Danny Dines: Belle's Urban Deli

Three years ago, Danny Dines was born from a dream I had after I fell asleep on the lawn at a Bruno Mars concert. In the dream, I ate food, got paid for it and then jousted John Stamos in the parking lot. I was inspired and decided to make two of those things a reality. For those of you wondering, I have reached out to John Stamos on Instagram but have not heard back.

This is a new age for Danny Dines. I may never joust John Stamos but what I CAN do is invite awesome people to help me eat some delicious food. There’s plenty of food to go around.

From now on, Danny Dines will feature a guest eater. If you would like to submit a guest to come on, please email me at zunigasauce@gmail.com.

This week, I had the pleasure of traveling to Belle’s Urban Deli in Corrales.

Here is what one email submission said, “Mr. Zuniga, we need to inform you that you are overdue ...” My bad wrong email, here you go: ”We have been to Belle’s a few times now, and every time we go, the wife gets a turkey avocado and I get this short-rib sandwich which is pretty sweet. You gotta give it a shot. Place, service and atmosphere is A-plus.”

So, I decided to hop in my truck and head on over to Belle’s, but I wasn’t alone …

Joining me was musical artist Lavoughn “Vonn” Lewis, who goes by the name Rashawn KiixX; he has also gone by Yvng KiixX. The up-and-coming artist has more than 25,000 followers on Instagram, has opened for notable artists including Baby Bash, and has performed on various stages throughout California. Some of his top songs include “Check Mate ft. D’Rey,” “Stay Bout it,” and “Go Get Em.” You can listen to any of his songs on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Pandora or any other music streaming site.

Some of the sandwiches on Belle’s menu includes the short-rib hoagie, the New Mexico roast beef melt, the lox and goat cheese, the berry and cream cheese sando, and the hot pastrami on rye. All sandwiches include a choice of side: a garden salad, fresh fruit, red potato salad, jicama slaw, or potato salad.

Belle’s also serves brunch from 9 a.m. to noon, and some of their brunch menu includes crepes, smothered breakfast burritos, a brie omelet, and their signature Belle’s Dutch Baby.

Belle’s also serves some wonderful-looking desserts which can be seen in the display case; I was eying some marvelous panna cotta.

After some consultation from the amazing staff, Lewis and I decided to order the turkey avocado sandwich and the French Toast Bake.

The French Toast Bake came with Cinnamon Babka French toast, candied pecans, berry coulis, berries and whipped sweet cream.

The turkey avocado came with turkey, muenster cheese, avocado, baby greens, green chile hot sauce, and chipotle aioli. For the side, we ordered their house potato salad.

In no time, the dishes came out, and they were a sight to behold. Imagine looking at the love of your life or watching “Star Wars” for the first time. Beauty, in every sense of the word.

We started off with the turkey avocado sandwich, which had a balanced blend of creamy, rich avocado with fresh-tasting turkey. The sandwich was soft, earthy and savory. Lewis and I particularly enjoyed the spice from the green chile hot sauce.

“I thought they put jalapenos inside, but that sauce is fire … the bread is a little crispy on the outside and soft inside. A lot of fresh stuff in this; I like the ratio of ingredients,” Lewis said.

Next we headed for the French Toast Bake. First off, these slices were so thick I almost had to add an extra “c.” It had a candied exterior, but as you got to the inside, it was soft and warm. It was sweet, rich and fluffy. We ate it in less than three minutes.

“This is the best way to start the day. It’s almost spongy, sweet and fresh. I am a big fan of the sweet cream that they put on it, too,” Lewis said.

It took us about 15 minutes to finish eating the dishes and, afterward, Lewis and I both agreed that this place is worth going to.

“It’s a nice little spot to stop and grab some lunch and explore. If you want a good salad, this is a fantastic place to go. We have noticed that Corrales loves their salads,” said Megan Garrigan, co-owner of Belle’s Urban Deli. “It’s definitely a nice little corner of Corrales where we got a beautiful patio and outdoor seating as well as an outdoor garden … We also have wonderful neighbors down here, too.”

Stop by Belle’s Urban Deli whenever you are in Corrales.