When a friend of mine worked temporarily for the Port Authority downtown some 15 years ago, he would effuse over a mind-boggling sandwich that he often ate for lunch called the Public Defender. It was sold at a nearby café and involved a short hoagie roll stuffed with meatballs, corned beef, sausage and mozzarella cheese. Yikes!

While cringing when he first told me about it, I said it should be renamed “The Public Offender.” He laughed, but continued going back for more, never to sink his teeth into the long lost grenade again until joining me last week at the Old World Deli & Café, which operated for 24 years downtown before moving recently to North Park.

“This is it!” he exclaimed, while glancing at the description of the newly titled Uptown under the menu’s “hot sandwiches” section. With a twinkle in his teeth, he ordered it and shared with me his nostalgia for what I realized was a sandwich more offensive on paper than in my mouth.

Owners Jeff and Evelyn Schwimmer have kept their menu intact since relocating, but decided to christen some of the long-established food items with names that reflect the neighborhood. A croissant sandwich of seafood salad, smoked Gouda and sun-dried tomatoes is now called The Lyric Opera; a generous piling of roast beef, pepper cheese and Russian dressing on rye was renamed the Ray Street Galleria; and their hearty BLT with freshly roasted turkey breast is now the North Park.

As for The Uptown, don’t be afraid of its meaty amalgamation. The soft, supple meatballs join forces quite nicely with mildly spiced sausage and some very lean corned beef. It’s kind of like timpano, an Italian peasant dish that embodies numerous ingredients held together by pasta, except the carb repository here is a fresh roll that also contains sweet bell peppers and melted mozzarella to boot.

Surpassing in quality the many Reubens I’ve eaten at Jewish delis in San Diego, the Old World lops off the jiggly suet on the corned beef and shaves it down to a nice confetti-like thinness. Stacked with the usual suspects – sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing – a judicious layer of mustard inside offered a little extra verve.

From the broiler we also tried a basic burger made with a half-pound of beef. The char flavor was evident, and the veggie trimmings all very fresh. A scoop of potato salad accompanied our sandwiches. It’s a standard deli-style, mayo-based recipe sporting a bright yellow tone from plenty of eggs in the mix.

The café’s sunny atmosphere, embellished with eclectic framed art, beer steins, fresh flowers and sideboards displaying plates and other bric-a-brac, fits the bill for a litany of California-European-Jewish comfort food, prepared mostly in the form of sandwiches. Although on a second visit, I couldn’t pass up the Meatloaf Platter made with a blend of finely ground beef and turkey, plus sautéed mushrooms and onions. The slices are slathered in thick tomato sauce and offer no surprises, but rather a good old-fashion flavor that we all came to love as kids.

A springy slab of homemade quiche set into a deep pastry crust was packed with large pieces of carrots and mushrooms, which we liked. An omelet filled with bratwurst was a welcome departure from standard breakfasts of eggs and breakfast sausage. And the corned beef hash, as we expected, was tender and chunky, unlike the canned mulch that resembles Alpo dog food at other restaurants.

Visit during breakfast hours and you’ll get complimentary puff pastry “snails,” with swirls of raisins, cinnamon and walnuts. The Schwimmers call them “whiz bangs,” which take on a potato knish filling spiked with caraway and Parmesan cheese at lunchtime. And of course, there are lightly brined dill pickles for the taking that pair up well with just about everything on the menu, sans, perhaps, the café’s homemade lasagna or seafood quesadilla.

Old World’s time-tested recipes are a treat for North Park and neighboring areas, albeit a loss to the 9-to-5 crowds downtown. Service is friendly and casual, and the owners have rolled out a welcome mat that will surely win the palates of newbies on the hunt for good, traditional deli fare.