I noticed 2 weeks ago a newish restaurant in the nook shopping center along South National where Shultz & Dooley’s 2 is located. The name was Pickleman’s Gourmet Café and from just driving by I couldn’t tell exactly what kind of place it was, but it must be special to have ‘Gourmet’ in the name. I talked my friend David into a trip to Pickleman’s to figure it out.
Turns out Pickleman’s is the newest sandwich shop in town. On the menu board is a selection of toasted sandwiches & subs, soups, chopped salads and pizzas. I think they are intending to position themselves in the ‘upscale sandwich’ market considering the ‘Gourmet’ in the name and the “Higher Quality Products, Freshly Prepared” slogan. I think the prices are also an indicator as they are higher than other places in town. It is probably more like McAllister’s or Schlotzky’s than Subway from a menu standpoint.
We almost left because we felt sort of let-down by the ‘Gourmet Café’ come-on, but then decided to go ahead give Pickleman’s a try.
I’ve just about given up on a good Italian sandwich in town but still decided to try the Pickleman’s Italian Club for $5.39. David picked the Turkey Bacon Club for the same $5.39 price. Setup is similar to other places, you order at the counter, scoot down the way a bit to the cash register to play – then head over to your table to wait to be called to get your sandwich. It didn’t take long.
When our sandwiches were done, the first thing I noticed was the size – they are really short – especially if you are used to the ‘foot longs’ at other places. There is only one size of sandwich as well. The bread is not made in house and is removed from plastic bags. Even so, the bread was more interesting than the stuff you get at Subway. It was pretty dense and had a nice crust on it. My sandwich was heftier than it appeared as well and I wasn’t hungry when I finished. There was a fair amount of meat and cheese and with the Italian dressing – I thought the overall flavor was pretty good. The ingredient quality is a step up from Subway. David thought his sandwich was ok, but not spectacular. He is a bigger eater than I am and we joked about where we were going next to finish lunch.
You’d think with a name like Pickleman’s that pickles would factor into the experience in a big way – right? Well – the answer is no – it doesn’t. If you want a pickle with your sandwich – you have to cough up .79 cents for a half or $1.39 for a whole – or make your meal into a combo and then make a decision to choose pickle instead of chips for your side. Oh, and if you want to customize your sandwich with additional veggies (olives, banana peppers, cucumber, etc) – that’ll cost you extra as well.
Bob’s Whine and Dine
The décor is contemporary sandwich shop with a mix of tall and low tables as well as a few booths. It is nice enough. I think it is interesting that they choose a location a few doors down from Jimmy John’s. This location is a prime area to catch the Medical Mile South lunch crowd and when we visited, I saw quite a few Cox Health badges dangling from people’s necks.
Pickleman’s offers catering and delivery as well. Pickleman’s appears to be a somewhat local chain with their only other locations in Columbia.
My sandwich was ok – but the prices are higher than other places and they seem to nickel and dime you more for stuff. Sad to say, but I’m still looking for that great Italian sandwich.
3522 S. National – (417) 887-7300
Website: http://www.picklemans.com/ (their website is very annoying!)
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