DELICIOUS NEED A NOSH? FEEL LIKE IT'S ALL GREEK (OR ITALIAN, OR MEXICAN) TO YOU? OUR RESTAURANT CRITIC IS SUCH A MENSCH - HE'S COMPILED A LIST OF THE VALLEY'S BEST JEWISH AND ETHNIC DELICATESSENS. TRY IT - YOU'LL LIKE IT.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

There's no such thing as the ultimate deli.

At least, there isn't in the San Fernando Valley and its adjacent environs.

What you'd have to do to experience the ultimate deli meal is to plan a progressive dining itinerary, which means going to one place for chicken soup, another for a bagel with lox and cream cheese, another for a corned beef sandwich, another for a pastrami sandwich and so on and so forth, ending, of course, in the hospital with a heart attack.

That is, unless you jog from one to another, thus burning calories and shedding the avoirdupois as fast as it develops.

We did neither.

In our quest to determine where the best deli items can be consumed, we took our time, visiting some of the most visible Jewish-style and ethnic delis within our area over a period of weeks - actually about three months - and then picking our top choices for a roundup.

The overriding fact remains very clear after all this.

Of the best of the bunch, the handful of majors that draw thousands of diners week in and week out, there's not a huge difference.

In fact, these delis probably buy many of their items from the same purveyors.

Devotees will swear that their favorite is head and shoulders above the rest. We understand there will be differences of opinion. Here's our list.

JEWISH-STYLE DELICATESSENS

ABE'S

Abe's stands in the shadow of Brent's in the North Valley when it comes to a citywide reputation, but has built up its own devoted clientele over the years. Its menu is hugely encompassing, starting with breakfasts galore. Then there are all the expected deli sandwiches and platters plus an array of burgers, hot dogs, salads, soda fountain goodies, pastries and desserts from an in-house bakery and a load of homey lunch and dinner entrees.

Address: 19626 Nordhoff St., Northridge.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Credit cards: AE, MC, V.

Pastrami sandwich: Not overly fatty, but enough to retain flavor. Chewable and reasonably well-portioned.

Corned beef sandwich: Fresh tasting, shareable in size. Moist on the palate although fairly lean.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: Noticed afterward that for $1 extra we could have had Eastern hand-sliced belly lox. But the plate presented wasn't bad anyway.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: Surprisingly, this was one of the better chicken soups experienced. More chicken in it than most others. Some noodles too. No mushy carrots.

Miscellaneous comments: Bakes its own cheese onion bread on the premises.

ART'S

One could say that Art's Deli is an institution of sorts. Approaching half a century in business, Art's, the nearest major deli to the studios, is one of the city's longtime celebrated show-biz haunts, a hangout of agents and comics, known far and wide for its slogan, ``Every Sandwich Is a Work of Art.'' During a panel discussion on delis in Los Angeles, owner Art Ginsburg revealed his technique for serving hot rye bread, a method that makes the bread for his sandwiches appear to have been freshly baked minutes before serving. He said the rye loaf is placed under a faucet so that both sides get a little water. After as much as 15 minutes in the oven, the result is exterior crispiness and a hot, slightly moist interior. None of the other delis visited serve sandwiches quite this way.

Address: 12224 Ventura Blvd., Studio City.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open at 6:30 a.m. daily, to 9 p.m. Sunday, to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Credit cards: AE, MC, V.

Pastrami sandwich: Extra fatty. Nicely large in size. Good overall flavor.

Corned beef sandwich: Very good. Thick and moist. The slices of corned beef can be quite lean, yet they avoid any hint of dryness. That warm rye bread of Art's helps make this stand out as probably the best corned beef sandwich of all those tasted.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: Hand-cut lox. Nice presentation with onion, tomato, Greek-style black olives.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: Somewhat thin and relatively flavorless. Fairly big matzo ball. Mushy carrots.

Miscellaneous comments: The beef stew here ($12.95) is as good as it gets as long as you like a tomato-sauced base. I do. It'll make you forget Dinty Moore's forever.

