Inside: Sherman's Deli

(Credit: Michael Snyder, Special to Metromix)

Truly successful restaurants know it's essential to keep the classics regulars know and love, while it doesn't hurt to tweak the menu just a tad.

Sherman Harris opened Sherman's family restaurant in Palm Springs in 1963. Later on, a second location was added at the corner of Country Club Drive and Monterey Avenue in Palm Desert.

If you're looking for a deal, check out either location between 4 and 7 p.m. through October. Choose from such favorites as liver and onions, brisket or a New York steak for $11.95. Dinners include your choice of soup or garden salad, baked or mashed potatoes, cottage fries and mixed vegetables. This deal is available for dine-in only.

Sherman's "Chef's Specialties" showcase dishes such as old-fashioned cheese blintzes, homemade potato latkes and the knockwurst Reuben.

Can't decide? Go for the Studio Special — thinly sliced hot corned beef, pastrami or turkey breast piled high on deli rye and topped with cole slaw and thousand island dressing.

Sherman's has added a selection of wraps to its lunch menu with a new one featured daily. On the day we visited, the BBQ chicken salad wrap called out my name. Seasoned chicken, tomatoes, corn, bacon, parmesan cheese and romaine lettuce all blended with barbecue ranch dressing for $9.95 makes for a light, filling lunch. Other wrap selections include the Cobb salad, BLT and the club sandwich.

One of the unwritten rules for deli dining is that dessert is an absolute must. (I just made that up, but it sounds good to me.) At Sherman's, selections include New York-style cheesecakes, numerous mouthwatering cakes (including German Chocolate - my absolute all-time favorite), apple deep dish pie with a cookie dough crust, apple cinnamon bobka, black and white cookies, rugelach and eye-popping mini linzers.