This summer marks a monumental event in my taste bud evolution. I have conquered the raw (red) tomato. The other day I bought one that was just beautiful. It's a giant one, bright red, like as red as the background of this page, and once I squeeze the seeds outta the slices, add a little salt, I'm chowing down. Now, anybody who has known me for any length of time is probably thinking I've been abducted by aliens and replaced with this tomato craving automaton. In fact, I bet my sister is placing wagers on what type of anomaly is causing this: stroke, demonic possession, one of those chips in my neck from the X-Files. Whatever it is, I'm not only liking these big ol' summer tomatoes, I find that I'm craving them and am excited to try them.
Today, I stopped into a little sandwich shop that I learned about last week. Zack's Sandwich Shack and Blue Plate Specials. I love that they have such a long and specific name! (You can "like" them on Facebook).
You'd never expect to find a sandwich shop where these guys are located. They are down a slope off Bush River. They are surrounded by the American Legion, a batting cage facility, a towing service, a detective agency and two Christian ministries. But right there in the middle is Zack's.
Apparently, Zack is an adored German Shepherd. As you enter, you'll see his picture on the wall, in addition to the the pics of other favorite dogs, whose names grace many of the sandwiches on the menu. The restaurant is open and decorated in gold, brown and orange tones. The high ceilings and windows make a nice, light and open dining room. There were lots of things on the menu that appealed to me but I thought, hmmm, everyone in America eats BLTs except me.
I stepped up to the counter and was greeted by a very friendly young lady. I asked her about the tomatoes...are they real garden tomatoes or grocery store tomatoes? She proceeded to tell me that they were what I'd like and went on to say that all their sandwiches are prepared with fresh ingredients each day. I explained my new tomato fondness and told her I was leaving my comfort zone and ordering a BLT. She laughed at me, but in a good way. Next I asked her about the potato salad. They make theirs with red-skinned new potatoes, mayo, salt & pepper. No icky hard boiled eggs, yea! Next, she asked me "tea or lemonade?" I looked at the menu again and realized that my sandwich, potato salad and tea were all one package deal for $5.50! Finally! A restaurant that isn't going to rip me off for almost $2.00 for a glass of tea that costs about $.07 to brew! I'm already likin' the way they do thing at Zack's.
So, I chose a table and then my lunch was brought to me. The sandwich was awesome! I opened it up and just like she said, pretty bright red slices of tomato, but not too much. Then, I saw LOTS of bacon strips and lovely green leaf lettuce. It was served on Texas toast which was actually just toasted, not buttered and griddled and greasy. I dove in. Now, after all these years, I get it. Smoky and slightly salty bacon, sweet and juicy tomato (it really is a fruit), crispy lettuce and the flavor of real mayo. What a simple, yet delightful combo. I'm a believer. The potato salad was also very nice. I added a little salt, but I'd much prefer to adjust it myself than to receive an oversalted mess, which is quite often the case. Oh yeah, there was also a crunchy, really garlicky pickle spear as well. They mixed a "half & half" tea for me and all was right with the world. And, I mentioned this right? This was $5.50.
Zack's is well worth seeking out when you're in the mood for a tasty, fresh and reasonably priced sandwich. They also have salads on the menu and they feature a daily blue plate special. The menu states that its usually a meat with 2 sides. On this day, it was homemade spaghetti with a mushroom and meat sauce with salad. I saw several people having it and it looked awfully good! They opened about a year ago and seem to already have a pretty healthy business and a loyal following. Support locals!
Today, I stopped into a little sandwich shop that I learned about last week. Zack's Sandwich Shack and Blue Plate Specials. I love that they have such a long and specific name! (You can "like" them on Facebook).
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| This is Zack |
Apparently, Zack is an adored German Shepherd. As you enter, you'll see his picture on the wall, in addition to the the pics of other favorite dogs, whose names grace many of the sandwiches on the menu. The restaurant is open and decorated in gold, brown and orange tones. The high ceilings and windows make a nice, light and open dining room. There were lots of things on the menu that appealed to me but I thought, hmmm, everyone in America eats BLTs except me.
I stepped up to the counter and was greeted by a very friendly young lady. I asked her about the tomatoes...are they real garden tomatoes or grocery store tomatoes? She proceeded to tell me that they were what I'd like and went on to say that all their sandwiches are prepared with fresh ingredients each day. I explained my new tomato fondness and told her I was leaving my comfort zone and ordering a BLT. She laughed at me, but in a good way. Next I asked her about the potato salad. They make theirs with red-skinned new potatoes, mayo, salt & pepper. No icky hard boiled eggs, yea! Next, she asked me "tea or lemonade?" I looked at the menu again and realized that my sandwich, potato salad and tea were all one package deal for $5.50! Finally! A restaurant that isn't going to rip me off for almost $2.00 for a glass of tea that costs about $.07 to brew! I'm already likin' the way they do thing at Zack's.
So, I chose a table and then my lunch was brought to me. The sandwich was awesome! I opened it up and just like she said, pretty bright red slices of tomato, but not too much. Then, I saw LOTS of bacon strips and lovely green leaf lettuce. It was served on Texas toast which was actually just toasted, not buttered and griddled and greasy. I dove in. Now, after all these years, I get it. Smoky and slightly salty bacon, sweet and juicy tomato (it really is a fruit), crispy lettuce and the flavor of real mayo. What a simple, yet delightful combo. I'm a believer. The potato salad was also very nice. I added a little salt, but I'd much prefer to adjust it myself than to receive an oversalted mess, which is quite often the case. Oh yeah, there was also a crunchy, really garlicky pickle spear as well. They mixed a "half & half" tea for me and all was right with the world. And, I mentioned this right? This was $5.50.
Zack's is well worth seeking out when you're in the mood for a tasty, fresh and reasonably priced sandwich. They also have salads on the menu and they feature a daily blue plate special. The menu states that its usually a meat with 2 sides. On this day, it was homemade spaghetti with a mushroom and meat sauce with salad. I saw several people having it and it looked awfully good! They opened about a year ago and seem to already have a pretty healthy business and a loyal following. Support locals!
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Akre, welcome to Tomato Lover Land!
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm Jennifer Wilson, public relations manager at Lexington Medical Center. I'm working on the Women's Blog. We loved your entry and are so happy to select you as a winner! Please send me your email address that I can correspond with you that way. My email address at work is jawilson2@lexhealth.org
ReplyDelete~Jennifer