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Business & Tech

NoonEats: Deli Sandwiches from Food King

The store may be a downer, but don't underestimate the friendly deli counter

I get depressed every time I go into Food King. Maybe I am spoiled by bright, spacious and modern grocery stores like King's in Short Hills and Whole Foods and Super Stop and Shop in Union. Perhaps it's the store's dim lighting or the feeling that little has changed in the store in decades. It's not an uplifting shopping experience.

But the Morris Avenue location is convenient for me, and so on occasion I run in for a few groceries on my lunch hour. Last week, I tried the deli—and was pleasantly surprised.

I didn't see sandwich selections or prices posted, so after a too-quick glance under the glass counter, I asked for ham and swiss. Given a choice of rye or roll, I went with the rye, with lettuce, tomato and mustard as well.

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Stocking all Boar's Head meats and cheeses, the personnel behind the counter slice everything fresh on one side of the counter, and then walk around to the other side to make the sandwich.

While mine was being made, I could have walked around to watch, but instead gave the meat and cheese selections a closer look. There I saw a wide range of sandwich options, from salami and mortadella to roast beef and turkey – good to know for next time.

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The sandwich included a generous amount of ham, the iceberg lettuce was colorless but crunchy, and the mustard spicy. For $3.99, I was impressed.

The counter offers several deli salads, but I instead opted for a small bag of Doritos—a guilty pleasure—to accompany my sandwich. For a drink, I headed to the beverage aisle and grabbed a Red Tea Snapple, with acai and mixed berry. The marketing of this drink always intrigued me: The label implies that the Rooibos – a plant native to South Africa—contributes to a healthy immune system, but then an asterisk points out that it is in fact the added Vitamin C that contributes to the healthy immune system. Wait, it gets better if you check out the ingredients list (yes, I posted a photo of it): No mention of acai or berries.

Marketing gimmicks aside, this was a tasty drink, thanks probably to the added pear juice concentrate. But next time I'll stick to Vitamin Water. It's healthier, and the copy on the bottle is clever in a funny way, not a deceptive way.

I returned to Food King a few days later for one more sandwich. This time, I ordered maple-glazed honey-coated turkey breast with jalapeno-spiked Monterrey Jack cheese, again on rye with lettuce, tomato and mustard. The woman behind the counter couldn't have been nicer, and my sandwich was made promptly. With those sharper flavors, it was a much better selection than last time, and at $5.49, a little more pricey.

Just behind the deli counter is a small freezer with some tempting dessert options--tiny cups of Haagan Dazs chocolate ice cream, Butterfinger ice cream bars and more. I resisted that temptation, but not the 50-cent bag of Cheetos at the checkout aisle. The package told me it is made with real cheese, which was almost as funny as the Snapple bottle. Unlike the Snapple, though, there's something irresistable about Cheetos.

A final note, dim lighting contributes to a depressing atmosphere at Food King, but a sign at the entrance points out that this is an energy-saving measure. I'm all for conserving, so I forgive Food King for its dim lighting.

To the people at Food King, thank you for the good lunches. I am sorry I underestimated you.

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