Man, I was scrolling through my camera roll the other day looking for something and I came across these pictures of a dinner my mother and I had almost four months ago at the newly opened (at the time) Green Onion Deli on Mount Juliet Road out at the intersection with Stewart’s Ferry Pike. I took those pictures so I could blog about the experience, and then I never did. Oops – my bad, y’all. I guess it’s better late than never? I don’t know. I’ve done some questionable shit on this site, but reviewing a meal I had four months ago is a first. Anyway, I’m going to try and give it an honest shot.
I like a good deli. And, I mean a real deli. There are places around Nashville that call themselves delis, but few of them really fit the bill. I want a Boar’s Head sign hanging in the window. I need about 60 sandwiches to choose from on the menu. I need something like I’d see up in the northeast when we go to visit family in New Jersey. That isn’t something that’s easy to come by down here in Middle Tennessee. So, you can imagine my delight when I scope out the vast menu at Green Onion Deli and realize it’s like reading the thesauras.
That said, yeah we didn’t get any sort of deli sandwich when we went there for dinner one cool early spring evening. It was still cool enough at the time that you wouldn’t want something fresh and healthy. No cold cuts in March for me. I still wanted something greasy, hot, and heavy….something filling. Y’know…I’m like a hibernating bear from October through March (keep your jokes to yourselves). I went with some sort of hot chicken sandwich and some fries. My mother ordered a cheeseburger not realizing the battle she had gotten herself into. She’s a lighter eater, and holy shit, would you look at the thickness of these two patties?
In the name of quality journalism, I had to try a bite of this to verify whether or not it was good. Actually, I ate an entire half of this cheeseburger because my mother couldn’t finish it all. I was miserable by the end of it. It’s no wonder I’ve lost control of my weight. I just start eating and I don’t stop eating until it feels like there’s a keg in my belly. Anyway, that is a thick burger, but I did love the flavor of the meat. The cooks at Green Onion Deli clearly understand that it’s hard to mess up a burger that is cooked right with quality ingredients. Nothing too fancy – you let the ingredients do the talking. I loved it.
Alas, I had my own mountain to climb in the form of this chicken sandwich and an order of fries:
First of all, that’s my favorite type of fry – flaky, crispy, and seasoned with a bit of zest. I’m not even really a big fry guy, but I wanted to get a complete evaluation on the deli. You can’t do that without trying the fries, y’know? The chicken sandwich was delectable….that chicken breast was thick and juicy, seasoned to perfection. I’m not sure what kind of sauce was on it, but it gave the sandwich quite the kick. I can’t find it on their menu, so it might’ve been a special at the time or something. I don’t know…I’m writing this four months after eating there, sheesh.
Finally, if I walk by your dessert selection and see something called “cotton candy cheesecake,” I’m absolutely stopping and trying it.
It was sweet – had a hint of a strawberry flavor to me up front, but then finished with cotton candy and left that flavor lingering. It was the cap on a fantastic meal.
I’ve been dying for a place like this to pop up on the Gladeville side of Mount Juliet. It’s somewhere that I can get just about anything I’d want without the strife of venturing into Providence. I imagine this place hits whether you stop in for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Lord knows I want to hit that tri fecta – maybe I’ll update this post once I do. For now, I’m tipping my cap to Green Onion Deli for featuring a vast menu and delivering on the goods when it comes to their burger and chicken sandwich.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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