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When it gets to be so hot that we don't even feel like lighting the grill, my husband and I run through our list of places serving food that will satisfy our appetites without adding to the heat.

One of our go-to spots is the First Carolina Delicatessen.

On Spring Garden in a little, freestanding brick building just blocks away from UNCG's western edge, this gem of a deli has been serving university folks, neighbors and regulars from as far away as Boston, for decades.

In fact, the night we dined there last week, we apparently just missed one of those Boston regulars -- a higher-up with the Red Sox, sporting his latest World Series ring. My dyed-in-the-wool Red Sox-fan husband, wearing one of his many (many) Red Sox shirts, was fascinated -- what was that guy doing with a regular spot in Greensboro of all places, and how had we never known about it before now?

Our waitress, a charming woman who just relocated here from Massachusetts herself, shared the news with us while we settled in at our table by the window.

We pulled out laminated menus from their home between napkin dispenser and salt shaker and tried to decide on something different this time while she made easy conversation about babies, New England and the size of that ring.

Between listening to our waitress's great accent and thinking about our missed chance encounter with a Red Sox affiliate, my husband had no choice but to abandon his typical chicken or turkey sandwich for a foot long Italian Sub. It comes with salami, cappicola, provolone, sliced cherry peppers, imported ham, lettuce, tomato, onion and special dressing. With the pepperoni he had them add to it, he felt like he was home again.

As much as I enjoy trying new things, once I've established a favorite at any given restaurant, I have a terrible time ordering anything else, boring as that may be. And my favorite here -- smoked turkey breast on rye with lettuce, tomato, onion, Dijon mustard, mayo, and extra Swiss cheese -- is neither fancy nor exotic, but it's exactly what I want almost every time I eat here.

For one thing, the turkey is exceptionally fresh, at least in part because of the vast numbers of sandwiches the kitchen cranks out daily; this place is nearly always jammed, especially at lunchtime.

Another factor in the freshness is surely the high standards the deli sets for itself, evidenced by the score of 99.5 they received on their latest health inspection.

Branching out just a bit from my usual, this time I decided to try the Nutley -- turkey, pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on rye, heated to help break up the slight fattiness of the seasoned meat.

It was a good change, juicy and peppery and just the littlest bit greasy.

I'll probably order it again once fall starts rolling in, and the heat outside isn't making me crave everything cold and crunchy.

There are more sandwiches here than you can shake a stick at -- choose from the Sky Dog (corned beef, turkey breast, ham, Swiss, American, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion and special dressing on a sub roll), the Sailor (1/4 lb. knockwurst, pastrami and Swiss cheese, served hot with mustard), the Belmar (grilled prosciutto, melted Swiss and spicy mustard), or the Avon (Nova Scotia salmon, tomato, onion and cream cheese on a bialy), among many other options.

As our waitress reminded us, "It really doesn't matter what you order. Everything's good here."

The deli also offers salads of the green, potato, egg, chicken, tuna and macaroni varieties, as well as meaty and meat-free burgers with a range of fixings. Keep in mind, there's homemade pimiento cheese here, too.

All sandwiches come with potato chips or carrot sticks and a spear of crispy kosher pickle.

A nice, little surprise here is the beer selection -- a handful of basics on draft and a healthy selection of imports and micro brews in bottles and cans, all reasonably priced.

Lunch is extremely busy at the deli, but service is generally both friendly and efficient. Go early or go late, or go ready to wait a bit. Or head over for dinner, when the crowds have thinned some but everything else remains the same.

Cheap Eats features local restaurants for diners on a budget. It runs every other week in Go Triad.

Contact Angie DeCola at angiedecola@hotmail.com.