For 50 years, Benjie’s Deli in Santa Ana has served up towering sandwiches, comforting matzo ball soup, black-and-white cookies, and everything else you’d want from a New York-style deli. And in that time, the only thing that’s changed is its adjoining bar: trading in Tiki digs for sudsy craft brews, Bamboo Lounge was recently revamped into Avenue K. The bar is fully stocked with premium whiskys, gins and bourbons, as well as chardonnay and merlot. The pours at Avenue K rotate, but there’s always a balanced variety of brews. This week’s prize selection is Shakedown Brown.
Founded in 2007 by Kevin Dyer, Temecula’s Black Market Brewing offers this 5.5 percent ABV, West Coast-style brown ale. Shakedown Brown features tasty notes of coffee, chocolate and caramelized toffee, with some floral hops of Cascade and Columbus to make your taste buds go AHHH! Temecula has long been known for its exceptional wine, and now you can add award-winning breweries to that list.
Avenue K, inside Benjie’s Deli, 1828 N. Tustin Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 541-6263; www.benjiesdeli.com.
