Deli-icious
Being patriotic has paid off big time for me recently. No, I’m not talking about national politics, but about local political races. There was recently a vote in
There was an a-frame outside the restaurant listing popular sandwiches and upon entering the deli, I saw walls covered with sandwich possibilities. There were about 10 tables in the establishment, and I wouldn’t call it super clean or inviting, but it was not bad. It did not stop me from my sandwich dreams. At the back of the room was a counter with menu boards above it listing still more sandwich choices, as well as a note stating that you could get deli meats and cheese there as well, bearing the name Boar’s Head. I thought that was a nice touch, and having sampled this company’s goods before, knew that I was going to have high-quality products on my sandwich.
The man at the counter was kind in the neighborhood sort of way. He seemed like a neighbor selling you a sandwich, and I liked that. He was knowledgeable about his line-up and store history, and gave a good customer experience. From what he told me, Deli-icious has been open for about a year, and was previously Nick’s Roast Beef, an old time
I ordered the sandwich entitled Philly’s Finest. It was on the a-frame as I walked in, and I couldn’t get the thought of it out of my head. This melt was described as “thinly shaved beef, American cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, and mayo with a hint of garlic on a toasted braided roll”. Holy cow. It came with a choice of sides (I picked macaroni salad) and a dill spear. The price was $7.02, but the clerk only wanted the 7 bucks, another extended courtesy. Yes, it’s the small things that make a difference in customer service. As I waited, the clerk chatted it up with a regular as the cook prepared the sangwich and another customer worked on his laptop in the café. Then the regular started chatting with me about how much he loved hot sauce and hot peppers. He told me about eating raw habaneras and showed me the inside of his junior roast beef sandwich ($3.50) covered with Frank’s Red Hot and a mound of black pepper. I decided to take my sandwich to go.
When I got home, I opened the Styrofoam take-out box and found a sight to behold. The sandwich was steaming hot and huge, and the sesame-covered toasted braided roll looked perfect. First, I ate the pickle, which was a standard spear. Then, I ate the macaroni salad, which was nice. It was a small portion, but I am glad it was, because the sammy was so huge. Also, the macaroni was not overdone, a big plus, though it could have used more flavor. Finally, I came to the piece de resistance, Philly’s Finest. The bread was freshly cooked, and is fresh daily at Deli-icious. It made a huge difference. It was the slightest bit crisp in the outside, and warm and chewy in the middle, with fresh savory flavor. The sandwich was a delight. The shaved roast beef and bacon were finely chopped and cooked together on the grill in the back of the restaurant, and then covered with BBQ sauce and American cheese, creating the perfect melty mass inside the bread, which was slathered with a garlic mayo. The meat was not skimped on either. This was a hefty sandwich. Every bite was a pleasure, clogging my happy arteries with perfection and stopping my heart with fatty goodness. The chewy fresh bread with the mixture of roast beef, bacon, BBQ, garlic mayo, and held together with melty American cheese was amazing and savory, pretty much the perfect sandwich. I know the sandwich that I will eat when I go to heaven, and it could be the very same one that ultimately ends my days. It would not be a bad way to go.
Deli-icious Davis Square Delicatessen is located on