The Downtown Deli Diagnosis - Part 2: The Store

Blogger's Note - Welcome to Part 2 of our in-depth survey of the CBD sandwich shops. Here's a link to Part 1 in case you missed it.

Often after a weekend replete with booze and rich food, I like to start off the week with a salad as a small step in the name of good health. When that time comes, I almost always head over to The Store. I despise boring, bland iceberg lettuce, which is usually the default greenery at most lunch counters where salads take a backseat to the rest of the menu. Not at The Store, where spring mix or arugula serve as the base for everything from Shrimp Nicoise (above) to the classic Chopped Cobb (below). And it's not just the lettuce. Everything, from the avocado and tomatoes to the roast turkey breast and boiled shrimp are high quality ingredients.

The hits keep on coming when it comes to sandwiches at The Store. I'm one of those "it's just a sandwich" people who usually doesn't see the point in paying $8 for a simple sandwich that I can easily make for myself at home, so I appreciate when a deli serves me something other than Boar's Head turkey on wheat. Pulled pork, basil-marinated mozzarella, caramelized onion spread - all ingredients not found in my fridge but readily available at The Store. I also appreciate a good potato salad, and their green onion version is a fine example.

Just like most other downtown sandwich shops, The Store runs daily specials (I've only had Wednesday's pulled pork hash over baked macaroni - it's very good) as well as an everyday special of shrimp and grits. The line is usually long, but this is still a place where you can be in and out in less than 40 minutes, which leaves just enough time to stop and chat with the numerous acquaintances whom you will inevitably run into. There are so many lawyers in this place during lunch that owner BJ Laws should start hosting CLEs. The food alone would be worth the registration price.

The Store - Birdie

For Lunch Today...

Small cafes and sandwich shops tucked away on the side streets of the CBD have always been a haven for those in search of a quick lunch on a budget. Unfortunately, our favorite lunch spots frequently close after only a few years or even months because it is so difficult to operate a profitable restaurant without dinner service (though some, such as the Commerce Restaurant, have endured). On the flip side, there always seems to be budding restaurateurs waiting in the wings to take over the vacant spaces of those that have tried and failed before them.

The Store is hidden away in the 800 block of Gravier Street just a few doors down from the more well known Steve's Diner. This sandwich shop is owned and operated by a young entrepreneur who was also an acquaintance of your bloggers in high school. Every day he there running the register, making fresh salads, delivering orders, or wiping down tables. With an owner that hands-on, you know that he is making sure that everything is up to his specifications.

The most popular item on the menu is the South Carolina style pulled pork sandwich, but the pressed turkey and brie might be favorite sandwich on the menu. Sandwiches come served with your choice of remoulade slaw, green onion potato salad, or sweet potato fries. The salads are also very good, which I attest to the fact that they are made with a spring mix as opposed to iceberg. The chopped cobb or the candied pecan and goat cheese are both solid choices.

The Store: birdie as a great lunch spot downtown.