We would like to add the Italian delicatessen to that impressive list. The true Italian deli - found mostly in New York and New Jersey, and scattered around San Francisco - serves Italian cuisine and items imported from the old country, of course. But it also acts as a cultural center for its patrons. It's often a stage for passionate conversation and customers connecting with others of similar heritage and interests, a social setting where the local news and gossip are shared. Don't forget, many such delis are very much parts of their immediate neighborhoods.

Now along comes Dominick's Italian Market & Deli, which opened Jan. 20 in Granite Bay. The husband-and-wife owners, Dominick and Raquel Bellizzi, are from New Jersey, a state that knows something about submarine sandwiches and cannoli.

So, what's Dominick Bellizzi's story?

"I worked in my uncle's Italian deli in Bayonne, New Jersey," he said on the phone Monday. "Then I worked for some other guys in their deli. I finally got a job in my field - computer science - in 1994."

Bellizzi climbed the corporate ladder and found himself stationed in Puerto Rico, then back in New Jersey and then in Sacramento.

"It wasn't fun anymore after nine years, and they wanted me to move again," he said. "We love this area and wanted to stay, but something we found lacking was (a real) deli and the type of food we serve here. A lot of places call themselves delis, but they're really sandwich shops.

"So Raquel said, 'Why don't you leave the company and I can go back to work (in banking) and you can open a deli?' So we did. All the dishes we serve here are from family recipes."

I visited the deli with my lunch pal Graziella, whose family is originally from that narrow strip of the former Yugoslavia (now Slovenia) that borders Italy. She is accustomed to the cuisines on both sides of the border, and the hybrid one that joins those two international kitchens.

"Wow!" she said when we walked in to Dominick's. "Doesn't this look like a true old-fashioned deli? It's got a mural and awnings." Plus a crush of customers eating at the tables and lined up for made-to-order lunches to go.

After touring the store, she reported: "It's meticulously clean. And all the imported items. ... I'd come back here to buy the imported bread crumbs to make my meatballs. And the tomato sauce for sure."

Inside Dominick's are shelves-ful of imported foods, from wine and olive oil to pasta and tubes of crushed garlic - but take a look in the cold case at the imported and domestic Italian-style meats: prosciutto, mortadella, soppresata, capicollo, pepperoni, Genoa salami. Plus more-mainstream offerings: roast beef, corned beef, pastrami, ham, turkey, liverwurst.

Long lists of cold and hot "hero" sandwiches and grilled paninis dominate the menu ($5.95 to $14.95). They sport such names as the Goodfella (prosciutto cotto, hot capicollo, dry salami, provolone and hot cherry peppers) and the Neapolitan (mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted peppers and baby spinach dashed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil).

Here's fair warning: The subs are huge. No, make that gigantic. We ordered a small ("half") Italian combo (ham, salami, pepperoni and provolone) on fresh, chewy ciabatta bread, and when it arrived we were certain a mistake had been made, that it was the large ("whole") version. "No," assured Justin, who was working behind the counter, "this is the smallest sandwich we make."

Note that the subs are dressed with shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, salt and pepper, Italian herbs, olive oil and vinegar and - for some odd reason - mayo.

Moving away from cold cuts are hot heroes stuffed with chicken, veal and eggplant Parmigiano, homemade meatballs, chicken cutlets and Italian sausage.

Then there's the "From the Kitchen" portion of the menu, with Italian seafood salad (marinated calamari, baby octopus and mussels, $10.99 a pound), stuffed mushrooms ($12.99 a pound), garlic shrimp ($13.99 a pound) and fried calamari ($6.95 small, $10.95 large). Plus, marinated and herbed whole chickens are fired on a rotisserie in the kitchen ($9.75 each).

This is the kind of place where everything looks so good, you want to sample it all. We tasted arancini ($3.50), meatballs with marinara sauce ($7.49 a pound), lasagna ($8.99 a pound), sausage in sautéed onions and peppers ($7.49 a pound), baby back ribs ($10.99 a pound, available only Fridays-Sundays) and chocolate cannoli ($1 small, $2.89 large).

Arancini di riso are rice croquettes filled with a ground-meat mixture, then rolled in bread crumbs and fried. They're a common snack food at kiosks throughout Sicily. Dominick's arancini were splashed with marinara sauce. Tasty enough, but we thought they needed more filling, and that the filling longed for more intensity. But, as arancini are rarely seen around here, the dish deserves a try.

The handmade pork-and-beef meatballs were terrific, well-seasoned and with genuine texture - no filler there. Another handmade item is the Italian sausage - lean and chewy, rich with fennel and other herbs. Lasagna can be very good or very bad; this hand-built one was rich and creamy, crispy around the edges and cloudlike in the center.

I'm not sure why baby back ribs are on the menu of an Italian deli, but Graziella and I liked the novelty of such a brash act. These were pink and meaty and cooked over mesquite coals, but way too much spice rub made them taste like a salt lick. Good ribs, but back off on the rub.

As we watched, the chocolate cannoli shell was hand-filled with a tasty ricotta cheese paste. Beware: This delicious dessert is so light that its richness can sneak past you.

On the Saturday we visited, several daily items were also on offer: a magnificent standing rib roast, sliced to order; lush pork shanks cooked to melting tenderness; rigatoni in sauce; and fresh asparagus.

So, Dominick, how's the new profession working out?

"The community has embraced us 110 percent," he beamed. "I love talking with customers about the food. People originally from New York, New Jersey and Chicago come in and tell me, 'I feel like I'm back home. We've been to so many places, but you're the real deal.'

