Dan's Papers - June 13, 2008 - Hampton Tradition XLI

In 1978, Donald Maiori and John Gilday, two best friends from Islip, opened the Westside Deli in East Quogue. The tenor of their friendship carried over into the very character of their business, with a mantra of "Every customer counts," and a sign in the window that reads, "Free advice."

Like all great delis, Westside serves choice sandwiches, chicken salads and hot Italian dishes, but it's so much more than a quick stop for great food - it's the epitome of charming, small-town America. "I watched this area go from a huge party town to a bedroom community," Maiori said of East Quogue's 30-year evolution. Jokingly, he added, "The Hamptons is the most wonderful place in the whole northeast - Custer's last stand. And this deli is the last of the Mohegans." Maiori also ran Famous Zhivagos, a Bridgehampton deli back in the early 80s, and called that decade the "Wild West" era of the Hamptons. "It was a fun time. People were looser, and everyone seemed to have more of a sense of humor."

Maiori bought the Westside Deli building in 1985, and while he is not under the pressure of increased rents every five years, he does see increased competition. However, his biggest asset may actually be himself. Maiori is an original, the real thing. His wife, Eileen, is an assistant principal, and the couple has two daughters. Their youngest daughter, Sammy, is a junior at the University of Delaware, and helps out at the deli during the summers. Together they have watched East Quogue grow and change. Maiori laments that to today's crowd, East Quogue isn't even considered the Hamptons. "It's like the canal separates two worlds. The town closed the beach bars, made it harder to have summer rentals and turned East Quogue into a bedroom community. Now, it's like the area's best-kept secret, consisting of beautiful farm landscapes and, of course, the ocean." The same can be said for the Westside Deli, which is filled with an eclectic collection of signs, statues, posters and delicious sandwiches affectionately named after customers (like the "Johnny Ling - all meat, no eggs," created for the one morning Maiori's friend, John Linguiti, was in a big hurry). The Westside is a personal and down-home dining experience that draws customers back for their favorite sandwiches, cigars, cold drinks and snacks. The world is changing, the Hamptons are changing, but thanks to Maiori, the Westside Deli is staying exactly the same.

Westside Deli (690 Montauk Highway, East Quogue, 631-653-6343) is open seven days a week, from 6:30 a,m. to 5:30 p.m.