BAGEL NOSH

From its former very visible Ventura Boulevard location complete with an attractive patio in front, Bagel Nosh moved not long ago to a smaller, rear location up the street. Still, with good signage and its core of longtime devotees, it quickly re-established its presence in the Valley's most competitive deli community, Encino. Not only that, but it recently cloned itself in Calabasas. Bagel Nosh bakes its own very good, fresh bagels, even sells them to other restaurants.

Address: 17271 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from 6:15 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Credit cards: All major.

Pastrami sandwich: Available by the half, or full. It's a decent sandwich that comes with pickles and a choice of coleslaw or potato salad.

Corned beef sandwich: Noted as a fair rendition, also by the half sandwich or full. Served dry so it definitely needs mustard to give it some zing. It's basically the same deal here as the pastrami sandwich.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: May be the lowest-priced of all the delis visited. Presented nicely, open face with tomato slices, sliced onion, olives and pickles.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: Passable, but the carrots are mushy. Also lower in price.

Miscellaneous comments: Seems that the bill here is less than the more highly visible delis, yet the portions don't appear to be smaller.

BRENT'S

In recent years, Brent's has surpassed Art's as the Valley's most acclaimed deli. This is partly due to the annual Zagat Survey that has rated it as the No. 1 deli in Los Angeles 10 years in a row, even above Langer's, with 26 out of a possible 30 points in 2003. (Note that the highest-rated restaurants in Los Angeles receive 28 points.) Yet at a panel of deli owners at the University of Judaism last year, Art Ginsburg of Art's was the only Valley representative, not Ron Peskin of Brent's. Nevertheless, Brent's is constantly full, is known for its huge portioning and fancy cake baking, and seems to please its huge clientele enough to ensure a long and successful future.

Address: 19565 Parthenia St., Northridge.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open for meals and snacks from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Credit cards: All major.

Pastrami sandwich: Thick and juicy. Fresh and flavorful. This is an all- around good-tasting sandwich, probably the best pastrami rendition of those tried.

Corned beef sandwich: It's a nice size, tasty and relatively moist, although mustard definitely improves it.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: Well, first of all, you can tell it's hand-cut lox, not that precut stuff. And it's good quality and a worthwhile portion. There's a big dollop of cream cheese if you ask for it on the side. Only one olive, though. Also, three slices of tomato and one slice of purple onion.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: Rated as passable with a plaudit for its being served steaming hot. And though not especially noteworthy on flavor, its matzo ball is good and huge. Carrots are thankfully not overcooked and mushy. No chicken meat comes in this soup automatically, but it can be ordered for $1 extra.

Miscellaneous comments: Gets pretty busy at times, which means service suffers somewhat. As an example, a request for pickles was repeated twice before they were finally delivered. Also, a knish tried here was hard and crusty.

FROMIN'S

Suffering from a reduced customer base because of a ``B'' rating at the time (since re-rated ``A'') Fromin's was quieter and seriously more attentive from a service standpoint during our visit than ever previously remembered. And yes, our food seemed to taste better as well. Fromin's in Encino, with another branch in Santa Monica, attempts to attract seniors with its array of under-$8 dinners and dieters with its special menu that denotes the caloric, protein and fat content of each item. Like other delis, it has its share of die-hard fans and naysayers.

Address: 17615 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open for meals and snacks from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Credit cards: All major.

Pastrami sandwich: You can get a half, full or sky-high size sandwich here. And it's as good as most, with that occasional chewy piece that you have to remove from your mouth and hide under the lettuce.

Corned beef sandwich: Same deal as the pastrami. Not a bad version, but nothing to rave about.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: This plate looks extremely appetizing with accompaniments of coleslaw, olives, sliced tomato, onion and cucumber. Lox is standard, well-portioned. Cream cheese placed on the side as requested.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: This is another place where chicken meat can be added, this time for $1.25 extra. Otherwise, the soup is certainly OK, available in two sizes: regular and small. And there's a decent-size matzo ball.

Miscellaneous comments: If you're tired of lox, the barbecued cod makes a pleasant alternative here. But it will cost you a couple of dollars more.

