Jimmy&#39;s Deli

Jimmy's Deli

"Ain't no love, in the heart of the city...
I said where's the love?
Ain't no love, in the heart of town..."

1201 Grand Ave., Sacramento, CA 95838. (916) 922-7501.

There's something about Jimmy's that makes me want to play that old Jay-Z tune, "Heart of the City," as I roll up to it. The pistachio colored building in one of the rougher parts of Del Paso Heights has seen better days. It's weather worn storefront sits quietly back from Grand Avenue, almost like an observer to the neighborhood that surrounds it. There's a tired looking gentleman sitting patiently in the parking lot under the white "Jimmy's" sign running a recycling station and the front door is covered with a multitude of signs of what is and what is not allowed upon entering. Driving by you'd think it was like any other neighborhood quickie mart, only Jimmy's isn't...

Once inside, the front part of Jimmy's is a convenience store carrying a smattering of snacks, sodas, along with a few hard-to-find Cajun food brands like Blue Runner, Camellia, and Cajun Injector. The back portion of the store though is where the action's at. The back serves takeout to its customers- breakfast, lunch and dinner. The entree menu ranges from: fried/smothered chicken, catfish, red snapper, ribs, meat loaf, ox tail, chitterlings and gumbo. The sides menu is equally as impressive: grits, mac and cheese, red beans, black-eyed peas, yams, greens, cabbage and potatoes. I have a soft spot for homemade meat loaf so I ordered one of their personal sized meat loaves, a big serving of greens and a whoppin' dollop of mac and cheese. (The meatloaf came with a choice of rice or potatoes, which I skipped.) The total for my lunch was $6.75 and I had more than enough for two meals. Everything was delicious...the meatloaf was seasoned well (and slightly peppery which I liked), the mac and cheese was thick and creamy and the greens were cooked perfectly. Next time I'd like to try some of their gumbo and perhaps one of their desserts- yellow cake, banana pudding, or sweet potato pie. (I'd also like to talk to the owners a bit, I'm almost certain that the place is run by an Asian family. An Asian family cooking up soul food in the middle of DPH? How unusual, but hey if it tastes great, it tastes great.)

So Jimmy's may not exactly be in the heart of the city geographically speaking, but it's definitely serving up some love to the city from that tiny little kitchen in the hood...one to-go container of soul food at a time.