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| - Hucksters! John met me at the door and I immediately got the the full service con of a Sham Wow sales pitch. "Everything is made by hand!" "Family recipes!" " My aunts make these cookies!" These are lies.
I purchased 1 lb. of "homemade" Italian sausage that was NOT fresh and in fact was right at death's door...when I got it home, it smelled a bit funky. I also purchased 1 portion of eggplant parmesan (over seasoned), half a pound of stuffed mozzarella (good), and 1/2 a pound of stuffed olives. Final bill was $55.50.
The aggressive sales approach by the owner would be welcome if it was actually rooted in passion. It's not. It's dishonest. John gave me samples, which is nice, were it not for the relentless banter about how all of the products are homemade by family. (I don't believe this) It never stopped. He walked me down the deli cases, all the while talking it up and then introduced me to his wife who immediately pulls out a binder of photos and menus of deli sandwiches and again, a sales pitch. This is where the red flags went up. At this point I've been in this deli for about 20 mins. I'm ready to go. I pay my bill. Sticker shock! $55 for about 2.5 lbs. of food? What? And as if to add insult to injury, the lovely wife tries to sell me a loaf of "homemade" bread and pushes more menus and daily specials to me before I leave.
If you review the 5 star reviews of Derado's, You find 2 common mentions: Family and sandwiches. Family because the owner is an expert at selling his products as "family made". Sandwiches because they are piled high NY deli-style. No doubt, there is good food to be had here (think sandwiches), but be wary. There is a bunch of bullshitting going on here and if you are not food-savvy, you will be dragged into it, hook, line and sinker. You will pay a premium price for it and it will not live up to the hype.
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