JERRY'S

While the flagship Jerry's Famous remains closed for remodeling in Studio City following a fire, the Jerry's presence remains high from its Encino and Woodland Hills locations along with its Solley's in Sherman Oaks. But the void is in the environment. Other Jerry's delis in the Valley seem to lack the draw of Studio City as far as its kooky characters and smattering of celebs. People-watching at Jerry's in Studio City always seemed as important to the total experience as the food itself. For those unfamiliar with this chain of delis, Jerry's has the biggest of menus with not only the expected deli items available, but also just about every other major cuisine represented on its huge menu.

Address: 16650 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open for all meals and snacks from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Credit cards: AE, MC, V.

Pastrami sandwich: Better than expected and certainly as good or superior to others. The sandwich is nicely packed with flavorful, good-quality slices of pastrami, providing a fulfilling meal for a hungry diner.

Corned beef sandwich: Don't make the mistake of ordering it lean here, because you will end up with a stack of dry corned beef slices between your rye bread.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: You won't be disappointed by Jerry's version of ``LCC'' which is found on the menu available under sandwiches as Nova lox for $11.50.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: Have to admit it, Jerry's chicken soup has more intensity of flavor than the rest. How it accomplishes this, we don't know. And it also manages to produce carrots that are not mushy and a good, large matzo ball that is consistently soft. Incidentally, last time we checked, Jerry's will happily split a bowl for two.

Miscellaneous comments: The other soups are worth trying here, too, especially the sweet and sour cabbage soup. And Jerry's will happily serve up a generous tray of complimentary pickles, consisting of the less pickled, greener type cucumbers and the more pickled olive green-toned cucumbers, as well as pickled tomatoes. Plus, with your soup comes bagel chips or rye bread if you prefer. And more of same by request.

MORT'S

The narrow, off-the-main-thoroughfare Mort's is a 35 year-old deli still owned and operated by Mort Medway and thoroughly respected for its consistency. More of a true delicatessen than the large emporium-style delis that it competes with, Mort's doesn't offer pizzas or burritos, pastas and Chinese food (other than a Chinese chicken salad), although it does allow a speck of Asian influence into its fare via a teriyaki steak as one of its $9.95 dinner specials. By sharing quarters with the popular Bea's Bakery, it provides the welcome bouquet of a fresh baked goods presence. As for quality, though delis seem to buy from many of the same sources, Mort's imparts a perception of freshness and overall product superiority that we guess has something to do with its five decades of success.

Address: 18452 Clark St., Tarzana.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Credit cards: MC, V.

Pastrami sandwich: Well-crafted hot sandwich, basically what you expect from a pastrami sandwich at a respectable delicatessen.

Corned beef sandwich: Much like the pastrami sandwich, stuffed instead with seemingly good-quality corned beef. If you want bigger there are sky-high and one-and-a-half size versions of both here.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: The lox is thin-sliced. The toasted bagel tastes fresh and crunchy. The cream cheese has a smooth and not gummy texture. Even the Greek olives with it appear fresher. Mort's comes through again.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: It may not be the biggest matzo ball, but it could be the fluffiest. And there's plenty of flavor in the broth. The soup has thin noodles, some chicken meat and a sprinkling of carrot pieces. All in all, a worthy rendition.

Miscellaneous comments: Mort's is the kind of deli that grows on you. Initially, you may not be particularly impressed, but once you get used to its bland comfort and its friendly, knowledgeable, veteran staff of longtime employees, an appreciation of sorts surfaces.

ROXY'S

The Conejo Valley's version of Jerry's, even down to the use of the word ``famous'' in its title, Roxy's is huge, a bustling, free-standing, rambling deli that has everything for everyone and does it all well enough to keep locals coming back on a regular basis. One glance at its appetizer list tells it all. Yes, you have your knish, stuffed cabbage, chopped liver, creamed or pickled herring and potato pancakes. But you'll also find calamari fritti, crab cakes, pot stickers, egg rolls, bruschetta, mozzarella or zucchini sticks, barbecued or buffalo wings, taquitos, potato skins, nachos and breaded mushrooms. Roxy's features a gigantic supply of its own ``baked fresh'' premises-made cakes and pies. Would you believe it regularly bakes and sells at least 19 types of cheesecake?

