozen different types of salmon caviar; Russian-, Polish-, and German-style breads; a multitude of canned fishes and Russian teas; marinated mushrooms; packaged dry Polish borsch mix; Russian chocolates; even Russian greeting cards. Kanevsky and her business partner Edward Serper opened their first small deli on University Avenue. It continues to operate, but the newer University City outlet allows for the cooking of home-style specialties including chicken and cheese blintzes, stuffed cabbage rolls, pirozhki, gefilte fish, salads, and desserts. The wonderful smells mingle in the air with a steady stream of Russian banter.