Hearty mix of people, sandwiches crowd B&B

by tim paluch
juice staff writer

Here’s an old-fashioned meat counter where you can order a beef carcass, a whole hog and a tuna salad sandwich with onion rings all at the same time. This long-time south-side grocery has been family-owned since May 8, 1922, when East High School students Archie and John Brooks opened the store.

Come in to B&B Grocery Meat and Deli and you may find the chief of police, south-side politicians and local celebrities making small talk behind the meat counter. This is what lunch in the city is supposed to feel like.

SCENE
This is a place with real character. First off, remember this is still a grocery store. The deli counter where you order lunch is in the back, but all around the store hangs NASCAR memorabilia and decades-old sports junk, including baseball hats covered in plastic.

If you choose to eat in the store, a couple rows of barstools sit in a small maze of store shelves. As far as this grade goes, we’re being diplomatic. It should be higher if the old-fashioned mood of the place is your thing, and lower if you prefer more visually appealing decor than sports memorabilia while you dine. Grade: B

FOOD
Here’s where things get interesting. If it’s your first time, good luck trying to order a meal quickly. The menu – positioned over the counter like a scoreboard, and just as large – features about three dozen “killer” sandwiches, plus a handful of burgers, tenderloins and grill choices. For side dishes, choose everything from chicken livers and gizzards to cheese sticks and deviled eggs. Not a single menu item costs more than $5.

The seasoned rib eye steak sandwich runs just $3.49 and comes as a tender, flavorful strip of steak on a toasted bun with smoked provolone cheese, perfectly grilled peppers and onions and a touch of A.1. steak sauce . But they’ll make it however you want it. I added fries and a small cup of potato salad for $1.50.

A dining partner went with the famous “Dad’s Killer,” a behemoth of a sandwich that would fit snug in a shoebox. Roast beef, corned beef, turkey, ham, American, hot pepper and Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonaisse, mustard and Italian dressing are crammed into this sandwich, which costs just $4.49.

The deep-fried hot pepper cheese balls are an interesting treat. The consistency of the cheese wasn’t gooey enough, but the kick in the taste makes them worth another try. Grade: A

SERVICE
You order at the counter. As quickly as you decide what you want, the guys behind the counter start on your order. It took a little longer than we expected to get our food, but we’ll chalk that up to the fact that we ordered a lot. The food even comes wrapped in that white deli paper usually reserved for pork chops and strip steaks. Grade: A-

BOTTOM LINE
No question, B & B Grocery Meat and Deli has found its way onto our list of places around town to frequent for lunch. You can stop in 100 times and walk out with 100 different lunches, all for under $7 or $8 a pop. Grade: A-