Empire Deli

Big Eats from the Big Apple:
Empire Deli brings New York flavor to the heart of the Empire State of the South.
- Alex Bender

Soho. Manhattan. Studio 54. These may all be places in the Big Apple, but they are also all items on the menu at Empire Deli. Walter Foley and Laurie Irby recently opened Empire Delicatessen and Catering on Forsyth Road to bring New York-style subs down South. Thankfully, Empire Deli relieves us of our sore deprivation of things like gabagool, prosciutto, pastrami and other Italian ingredients found on a REAL sub.

Now, I’m no international food critic, but I am critical of food (even internationally sometimes). Despite what some people might think they know about food, I like to think I’m familiar with the best subs (hoagies as we call ‘em up North) and pizza in the country. See, up north of the Mason-Dixon, where I grew up, the mom and pop sub/pizza shops usually outnumber the gas stations in towns similar in size to Macon. The sandwich bread is made from the same dough as the pizza crust and you can grab a six-pack when you pick up your food.

Inside Empire Deli, the menu is drawn out artfully on large chalkboards that hang above the counter. All the meats and cheeses behind the glass display case are cut as you order. The Italian Stallion immediately jumped of the menu towards me, and I thought I’d go for a ride. Loaded with pepperoni, salami, ham, prosciutto, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, roasted red peppers and a balsamic vinaigrette, the Italian Stallion was an almost natural choice. I say an almost natural choice only because I would have liked to try about a half-dozen other things on the menu. The standard Italian sub is my usual choice back at home so this gave me something to compare it with. I ordered the foot-long for two bucks more and figured I’d end up leaving with half. If a sub’s good, it’ll still be a good leftover the next day.

I was impressed. The meat and other ingredients they use at Empire are top-notch quality, and they don’t skimp on the quantity. The roasted red peppers and balsamic vinaigrette gave The Stallion a unique taste that managed to deviate from the standard Italian sub without losing the basic concept.

The chicken Parmesan hero was another I had to try. If you can take an entire Italian dish and make it into a good sub, you’re doing something right. Empire nailed it with massive breaded chicken cutlets covered in sauce and melted mozzarella. The bread is baked fresh daily at Empire and is good but sort of generic as far as subs go.

They also feature a pretty impressive breakfast menu and a selection of omelets that rival their subs. If you don’t feel like ordering off the menu, you can pick and choose your own ingredients and bread to customize your sandwich. The wide array of chips, candy and snacks in front of the counter, along with a fridge of salads and dessert items, make rounding out a meal a breeze.

Salads bore me so I skipped straight to the tiramisu for dessert. It didn’t suck. It was light but still rich, which worked out for me since I was stuffed from my sub. There’s no soda fountain, but there is a cooler full of soda and sports drinks, and they also serve coffee for that late breakfast/hangover crowd. (Editor’s Note: At least he didn’t call it “pop”.)

The prices are a bit higher than you’d find at a franchise, but you get a lot more for your money at Empire Deli, both in the quality and quantity of food. Empire is a unique deli that gives the best sub shops up North a run for their money.

The Fountain of Juice

Great grub springs eternal from The Fountain of Juice

by Molly Wilkins

Out of Five Stars:
Service: 5
Food: 4.75
Atmosphere: 4.5
BFYB: 3.75

Macon’s newest lunch hot spot is “The Fountain of Juice”. What I love most about may not even be the food but the atmosphere, the fact that I can go in and talk to everyone. I only frequent places where I feel like I am treated special. But not only do they make ME feel like this, I can tell that everyone gets the same kind of specialized attention here, which is probably why it’s always so busy. Brittany Poole is always quick to say hello and can carry on a conversation with anyone about anything. Owner Natasha Philips, daughter of world-famous Natalia del Basso-Orsini, is there every day, interacting with customers as they create tasty delights. Her husband Carl’s work isn’t just behind the counter—those are his paintings on the walls!

By now, I’ve eaten just about everything there it seems—this was not nearly my first visit there. They offer a wide variety of sandwiches, smoothies, and even casseroles to take home. In the past I have gotten the sandwich with the slice of pear in it, I wouldn’t ordinarily pick something like that except that Brittany convinced me. She also convinced me, on this occasion, to get the roast beef, and my husband got the California club. I’m not much of a roast beef eater, in fact I generally stay away from it, however this was amazing. The roast beef was sliced so thinly, and cooked just right, at slightly over medium well. My husband really enjoyed the turkey paired with the avocado in the California club.

They try to use all natural products, and organic as much as possible, which of course will make your price higher. I’d say for any other lunch spot they are about average, if maybe not a little higher in price. For me however, it’s worth it because I feel good about going there. (If my cupcake is all natural then it doesn’t seem so bad that it taste so darn good.) FOJ makes getting good taste good. For example: try a smoothie. Brittany slipped me a sample of the strawberry-banana smoothie. (This is also a good example of how they make you feel special—they’re always offering you samples of other stuff so you always leave stuffed!)

The strawberry-banana smoothie is great. (Editor’s note: So is the Mon Cherie!) I also like the “de-tox special”. Some of that could be because I like the idea of “de-toxing” my system. The last time I got it, Brittany suggested adding the protein to it so that it would “stay with me the rest of the day”. It was really good, I was hesitant about adding vanilla-flavored protein to the pineapple and pomegranate in the de-tox smoothie, but it worked out. Better than I thought, even.

You might see a theme here: If you don’t know what to get: ask Brittany. Of course Natasha and Carl have good suggestions as well, but Brittany is usually the first to encounter you when walking in. Remember: FOJ is in a small space, but the word is that they’ll soon be expanding into the space to be vacated by neighboring Fitness Firm. Until then, I would advise everyone to go early or prepare to be cramped.