Saturday, October 20, 2012

Crumb Gourmet Deli – Eden Prairie, MN

I was going to meet someone for a little business discussion over lunch this week and he told me I should choose the location. I suggested Crumb since I’ve been hoping to eat there for some time. It’s very close to my office and easy for him to get to, as well.

The inside (and outside) of the place is modern and fairly open and inviting. You stand in line in a sort of Chipotle-ish flow and figure out what sort of hot or cold sandwich or salad you’d like to order. You tell the person your order and then can add or subtract ingredients as they make it in front of you. To be honest, the whole thing was a little less gourmet than I expected, but it was a better atmosphere than Subway or Chipotle.

I got the Empire sandwich – grilled chicken, swiss, tomatoes, romaine and asiago Caesar dressing on toasted ciabatta. They cut it in half for me and asked me if I wanted fruit, coleslaw, or chips with it. I went with fruit. I thought I’d get a cup of fruit salad of something, but I got handed an apple. I laughed when I thought of Trash telling me about an airplane trip where they took away the meal they had brought her initially because she’s a vegetarian. They gave her an apple. Hahahahahahahaha.

We had to stand with our trays of food while we waited for tables to be freed up. This place is really busy during the lunch hour. I was surprised. We stood for 7 or 8 minutes until someone left and we sat down. We talked business for a bit, while we ate. My sandwich was just alright. The ingredients were fresh and bright, but the flavor of the chicken was bland. There was also a lot of bread compared to the rest of the sandwich. I know this place is all about living well and eating well, but I don’t want a bread sandwich. I was a tad disappointed overall.

I thought the “gourmet” part of the name would involve some sort of interesting ingredients or high end cheese or something uncommon or unusual. It didn’t. It just meant smaller, cleaner, and more expensive. I’m not angry that I tried it and I’d probably go back, since it’s close. However, I won’t hinge my bets on the gourmet portion of the sandwich. I also won’t get the apple again – I love apples and I ate it, but I can grab an apple at work and pay less for it. It’s just an apple.


Top 5 things about Crumb Gourmet Deli
1. Modern and inviting atmosphere
2. Big menu
3. Staff were really nice
4. If it isn’t cold, the patio seems nice
5. Plenty of parking in the strip mall

Bottom 5 things
1. Empire Sandwich
2. Fruit is just an apple
3. Still has a nicer Subway feel
4. Waited a while to get a seat and had no place to stand where we weren’t in someone’s way
5. Gourmet just means more expensive

www.crumbgourmetdeli.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

They have a nice little deck overlooking the wetland behind it. Other than that, I have a hard time remembering it when it comes to grabbing lunch.