Address: 1345 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open for meals and snacks from 7:30 a.m. daily, to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Credit cards: All major except Diners Club.

Pastrami sandwich: Respectable rendition, certainly large enough.

Corned beef sandwich: Meets the challenge. Moist enough. Plenty of meat.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: Attractively presented in open-face manner with tomatoes, cucumber and onions. No skimping on the lox.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: More wrinkly egg noodles than necessary. Fair flavor. Good matzo ball.

Miscellaneous comments: Extremely cordial and helpful service here. All those giant cakes on display look wonderful and are very tempting. Roxy's probably seduces a fair percentage of the customers into buying a T-shirt and a cake before leaving.

WEILER'S

There are a number of Weiler's delis in the Valley, presumably with different owners. We picked the one in Canoga Park. During the week, this Weiler's appears to be a convenient stop-off for neighborhood office people and blue-collar workers. Never very busy when visited, its staffers were friendly and helpful. But, compared to the other delis, its fare turned out to be rather disappointing.

Address: 21161 Victory Blvd., Canoga Park.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open for breakfast and all meals from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Credit cards: AE, MC, V, Discover.

Pastrami sandwich: Although rye bread was comparatively fresh tasting, the pastrami inside was rather dry and not at all flavorful. It needed lots of mustard to be reasonably edible.

Corned beef sandwich: Maybe a shade or two better than the pastrami, but not much.

Lox, bagel and cream cheese: Passable plate with average-quality ingredients. Nothing special about it.

Chicken soup with matzo ball: Well below the average. The broth itself appeared watery and the soup as a whole lacked flavor.

Miscellaneous comments: Although the service was attentive, the food was definitely not memorable.

ETHNIC DELICATESSENS

There are quite a number of ethnic delis around the Valleys, some of them producing excellent sandwiches for the neighborhood luncher and evening snacker. To varying degrees, they stock groceries and condiments in the style of their country along with meats, cheeses and cooked vegetables, often colorfully arranged in display cases. All of those chosen have some tables on the premises to eat at. Here are a few of them.

DOMINGO'S

Some years ago, when prosciutto was not allowed in this country from Italy, the word among local foodies was that you could find pretty darn good Kansas City prosciutto at Domingo's in Encino. Domingo's has enjoyed a reputation as a fine Italian delicatessen for a long time and now carries the slogan, ``Home of the 7-foot submarine sandwich.'' Around 32 different hot and cold sandwiches are offered daily, along with several pasta dishes, salads, a soup du jour and ``homemade'' cheesecake, tiramisu and a variety of cookies.

Address: 17548 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

Credit cards: AE, MC, V.

Our choice: The sandwich picked was capicolla and dry Parmesan cheese on a roll. It was listed at $6.25, as were most of the other sandwich options. They, by the way, include Domingo's signature submarine, cheese with mortadella or salami, a vegetarian, mixed cheeses, domestic prosciutto, Italian prosciutto, fresh mozzarella with basil and tomato, grilled eggplant, ham (three types) and cheese, turkey (four types), chicken breast, and chicken, tuna or egg salad. Also roast beef, corned beef, pepper beef, pastrami, meatball, sausage and three different parmigiana sandwiches are offered. And if you're confused about extra virgin olive oils, Domingo's has enough of them to explain the differences.

GERMAN COLD CUTS INTERNATIONAL

Filled with imported German food products, the shelves of German Cold Cuts International in Woodland Hills invite browsing and buying. And the display cases of meats, cheeses and other delicacies quickly get the taste buds going - and especially at these moderate prices, sandwiches are hard to turn down. With only a handful of tables (a couple inside, a couple outside), German Cold Cuts relies on locals ordering food to go as much or more than its on-the-premises eating. Choices of bread (whole wheat, German rye, large roll, baguette or two small rolls) and cheese (Muenster, cheddar, Swiss, provolone, baby Swiss) can be made with a charge of 50 cents extra for the cheese over the initial $4.25 or $4.75 sandwich charge. There are also a handful of specialty sandwiches at $5 each (club sub, Italian sub, smoked turkey and avocado sub; and bacon and lettuce with tomato and avocado) as well as a BLT for $4.25 and a bratwurst sandwich for $3.50.

