First Look: Enzo's Deli & Imports Brings Sandwiches and Italian Goodies to Plano

If you feel like going to Jimmy’s for a sandwich, pasta, wine or a jar of marinated bell peppers but live way out there in Farthest North Dallas or Plano, you’re in luck. Enzo’s Deli & Imports opened last December near Preston and Spring Creek, and while it’s nowhere near as large as Jimmy’s, with its limited shelf space for those bottled Italian goodies and a single deli case, it’ll do in a pinch.

Enzo’s is the creation of Michael Martin, who also owns the Corner Wines & Wine Bar. It's conveniently enough attached to the new deli, sharing space and tables. Shop for a bottle of Chianti or two while you wait for your sandwich to be created.

All the sandwich options (or “sangwichez” in local parlance) available are based on recipes from Southern Italy, a region where Martin spent time as a youth, giving rise to such fare as the amalfitana, the sorrentina and the calabrese. There is also a sandwich called the Toscano, which is technically Central Italy, not Southern, but let’s not get all pedantic about geography — there are sandwiches to eat.
We went to the counter and ordered an amalfitana and a meatball sandwich, one cold, one hot. While we waited for them to be prepared, we browsed through the admittedly limited grocery selections, but we’re happy to have the option at all. It beats the one- or two-shelf Italian section (if that) you find in Kroger’s international aisle at least. There was giardiniera, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, an ample olive selection, marinated artichoke hearts and capers, just to name a few of the items on the shelf.
The refrigerator section has breads, fresh pastas such as bucatini and rigatoni from chef Salvatore Gisellu of Urban Crust, different varieties of sugos and tomato sauces, ravioli and even some balls of pizza dough like the kind we never pass up purchasing when we’re at Jimmy’s. Again, not a huge selection, but it’ll get the job done.
The deli section has several traditional meats such as capocollo, guanciale, speck and prosciutto, along with some that are a bit more difficult to find like mortadella pistachio or nduja salame.

When the sandwiches were ready, we took them next door to the wine store that shares the space with Enzo’s and has tables if you choose to eat in rather than to go. It looked to be a pretty decent selection of wines from the world over, not simply Italy, and there's a wine bar for those who wish to sample by the glass.

The amalfitana was served on house ciabatta, with prosciutto, burrata, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, EVOO and balsamic vinegar and set us back $11.99. It was about 8-inches long sliced in half and served in butcher paper. The bread was chewy with a crispy outer crust, and the ingredients worked together in a nice melody, though the generous amount of dried tomatoes produced a slight sweetness that we wish had been toned down a bit.
Enzo’s meatball sandwich went for $10 and consisted of house-made meatballs and homemade marinara topped with melted mozzarella cheese, all served on a fresh bread roll that was slightly toasted. The marinara was rich and flavorful with some character, and there are tubs of it for sale in their fridge section. These sandwiches are never pretty to look at or easy to eat, but that’s part of the fun.

We’d like to try the sausage and peppers sandwich, along with some cannoli, but that’s what return trips are for.

Enzo’s will never really be able to compete with Jimmy’s, which has the Italian boutique shop thing down to a tee, but for those who live way out in the northern hinterlands, it is definitely a welcome alternative.

Enzo's Deli & Imports, 4017 Preston Road, No. 535, Plano. Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; closed Sundays.