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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2016)
14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Coast Weekend’s local restaurant review Versatile little deli serves robust offerings Review and photos by MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA S ome months ago I received a let- ter from a reader, imploring me to visit the deli at Manza- nita’s Little Apple market. They said it was pretty special. So, fi nally, I went to see for myself. Of course, I’d been to the Little Apple before, for groceries and whatnot, even before I’d moved to the North Coast. And I’d always found it rather charming, a throw- back to what I imagine markets were like before the Safeways of the world took over, offering 400 varieties of cereal, 50-packs of toilet paper, and those infernal, ever-malfunctioning self-checkout machines. The Little Apple, conversely, does a lot with a little, cramming a remarkable amount of product into the relatively small space. Up and down thin aisles, foodstuffs are stacked from fl oor to ceiling. The deli is no exception — there’s a lot in that compact corner: a cold case with vegetable and pasta salads, house-prepared and pre-packaged meats, cheeses, soups and so on. There’s a hot case too, with dishes made in and out of house, as well as sandwich- es made to order and a few baked goods. As I thumbed around, peering in the cases, making room for other customers passing by, I was greeted by a number of jovial, good-natured young adults who, between jokes, seemed proud — or at least fond — of the offerings. I began by ordering a sand- wich, fi lling out a little card, checking off the boxes: rye bread, pastrami, Swiss cheese, mustard, mayo and all the veggies. “Wow,” I blurted as the fi n- ished sandwich was handed to me. “It’s huge!” “That’s that kind of response we like to hear!” the clerk said. Indeed, it was a heck of a LITTLE APPLE GROCERY Rating: Sandwiches are made to order at the Little Apple, and this pastrami sandwich was huge. sandwich. This sandwich was so big it bullied other sand- wiches in high school. This sandwich is so big it wears a mumu. This sandwich is so big its friends call it “tiny.” O.K., O.K., enough. But really, a big deal for $5.95. The veggies were fresh and crisp, the pastrami salty and briny, and the ratios right on. I also liked the thin bread, though that might’ve been a product of the sandwich’s resting weight smooshing it down. At a clerk’s suggestion, I tried the Spanish Rice from the hot case. It was heavy and a pretty reasonable amount of food ($3.95/ small). Seasoned primarily with tomato and pepper, dotted with black olives and chunks of beef meatballs and a few bell pep- pers, it was robustly simple. (It deserves mention that, at Little Apple, “smalls” aren’t small — they’re lunch-sized.) The Baby Back Ribs too caught my eye, but I was foolish to take them from the cold case for a picnic. The sauce was to- matoes and not overly sweet, but at approximately $4 for two ribs (at $9.99/lb), a bit spendy. The Curry Chicken ($9.99/lb) made more sense cold. With cranberries, Above: The deli at Little Apple in Manzanita boasts cold and hot food. Left: The baked half chicken was a steal at $5.95. of which came almost bursting, stretching the walls of the paper boat in which it was delivered. The Chicken Primavera ($3.95/ cashews, and a yogurt-like, cum- small) was a smooth, milky, in-forward sauce, it was all-killer, cream-of-mushroom-soupy knot no-fi ller. of noodles, shredded chicken, Also from the cold case I tried Parmesan and a few veggies. Pre- the seaweed-hinted Asian Slaw pared in a deep pan, the Pot Pie ($7.99/lb.), which featured snap ($3.95/small) substituted biscuits peas and cilantro for a baked-in with the cabbage crust. With pota- EACH TIME base. The Beet toes, peas, carrots THE REGISTER Salad, with red and chicken in onions and a loads of thick, RUNG UP MY touch of citrus, muddy gravy, BOUNTY I WAS was an ideal beet it was a salty SURPRISED AT delivery vehicle. brick waiting to THE LOW TOTAL, harden. The Kale Salad FOR THESE WERE ($2.99 for a 1/2 I much pre- pint) was lightly GOOD DEALS BY ferred the baked tossed in a citrus ANY STANDARD, half-chicken. oil, dusted with a golden skin PARTICULARLY IN With few nutty shreds, still on, I found it THE MIDST OF A a steal at $5.95. fl akes of Parme- TOURIST TOWN san and cran- It was salty and WITH LIMITED berries. It was succulent, and it earthy, raw and made me feel a OPTIONS. simple, and it left bit like royalty — me feeling lean, at least as much mean and clean — a stark contrast as any food for around fi ve bucks to the following weighty starches can. Together with some of that of the heated bulk foods, each kale salad you’ve got a high-oc- 193 Laneda Ave., Manzanita 503-368-5362 HOURS: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon- day through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. PRICE: $ – Deals abound. SERVICE: Take-out that’s quick, friendly and attentive. VEGETARIAN / VEGAN OP- TIONS: Vegetarians should do well; vegans should be able to make do. DRINKS: Market has beer, wine, juice, soda, coff ee, etc. KEY TO STAR RATING SYSTEM Poor Below average Good & worth return Excellent Best in region tane, near-paleo meal-and-a-half for nine bucks. And, hey, though I like a bargain, I’m no stooge. Add one of the Little Apple’s home-made cookies for a buck and you’ve got dessert. The macadamia nut variety were thin and buttery, the oatmeal raisins were soft and familiar. Each time the register rung up my bounty I was surprised at the low total, for these were good deals by any standard, particular- ly in the midst of a tourist town with limited options. As such, Little Apple’s deli is like a Swiss army knife, ideal for a picnic at the beach, a house party spread, family dinner or a quick, work- ing lunch. The selection is broad enough to serve all tastes, with everything from kale salads to corn dogs.