Address: 6019 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.

Credit cards: All major.

Our choice: With no bratwurst available, we went for an all-German sandwich of German rye bread with Black Forest ham and Muenster cheese plus an order of German potato salad (75 cents) on the side. The addition of mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickle was included. We skipped the offered onion. Sandwich and potato salad cost: $6. Very satisfying.

LA GLORIA

It used to call itself a ``Mexicatessen.'' Now La Gloria in Simi Valley prefers to be known as a ``supermercado,'' but to us it is still a very good Mexican deli. As a combination of a Mexican fast-food eatery and grocery market, it's a great place to grab an authentic torta or taco anytime. Here you can buy salsas, cooked chicken and lots of other stuff by the pound, which is great for an everyday meal at home or in case you're planning a party.

Address: 1484 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley.

Phone: [phone].

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Credit cards: AE, MC, V.

Our choice: Quesadillas stuffed with asada ($1.99) were a tasty start one day at lunchtime. Everything was fresh, tender and tasty. Then came the torta, as good as any sandwich tried in Mexico City. This is a simple roll with our favorite pastor-style pork meat. Only $3.09. It wouldn't be difficult to eat two of these at a sitting. Perfectly crafted tacos at 79 cents each brought forth our picks of carnitas, lengua and birria. And the food comes up within a few minutes. La Gloria, you're marvelous.

TARZANA ARMENIAN DELI

With its claim as the purveyor of the original pita wrap sandwich in Los Angeles, which it introduced in 1973, Tarzana Armenian Deli refused to change its rather geographically constricting name when it opened additional deli-cafes in Studio City and Woodland Hills. Fresh-tasting pita bread sandwiches, salads and dips are the featured items in all three locations. And everything is priced under $9. There is also a quartet of plates, one with vegetables ($8.95), one with tabbouleh ($4.50), one with hummus ($4.50) and one a Caesar salad offering ($7.50). With portions as large as they are, half orders are available. The deli display case here gives a good idea of what's going into your wrap sandwiches. The good smells as well as the looks are totally inescapable. This is all mouth-watering fare from the moment of entry.

Address: 11288 Ventura Blvd. Studio City (Also in Tarzana and Woodland Hills.)

Phone: [phone].

Hours: Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.

Our choice: Our latest experience was at the spotless Studio City location, where we sampled a bastourma (Armenian beef) sandwich bolstered with mayonnaise, string cheese, avocado, tomato and pepperoncini. Excellent. Previously, the large veggie delight ($6.50) was a satisfying creation utilizing tahina (sesame sauce), parsley, pepperoncini, tomato, avocado, string cheese and radish. Others tried and liked: sliced soujouk (Armenian sausage, $6.95) and a small kufta (meatball, $5.95) sandwich.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

Which delicatessen offers the best corned beef sandwich in the Valley? The offering above from the usually crowded Brent's in Northridge ranks among the biggest and tastiest - although a little mustard definitely improves it.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1) CORNED BEEF SANDWICH FROM BRENT'S IN NORTHRIDGE

(2 -- 3) At left, Art Ginsburg digs into some of his Studio City deli's specialties, such as chicken in a pot, towering sandwiches, and the traditional lox and cream cheese platter. Above, Mort Medway, owner of Mort's Deli in Tarzana for 35 years, offers a menu - including bagel, lox and cream cheese; and pastrami and corned beef sandwiches - fitting its reputation as a ``true'' deli.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(4) The prices are as low as the meats and cheese are plentiful at German Cold Cuts International in Woodland Hills.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) JEWISH-STYLE DELICATESSENS (see text)

(2) ETHNIC DELICATESSENS (see text)