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Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Center Street Deli

I promised all of you that I would also try a new restaurant. I went to Center Street Deli, which is across the street from the Covey Center on Center Street, Provo. It's one of those places where you don't expect much, and, having low expectations, are blown out of the water.



There were a couple of things, however, that let me know from the beginning that it was going to be pretty good: they served Boar's Head deli meat, which is one of my favorite kinds of sandwich meat. I don't eat a ton of meat, but I don't hesitate at all with Boar's Head because the taste is superb and the quality is very high. Yes, Boar's Head is a bit more expensive than average grocery store deli meat, but it is well worth the extra pennies. Kate at the counter informed me that they are one of only three places in Utah Valley that serve it.

The other thing that told me I would love it was that they had malt vinegar on the table, and that I saw them hand cutting their fries. I love french fries, and hand cut is just a nice touch of class. Having just gotten back from England, I was practically addicted to malt vinegar, so it was a nice familiar flavor. The fries weren't awesome, but they were pretty good, nonetheless, and they were served in generous portions.



Another thing I liked right away was their honesty: they were just humble people, unassuming in their desire to serve great food. They weren't even apologetic to tell me that they'd run out of rye, or that they couldn't find any plates to put my food on. They brought me a free sample of prosciutto, a fancy bacon, and told me how expensive it was but that it was so worth it. The ended up putting my Rueben sandwich on Russian black bread, which is still very much like a rye bread, so it was the right touch, and honestly, I like the flavor of it. I didn't actually order a Rueben, either, but in their honesty as I was telling them what I might want, she just said "should we just make it a Rueben?" so I said sure, and was happy with their suggestion.

The sandwich itself was small, but the filling was huge and spilled out over the bread.



The place was a little dingy, the staff was upfront and personal, and the other customers looked like they were mostly the working type. It's not a high class place at all, but you can see right into the kitchen, you can ask a question and get an honest answer, and you'll always get things how they are at the Center Street Deli. The food was great, and I highly recommend it when you are in the mood for a sandwich that is just a little bit more, but with out all the pretension of fancier places.

Another cool thing about it is, of course, its location. On the walk there I walked through a free outdoor concert in the grass at the Covey Center, and even ran into my girlfriend's parents and family there having a picnic and listening in.
 

3 comments:

  1. Love your pictures of the summer concert series at the Covey Center! Could we use them and credit you on the Provo Mayor's blog & Facebook?

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    Replies
    1. Sure. But if you could credit my photography website ---skoticusphotography.blogspot.com-- that would be better.

      Thanks,
      -Scott

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    2. Thanks. I just sent you a facebook message too just in case you didn't see this. I will be sure to credit your photography website. Thanks Scott!

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