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| - I kind of feel like knocking myself in the side of the head for not knowing about Gourmand's Deli earlier. Seriously, why did it take 3 years of living in Cleveland for me to find out about this place? I've passed by countless times and never knew how great it is.
Part deli, part coffeehouse, part seller-of-cool-imported-beer, part hangout, Gourmand's is the type of place I would have loved to have hung out in the early/late mornings as a childless, jobless individual. You know "that" coffee shop, diner, etc. that just makes you just want to drink coffee and nibble on a baked good for hours, lazily reading a book and soaking in the sheer delicacy of having nothing better to do? That's a missed opportunity on my part. When I first moved here, I had trouble finding a job and didn't have kids for over a year. I could have totally done this. Now, not so much. But that's why walking inside made me feel nostalgia for that specific type of opportunity.
Now, onto the food. I love having everything meticulously written out in color-coded chalk: red chalk for hot sandwiches, blue for cold. I had the Turkey BLT: a good staple. It was on foccacia and it was delicious. A little salty, but very good overall.
The staff was extremely friendly. You could tell they love what they do. It's like Luke's Diner from Gilmore Girls, only a little more perky and with less sarcasm. Or like Karen's Cafe from One Tree Hill, only with fewer tragedies.
I issued restraint and did not order a smoothie (which seems to be my job these days) or a muffin/cookie. Weird, right? But they looked great, specifically the White chocolate raspberry muffin or the chocolate caramel cookie.
The sandwiches are fairly large, but don't feel like a pig if you finish it all in one sitting. 'Cuz I did.
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