So, here’s a little bit of information you never asked for. Typically when I’m not reviewing a restaurant, my go-to lunch is some sort of sandwich. They’re so quick to make and easy to eat, and they contain some of my favorite things like bread and cheese. My go-to lunch spot is usually Jersey Mikes, and, honestly, Jersey Mikes has become somewhat of a safe space for me, and I would seriously consider getting married there. I think my body is about 15 percent Jersey Mike’s at this point.
Anyways, last week when I was at Hunny Bunny Biscuit Company, I noticed a deli right next door, Scottie’s Deli. I’m currently on the lookout for a new go-to sandwich shop because I think the Jersey Mike’s employees are starting to judge me for how often I go there. With that being said, I decided to give Scottie’s a try.
Obviously, as a deli their menu consisted of a variety of hot and cold sandwiches. They get bonus points in my eyes because they have an entire vegetarian section of their menu, and they noted their bread is vegan. I even noticed a few vegetarian options which were outside of the designated vegetarian menu section. I went ahead and ordered half of a smoked portobello reuben and a side of pasta salad, and my total came out to around $10. I’m not going to lie, I think $10 for half of a sandwich and a side is more expensive than I would typically pay. So I had pretty high expectations for this meal.
Unfortunately the sandwich failed to meet those expectations. It had mushrooms, russian dressing, sauerkraut, and swiss on rye bread. So here’s a side rant for any potential chefs. Mushrooms are an ingredient best used in moderation. I know several people who outright hate mushrooms and refuse to eat them, and once upon a time I was one of those people as well. But over time I’ve grown to accept mushrooms in small doses. Mushrooms are fine when thinly sliced or finely chopped. But nobody wants to sit there and chew through giant mushroom pieces which have the texture of a wet eraser. I’ve had several mushroom-based dishes which have been absolutely delicious (like the mushroom gravy at Hunny Bunny Biscuit Company) because they know where to draw the line between tasty and overkill. This sandwich had a total mushroom overkill. However, the taste actually wasn’t half bad. The mushrooms added a really nice smoky flavor to the sandwich, but the texture of the giant mushroom chunks was so off putting that I had to remove them halfway through just to finish it. On top of that, the whole thing was drenched in sauce and just sort of sloppy.
I will give credit where credit is due though: the pasta salad was pretty tasty, and my sandwich even came with a side of homemade chips which was totally unexpected. There were a couple of chips which were sort of chewy, almost like they were undercooked, but, overall, the chips were fine as well.
So, I have to confess: part of me felt bad for not liking the sandwich. I felt like it was a sort of dumb move on my part to order a mushroom-based sandwich even though I’m picky when it comes to mushrooms. So I did the food review equivalent of pressing a bruise to feel it hurt even when you know in advance that it’s going to hurt. That’s right, I returned to Scottie’s Deli a couple of days later to try it again, even though I had a bad experience there previously. This time I obviously ordered something different. I got the Grown Up Grilled Cheese which had horseradish havarti cheese, dijon mustard and tomatoes, all on sourdough bread. I did not get any sides this time, and the total ended up at around $7.
On the bright side, this sandwich came with a pickle spear, whereas the last one did not. However, the grilled cheese suffered from the same sloppy sauce problem as the reuben. Nevertheless, I still tucked in because I figured it would be pretty hard to mess up a grilled cheese. And yet, I was proven wrong. Mustard and horseradish would not be my first choice of ingredients to put on a grilled cheese, but I figured the guys at Scottie’s had figured out something I hadn’t and maybe it would actually turn out really tasty. However, the mustard taste was just so overpowering, and it didn’t work well with the cheese at all. The whole thing tasted a little off in my opinion, and for the first time in my life, I left part of a grilled cheese uneaten.
All in all, I probably will not be returning to Scottie’s Deli. The prices were steep, the service was a little slow, and I just didn’t like either sandwich I got from there. I just don’t have any reason to go to a place I don’t enjoy when there are other much better sandwich shops in the area. Maybe if you were to go, you might find something you like. But for me personally, this restaurant is going to be a solid pass.
Leave a Reply