Tasty food trumps rivalry
Few things originating from Auburn, Ala., receive a warm welcome in Tigerland, but Momma Goldberg’s Deli, a new restaurant just outside the north gates of LSU off of Highland, may prove the exception to that rule.
We stopped by the new eatery for an early supper and were warmly welcomed.
The soft lime green and rough-hewn plank walls sport typical tiger-town artwork but these are purple and gold not orange and blue. Televisions can be seen from any seat in the small restaurant, and students ate their meals while gazing into their computer screens. Orders are taken at the front and are created as you watch.
We started with a regular order of the soup of the day ($2.99), a roasted red pepper and Gouda bisque and it was delicious. Rich and creamy with just enough seasoning, this dish was a winner.
With that we had one of the steamed signature sandwiches, the turkey delite ($5.39). Piled high with roasted turkey and mozzarella cheese on a delicious, light honey wheat bun this warm po-boy was delightful.
We also really enjoyed the Reuben ($5.39). The traditional sandwich of corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing (you can swap for spicy brown mustard if you prefer) served on an excellent Jewish rye bread was everything we had hoped for. With this we ordered a side of baked potato salad ($1.59) and it was perhaps the best potato salad we’ve had in a restaurant. It tasted more like a cold German potato salad — a little smoky and very creamy.
We also tried an item not listed on the menu — yet. The big buff burrito ($5.69) uses buffalo spiced chicken, mozzarella and pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomato to fill up a jalapeno cheese-flavored wrap. Very good and not too spicy, this was a filling sandwich.
We made this meal a combo by adding a side salad and a drink for an extra $4.50. The side salad was large. You may choose three toppings and they toss it for you with your choice of dressing. We could only eat half of this and brought the rest home for later.
The bambino ($5.39) is a very good Italian sandwich of ham, salami and pepperoni topped with provolone cheese and served on a white seeded bun — very much like a muffaletta without the olive spread.
We made this meal a combo by adding a drink and chips for an extra $2.50.
We also had to try the buff nachos ($4.29), a messy dish of melted hot pepper cheese and buffalo spiced chicken on top of Doritos with sliced jalapeños on top.
These are good but you have to eat them fast before the Doritos get soggy, which will probably not be a problem because they are yummy.
For dessert we grabbed the pre-packaged Oreo cheesecake ($2.99) and the Reese’s pie ($2.99) and these were what you’d expect. While OK, next time we’ll probably walk to a nearby yogurt shop.
We enjoyed these sandwiches and this new deli from a rival town.
The bread is good, the fillings are delicious and plentiful and there are enough choices on the menu to please everyone.