Deli Danville style

If the Bronx Boy Bagel is a bit of New York in Danville, Suzie's Deli is pure Danville all the way. As soon as you walk into the place, you feel the hometown homegrown feel of the place. The restaurant is small and intimate with large windows all around so you actually feel as though you are dining outside while seated. They're not pretentious at Suzie's; you can see over the low counter right into the kitchen/griddle area, which can be a double edged sword. While it is comforting to be able to watch my food being prepared, I must admit to a disquiet that borders on panic when I watch said food being prepared by long haired obviously sweltering cooks without anything that can be construed as a hair-net.

Speaking of the food, the fare at Suzie's is equally unpretentious. You can have classic sandwiches and salads such as the Reuben, monte cristo, and Cobb salad along with burgers, hotdogs, and chicken sandwiches. Everything is prepared well with good ingredients in a timely manner with a friendly smile, but it does suffer from the typical Danville restaurant maladies. The restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch which is great for early eaters and not so much for people like me that don't even think of food until two in the afternoon. Also, the food even, though made from quality merchandise, is for the most part underseasoned which is a real shame.

My wife and I had lunch at the deli just recently and had what I can only describe as a middle road experience. I had a monte cristo, and my wife ordered one of our litmus test items, a philly cheese. The monte cristo was classic, yet austere. I imagine the first monte cristo ever created tasted very similar. I loved the size of the sandwich which was simply perfect for lunch. My wife enjoyed that fact that the beef in her philly cheese was made entirely of sliced ribeye which is a true rarity for a sandwich that is going to be smothered in onion and cheese, but the cheese used in the sandwich is a near actionable assualt on the world of cookery. Suzie prepares her cheese steaks with cheeze whiz. That is not a typo. Cheeze whiz. Can her the City of Brother Love's collective gasp? As soon as I saw the sandwich I was right along with them. Say it with me Danville, "Cheeze whiz is for nachos. Cheeze whiz is for nachos!" and nothing else. I also found the beef to be severely underseasoned but my wife didn't; so I may be being too harsh there. I don't really think I am.

In conclusion every plus at Suzie's Deli seemed to carry an accompanying negative much like a hutchback with a great personality and beautiful bell ringing skills, but Danville should embrace this restaurant for the opportunity it offers. Suzie's is an establishment that could become one of those restaurants people drive from far and wide to enjoy if they can come up with that which no restaurant has yet delivered: A Danville speciality. A dish that is so delicious and so specific to the area that you have to come here to get it. If they can create this, their customers will be too busy chewing to notice the lack of hair-nets.