Schlotzky's Deli

Update: Schlotzky's Deli is closed.

In a word: Not really a deli, but fine.

The specs: #0586  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at The Epicure Eclipse, Yelp; official web site (Warning: opening riff),

Abe ate the Tulsa Two-Step and a Caesar salad.
JM ate the Ham and Cheese Original (#49) with a fountain drink.
Nichole ate the small corned beef Reuben on rye and a piece of carrot cake.
The bill was about $8/person.
Abe gave Schlotzky's Deli a B; JM gave Schlotzky's Deli a B-; Nichole gave Schlotzky's Deli a C+ (see our grading rubric).

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When we think of Schlotzky's Deli we think of the months it spent cordoned off at the edge of the Hy-Vee parking lot. They hung in there, and while ultimately the food didn't impress us much, what did was the steadfastness of the place and the dedication shown by its staff - in particular the one man behind the counter whose care for his customers was evident throughout the meal.

We met up with Urbanspoon pal Abe and sampled three sandwiches, a salad, and carrot cake with walnuts. (Abe, who has allergies, appreciated how clearly marked the menu board was in that regard.)

The sandwiches' strength was in the fillings. The bread, while fresh, was like nothing we'd ever seen: perfect rounds of spongy, quite oily starch, and we didn't really discern much of a difference in flavor between rye, wheat and sourdough. Each was served hot and we appreciated the choice of "small" (about 4" in diameter) and "medium" (about 6").

On Abe's Tulsa Two-Step special of roast beef, bacon, and cheddar with BBQ sauce, the meat was king. Kindly click over to Urbanspoon to read the rest of his assessment.

JM's ham and cheese included olives which usually send him running for the hills, but he managed these OK. Overall, the sandwich was warm and tasty but nothing special. The house brand potato chips were crunchy and lightly fried - a good complement.

Nichole's Reuben had thin-sliced, flavorful beef and a drippy amalgamation of Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. The bread was too much for her; she ended up ditching the heel and once made open-face, the sandwich looked funny but had a better bread/filling ratio.

The carrot cake was decently spiced and had discernible bits of carrot, raisins, and walnut with a thick layer of medium-light cream cheese frosting. Cheesecake and cookies were also on offer.

The building is nestled a few feet below street level which helps keep the frenetic pace of East Washington Ave. at bay. The interior is pleasant, with natural lighting, soft classical piano on the speakers and no distracting wifi. The clientele was sparse and seemed to be mostly older couples, perhaps regulars from the neighborhood. It added up to a surprisingly relaxing dinner that had far more personality than we expected.