Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Review of Church Street Pub & Deli, Swansboro


          Megan and I are still exploring the restaurant scene in the Crystal Coast, however when we felt in the mood for a deli sandwich, we knew that we had to try the Church Street Deli.  I had been hearing many good things from locals in the area, and I love the historic district of Swansboro, so I had big expectations upon arriving.  In my mind, I was picturing a wonderfully thick sandwich, made with the best quality ingredients that would have an intense flavor making me want to come back every day.  In reality, the sandwich was rather depressing and left me wanting more, much, much more. 
            We followed another couple into the deli (not the bar area, the deli) and the sign said to seat yourself.  We all did.  Then the waiting began.  Three minutes, five minutes, seven minutes, eventually a waitress noticed us and said she would be right back.  Ten minutes later, she returned and we got to order drinks.  Service…poor. 
"Famous" Grilled Reuben
          I ordered the “Famous Grilled Reuben”.  It was their thinly slicked corned beef on grilled rye bread with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and by my choice, the Thousand Island dressing.  While the flavor was actually quite good, the quantity of the sandwich was minute.  Thinly sliced apparently also meant thin quantity.  Two slices of bread, sauerkraut, corned beef, Swiss, and the dressing still made up a sandwich of less than an inch in thickness.  I don’t know if this is the normal quantity or a rare exception where they ran out of corned beef without giving me the option to change, but it was disappointing.  After the sandwich, the small amount of potato chips in the basket, the super thin pickle, and slice of orange, I was still famished.  This could be a great $5.99 lunch or after-school snack, but this was no dinner portion.  And at the price of $9.95 for the sandwich, it is absurd! 
            Megan ordered the “Fabulous French Dip”, light on the grilled onions.  It was anything but 
"Fabulous " French Dip
fabulous.  It had no flavor, like none.  The accompanying au jus didn’t even have the flavor of a mild beef broth.  There was no slight thickness to it either, it had the consistency of brown water, and a similar taste.  Again, the small sandwich and accompanying sides were not enough for a dinner.  At least my sandwich had good flavor, this roast beef did not even have that.
            I really am hoping that since we were at the Church Street Deli on a Tuesday, it was just an unfortunate series of missteps.  We never did get a refill on our drinks.  However, I really do not see the point in going back to Church Street Deli to overpay for an inadequate meal.  We actually had to pick up some Chinese appetizers afterward to fill our stomachs.  


Category
Scale 1-5 stars
Food Quality
\bigstar\bigstar
Food Creativity
\bigstar\bigstar
Service
\bigstar
Atmosphere
\bigstar\bigstar\bigstar
Value for the Price
 \bigstar\bigstar