Critic’s Pick: ‘Deli Man’ expands while coming back for seconds

This city’s hunger for fine pastrami and corned beef is apparently equaled by its appetite for an entertaining documentary about the world of Jewish delicatessens. “Deli Man,” directed by Erik Greenberg Anjou, is not only holding over at Laemmle’s Royal in West Los Angeles and the Town Center 5 in Encino, it’s expanding to the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena starting Friday and the Claremont 5 on March 21.

“Deli Man” is an unexpectedly charming and informative doc that focuses on describing the essence of the deli experience and conveying it to a waiting world. Our main guide on this excursion is the shambling but appealing David “Ziggy” Gruber, a third-generation deli man and the Ziggy in Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen Restaurant, a much-loved establishment that is the toast of Houston. Who knew?