The Pickled Deli

Roger McCort

SHORT VERSION: Pricey, but tasty. LONGER VERSION: I love pickles. So how could I not stop at a place called The Pickled Deli? Sadly, pickles are not their specialty, but happily, sandwiches are. First, some negatives. It's a small storefront restaurant in a strip mall. Almost, but not quite completely unlike an actual deli. There were maybe a half-dozen small tables and the lighting and decor are more dive than divine. That shouldn't deter you! But you may want to do take out. Ordering was not ideal, at least not today. The counter person was friendly, but the menu is huge and complicated, with lots of add on options. I don't mind the options, but would have liked a handout menu to sit and work out my sandwich rather than spend ten minutes trying to figure out my order while at the register. Also making my order more challenging, they seemed to be out of a lot of things, and parts of my order couldn't happen or needed to be substituted with other stuff. Once we overcame the lack of bacon, French fries, and small or regular size drink cups, I was able to order a turkey sandwich with cheese, tomatoes, the hoped-for pickles, and sprouts. They accommodated my request for extra mayo, but could only sprinkle salt on the sandwich (pepper was available in little paper packets near the soda fountain). This is a Pepsi place (I'm a Coke guy), but they did have Diet Dr Pepper, so that was okay. I was handed a Styrofoam drink cup the size of a bucket (think super big gulp), so I was happy to have a good choice. I got a medium sized sandwich and was surprised to be handed a basket with what appeared to be a platter of fresh ingredients! This thing was overstuffed and FANTASTIC! The turkey was sliced a little thicker and tasted moist and fresh, not slimey like some places deli meat. The vegetables were crisp and bright. I am always happy to get sprouts, and these were also top notch (no wilt, no limpness, very much perfect). I didn't like that I paid extra for sprouts, but it was less than a dollar, so that's fine, just odd. The roll was toasted just right, the condiments were as I requested, and my biggest problem was trying to eat a sandwich so big. It was very good! Instead of fries, I ended up with a prepacked bag of chips, but they had Miss Vickie's Salt and Vinegar, and as I've mentioned before, me and Vickie kind of have a thing, so that was okay. Things were laid out a little weird. Napkins were near the chip rack, which was around the corner from the register, but the soda fountain was the other direction, towards the storefront. And when you're done (if you eat in-house like I did), the trash and basket drop are hidden at the back of the shop beside the restroom. There was a handwritten sign taped behind the soda machine which said "trash at back" so I guess the observant might see it before they need it. It wasn't cheap. Sandwich, chips, drink, and tip came to $21. I hate paying more than about $10-12 for a simple sandwich, but I suppose it was good and had a lot of meat and all, so I'm not too stressed about it. BOTTOM LINE: Great sandwich! The rest... well, it's okay. I'll give The Pickled Deli a solid 4 stars.