The first I heard of Salumeria Luca was from a friend who bought her father a salami sandwich for his birthday. He promptly reported that it transported him back to his native Italy with the first bite. I knew with similar immediacy that I had to compare Luca against the high salumeria standards I developed tasting my way through Rome. 


Traditionally a salumeria is more than a butcher shop. It’s an Italian deli that carries fine, artisanal charcuterie like prosciutto, salami, bologna, mortadella and beef bresaola. Carmel recently gained its only traditional Italian salumeria when Luca opened right next door to its sister Italian restaurant Cantinetta Luca on Dolores Avenue, where riches like imported Italian salume, Chef Jason Balestrieri’s house made sausages and cheeses, carefully curated wines, fresh pasta, fresh baked bread and shelves full of Italian grandmother’s favorite pantry items reside. 


Luca’s modern, clean lines of red and black differ dramatically from the dusky, ancient Rome treasure shops I’ve experienced. The walls here are lined with everything edible and Italian, with a focus on organic, from imported olive oils from various regions to interesting honey vinegars like chestnut and honey dew ($12.75), fig spreads ($5.99), Italian truffle salts ($14.99), mountain lentils ($3.99-$4.99) and pasta of all shapes. Emanuele Bartolini, the knowledgeable and native Italian general manager of both the restaurant and deli, popped in and out through the door between the two places, juggling responsibility like a well-olive-oiled machine. He knew all of the oils, and the regions for each, personally – one was just two miles from his hometown in Florence. Between his adorable accent and contagious passion he added a very authentic touch to the experience. 


In the refrigerated section I found some items I couldn’t resist taking home to try: salsa rustica ($8) containing olive oil, green Cerignola olives, Taggiasca olives, oil-cured olives, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and black pepper. I purchased it to be a part of a meal, but it was so good I had to stop myself from eating it straight by the spoonful. Its rustic, savory and sweet flavors would be great folded into pasta or spread on bruschetta. The other refrigerated take-home options included an atypical Bolognese sauce ($9) – with white wine (instead of the traditional red wine), plus beef hanger steak, veal, assorted salume, carrots, onions, celery, porcini mushrooms, garlic, sage, cream – plus a more straightforward option, which is also made in house by Balestrieri. Either pairs perfectly with some fresh-made pasta to go. 


I was also pleased to find (and snap up) my favorite Dinon white anchovies ($6.25), light and wonderful in a wine vinegar and olive oil with parsley and garlic, which I ate the next morning as a power breakfast mingled with some baby dandelion greens. The same marinade can be found in the other Dinon “Gran Consumo with Vegetables” ($6.95), which is a lovely seafood salad containing mollusks of all kinds with sweet peppers and cucumbers. Things like that make it easy to grab a quick, healthy lunch for a reasonable price: perhaps some fresh bread, olives (in bulk by the pound), cured meats, a case full of cheese choices and pickled vegetables. In other words, it was time for a picnic.


My friend and I ordered the Emilia sandwich ($7.50), served on a house-baked roll with prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, greens, tomato and fresh-made mozzarella. The bread was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and seemingly destined to absorb the oil and vinegar, which melded well with the generous amount of mozzarella and sliced meat. Excellent. Other options for pickup include: grilled panini ($8), salumi plates ($8-$22) and hot, thick-crust pizzas to go after 5pm – think margherita ($13), funghi (with roasted crimini mushrooms, red onion, gorgonzola and spinach, $16), salume ($15) and cornetto (containing fontina cheese, prosciutto, and baby wild arugula, $16). 


Tasting my way through the deli case on another visit I bought a bunch of meaty morsels to take home and snack on with my beau. A few are produced in the states, including La Quercia organic prosciutto from Iowa ($32.99/pound), but most are Italian, like the Molinari Finocchiona salami ($14.99) with fennel seeds and the Salami Creminelli Tartufo ($31.99), a dry, black truffle-laden hard version with a chewy texture and a beautiful, earthy scent. Next was a superior wild boar salami – dark red, fatty yet tender and moist with wine notes – my favorite of all. Don’t let the price per pound scare you. Thinly sliced meat goes a long way. 


Also made in house: Reasonably priced bread baked daily, like the baguette stirato ($2.95), filone ($3.50), boule rounds ($4.25), Italian seeded baguette ($1.25) and ciabattina ($.99), plus sweet treats such as almond anise biscotti or chocolate pistachio ($5 each), ricotta lemon cake ($7) and semolina rosemary cookies ($6). If that wasn’t enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, try the gelato in classic flavors or interesting seasonal choices such as apple rosemary, salted caramel and pumpkin pie ($3.25/scoop). In the back corner, there’s also an impressive lineup of Italian wines (starting at $10) assembled by award-winning wine sage Thomas Perez before he left the Luca family of restaurants to make his own wines. That means, between these breads and wines – and the cheeses and sausages and pasta and the GM’s accent – there’s plenty capable of transporting you to Italy, on top of that tasty salami sandwich. 


SALUMERIA LUCA Dolores between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel • 11am – 7pm Sun-Thu, 11am – 8pm Fri-Sat. • 625-0264, www.salumerialuca.com.