"I'm having a T-shirt made saying that - 'The Real Deal.' "

Dominick's Italian Market & Deli

WHERE: 8621 Auburn-Folsom Road, Granite Bay, (916) 786-3355. One way to get there: Take Highway 50 east to the Folsom Boulevard exit; make a left at the signal onto Folsom north (it turns into Auburn-Folsom Road); look on the right for Dominick's in a shopping center; if you come to Douglas Boulevard, you've gone too far.
HOURS: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays
FOOD: ****
AMBIENCE: ****
COST: $-$$

Deli-cious
Letters to the Sacramento Bee

Thanks to (assistant entertainment editor Allen Pierleoni) for his wonderful article about Dominick’s Italian Market & Deli (“Deli’s the real deal,” “Counter Culture,” Friday Ticket, April 30).

            He was so convincing about how wonderful it was that I drove all the way from Galt to Granite Bay.

            Dominick’s was all he described and more.  The smell alone when we walked through the door was like a homecoming.  They even had the rare cheese I was looking for.  The service was unbelievable.  They kept asking if I had been helped, and a very polite gentleman was slicing my selections and making some of those submarine sandwiches for me.  I agree on the size—huge.  I ordered a half and ate about a quarter of it.  And the cannoli!  How perfect can a dessert be?

            I grew up on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, in the Italian community, and most of my fond childhood memories involve food from Italian delis and potluck meals at St. Clare’s Catholic Church, where you could find every kind of real Italian food you could imagine.  Dominick’s assortment of items smelled just the same—wonderful.

                                                --Anne Rice
                                                           Galt

Old Italy Focus For Local Deli
Granite Bay View – May 2004
By Brenda meadows

For a touch and taste of old Italy, try Dominick’s Italian Market and Deli at 8621 Auburn-Folsom Road.

            Actually, I teased Dominick about his “southern” cooking since his family is from the “tip of the boot” near Sicily.  Menu and catering items include recipes from both areas.

            Dominick and Raquel Bellizzi, along with their two children, man the authentic deli stocked with imported and domestic spices, extracts, cheese, pastas, Italian wines, cookies and candles.

            Homemade sausages, lasagna and desserts are orchestrated from family recipes handed down to Raquel from her mom-in-law.

            Hailing from New Jersey and New York, the Bellizzis know how a market and deli should operate.

            “We just opened three months ago.  We’re actually known for our sandwiches on our lunch  menu,” Dominick says.  “We make the authentic New York hero and our Philly cheese steak is the best this side of the east coast.”

            And he was right.  Stacked several inches high with grilled onions, bell peppers and of course a generous helping of shaved steak and melted provolone, the Jersey/New York days where I had experienced delis and markets on street corners.

            When my dining companion (my husband) saw the stocked deli case with its Sicilian rice meatballs (arancini), shrimp garlic cocktail, chicken rollitini, pasta salads and lamb with vegetables, his mouth started watering and the aromas made him eager to delve into lunch.

            If you have never experienced a Panini sandwich (Panini is Italian for little breads) served on homemade focaccia or ciabatta bread, it’s about time you did.  The sandwich is filled with a combination of whatever you prefer, then pressed or grilled to a golden, crispy brown.

            My eyes turned toward the roasted small chicken with grilled—then baked—vegetables.  Prepared with rosemary, thyme and other Italian seasonings, the poultry was cooked to perfection and pleased my palate.

            Italian dining is synonymous with “lasagna.”  Dominick’s selection includes meat, vegetarian or cheese.

            My husband and I agree this is the best lasagna we have ever tasted.  The special family recipe, a mouth-watering heirloom, combines olive oil, onions, basil, oregano, garlic and a generous soaking of merlot.

            While we dined a couple was consulting with Dominick about a wedding menu.  I was pleased to learn they do catering.

            “Besides catering, if there is anything you want us to cook for you just call us and we’ll do it,” Dominick informs.

            Then there was dessert.  We ate the fresh chocolate cannoli and Italian cookies shipped in from New York.  Of course there is the yummy tiramisu, made by the Bellizzi’s loving hands.

            Unique to this eatery visit, my hubby actually wrote a comment for me to share with readers.

            “Take your cravings on an Italian vacation.  Treat your tongue to an exquisite tour of the most fascinating delectable destination any appetite could tour,” he says.  “The chicken rollitini is to die for.  Buon Appetito!”

            Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.  For more information call 786-3355.

Market and Deli Opens in Granite Bay
Granite Bay Press-Tribune: 
Saturday, January 24, 2004

             Dominick’s Italian Market and Deli has opened in the Granite Bay Village Shopping Center, located at 8521 Auburn-Folsom Road in Granite Bay.

            The market features Italian specialty sandwiches, hot and cold prepared food, gourmet deli offerings, meats and sausages, fresh mozzarella and other fine foods.

            Dominick’s also offers selected wines from Italy and California.

            “Italian food brings to mind pasta and sauces,” proprietor Dominick Bellizzi said.  “But Italian food is so much more than that.  We have fresh specialty meats like:  prosciutto, pancetta, salami; imported cheeses like pecorino, gorgonzola and fontina, as well as freshly made mozzarella; and prepared entrees like eggplant parmesan, lasagna risotto and soups.”

            Bellizzi gained experience working in a gourmet Italian deli in his native New Jersey, where he also owned a casual, sports-themed restaurant.

            But his expertise preparing fine Italian food,  along with his passion for pleasing customers, comes from his cooking with his mother and other family members who prepared both traditional Italian meals and Italian-American variations.

            Bellizzi moved to Folsom with his family just over three years ago and has been working toward his goal of opening an authentic Italian market and deli like those on the East Coast.

            For more information, call 786-3355.