If you’re traveling the I-5/405 corridor to Irvine and Los Angeles and get a craving for a really good pastrami on rye, find your way to Tommy Pastrami New York Delicatessen, just off Bake Parkway near the El Toro merge. This new franchise with three stores and more on the way serves overstuffed, high quality sandwiches of the type you’d find at top New York or Los Angeles delis that were noted last September in Los Angeles magazine. Unfortunately, there isn’t a deli in San Diego (DZ Akins and others pale by comparison) that holds a corned beef sandwich to those LA institutions. The new comer, Tommy Pastrami, even though their outlets don’t have table service, could certainly be added to the magazine’s list.

Fat sandwiches at Tommy Pastrami come in three sizes: 4-ounce ($4.95) 6-ounce ($6.95) a nd 8-ounce ($8.95). Whether it’s melt-in-your- mouth pastrami or thinly sliced, slightly marbled and tender corned beef or tuna with finely chopped celery and just enough mayo not to intrude on the tuna, or chopped liver with bits of hardboiled egg that is light not heavy, the top quality shows in the food. The half- inch plus slices of crunchy-crusted corn rye bread, an integral part of a great deli sandwich, make the trip worthwhile. Thick fries, a zippy homemade chili, salads, chicken soup, even matzo balls, cheesecake and rugala are among other treats on the menu.

Tommy Pastrami knows the business and they’ve hired some seasoned deli guys. In chatting with Howard, who took my order, I learned his dad started Marv’s (long since sold), one of the top ten listed in LA magazine. Yes, it’s worth the trouble to detour off the freeway for a pastrami (or any sandwich) on rye.  At the Commons, 8685 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, (949)753-7445, Closed Sunday.

A quick trip last week to Sacramento found Buzz eating with a local foodie at the newest addition to the city’s thriving restaurant scene. g.v.hurley’s restaurant & bar hops with a great vibe, comfortable room with high ceilings, dark wood, booths, large horseshoe shaped bar, and a snappy outdoor cantina style bar at the back of the main dining room. The kitchen, under the guiding hand of executive chef David Hill creates small plates of addictive kennebec potato truffle fries with shaved Parmesan (not the usual puffs of grated cheese) ($8), a trio of Kobe beef sliders with all the trimmings ($15), and a not so successful duo of lobster corndogs that we figure won’t stay on the menu. One terrific plate featured perfectly cooked scallops on a bed of fresh fava bean, corn and fennel succotash with a garnish of deep fried lemon slices. The combination worked perfectly. Mac & cheese poppers sounded so good, but we were out of stomach space! This six- week-old restaurant is absolutely worth trying. Lunch and Dinner, 2713 J Street, Sacramento, 916-704-2410.

At the Sacramento Airport, if you find your Southwest flight delayed as I did, wander through the food court to Vino Volo. It’s a comfortable wine bar serving wines by the glass or flight. The $9 glass of Wolfberger Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé hit the spot as I relaxed away from the hubbub. Definitely a spot to seek if you’re not into noisy sports bars. Other airport locations include Seattle, Baltimore, New York City and Washington, DC.

Just back from a three and a half day Southern Foodways Alliance trip to Charleston, SC to experience lowcountry cooking at its best. Lots of good food, including delicious riffs on southern favorites such as she crab soup, shrimp and grits and lots more. Fabulous food at Slightly North of Broad, aka SNOB, McCrady’s, along with a breakfast “Big Nasty” from Hominy Grill, and a fun dinner on-site at the Old City Jail with food from Magnolia’s, SNOB and Louis’s Charleston Restaurant. A gorgeous stroll, lunch and history talk at Middleton Place plantation with the oldest landscaped garden in the US, and lots of Charleston’s muggy, hot weather.

Imagine a Hurricane Hugo wrecked ship named Richard & Charlene that came loose from the dock during the fierce hurricane. The wreck sat impaled on the bare pilings for nine months until salvagers removed the remains. The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene is the funky restaurant that sits at the wreck’s site on Shem Creek as a reminder of Hugo’s destruction. Immediately next door, at the end of the road is Wando Shrimp Co. where workers sort just caught shrimp. The restaurant serves greaseless shell-on fried shrimp, so tasty you can eat the shell and this brunch was a perfect ending to the trip.

San Diego could take a page from the food and service that marks many of Charleston’s restaurants. Chef-owned venues serve fresh local ingredients in dishes that keep southern traditions, yet push taste and presentation to more modern creations. Southern hospitality can’t be beat in this wonderful city founded in 1680 that oozes history everywhere you turn.