Rating: 9/10
When I tell people that I want to open a delicatessen in 10 years, they look at me funny. “Why 10 years?” they’re thinking. “Why a friggin’ delicatessen? How bizarre.” And, I’ll admit, it’s a pretty far cry from the world of advertising where I’ve spent the last 35 years of my life. I don’t know anything about retailing or the business of food service. It’s kinda nuts.
Then again, delicatessens are in my blood. The smells alone can bring me right back to my childhood going to places in Oakland like Giovanni’s and the Lakeshore Delicatessen, and Molinari’s in San Francisco’s North Beach. Aside from the smells, these memories heavily feature my father chatting up the gregarious counter men and the show that together they put on for the rest of us.
So it was wildly bizarre to discover that the newest Delicatessen in the North Bay, Bruno’s Italian Delicatessen, has a very similar story to mine. Steve Franchetti is a former marketing guy living in San Rafael who wanted to open a delicatessen for about 10 years (which is also my story). The one he finally did open was a glorious tribute to his father - an Italian immigrant.
Bruno Franchetti was born in the Lombardy region of Italy (northern Italy). His father fled to California with his family in 1933 to avoid being drafted by Mussolini and eventually settled in San Rafael. Bruno graduated from San Rafael High and joined the Marines. After returning from the Korean war with a Purple Heart, he got his business degree from SF State and went to work for Chevron. Like my grandfather, Bruno liked getting the whole family together for a nice Italian meal.
Steve's story is that after graduating from Cal Berkeley with a degree in Economics and USC with an MBA, he spent a lot of years marketing and selling wine. So, unlike me, he already has a solid understanding of retail and food service.
Maybe because it the big space or because it’s so new, but I wasn’t getting that strong Italian delicatessen aroma that I typically enjoy. However, the array of Italian products was just as impressive and delightful as any good ol’ fashioned Italian delicatessen.
Steve has A LOT of employees there. Most delicatessens have about 4-5 people behind the counter at any given time cutting, weighing, chopping, mixing, and waiting on customers. Steve had more like 8 people when I was there - including an older fellow that had that salty demeanor that I remember enjoying from those countermen of my youth.
Bruno’s opened in about March 2021 just off the downtown San Rafael strip and caught on quickly - winning the 2021 Best Sandwich in Marin from Marin Magazine and a 5-star rating on Yelp. They make Italian-style sandwiches, salads and entrees and feature a range of imported Italian packaged goods, wines and espresso.
The Food
The LA PORCHETTA (a.k.a. the pork sandwich, pictured here) is their signature dish (every delicatessen should have at least one) and it is exceptional. The sandwich features imported Italian porchetta, arugula, melted fontina cheese, caramalized red onions, salt, pepper, and garlic aoli on freshly baked Italian roll. The carmelized onions and the fontina played beautifully together and the onions were the perfect sweet accompaniment to the pork. A couple of weeks later, I returned for the meatball sandwich.
Unlike most meatball sandwiches, the MAMMA’S MEATBALL sandwich held together surprisingly well (most meatball subs fall apart) and had the perfect amount of sauce to ensure that it was neither too wet nor too dry. The meatballs were pretty fluffy - as meatballs go. Overall, pretty garlicky, but very satisfying. Luka’s IL PADRINO (a.k.a THE GODFATHER) was very good too, but Luka claimed that it had almost too much meat. They use Genoa salami, ham, mortadella, and sweet coppa.
All of the sandwiches are made with fresh-baked Italian bread - which is kind of the only way to do it. All of the meat is either Boar’s Head or Molinari’s.
The Service
The more I read about delicatessens, the more it seems that the vibe of the place is a critical component. It’s not just about treating customers well and bending over backward, but it’s embracing people with a warm and welcoming culture and projecting a certain charm and personality. No doubt that’s one big reason for Bruno’s 5-star rating on Yelp. People enjoy the friendliness of the place. The first time I went, the guy behind the counter was a personal friend of Steve’s and was very happy to tell me all about Steve’s journey.
When I finally do open my delicatessen in Marin, Bruno’s will be stiff competition. Until then, I’ll be coming often and trying to learn as much as I can.