Kinder good

The “coming soon” sign was testing my patience. I drove into the parking lot about five times over the course of two months to see if Kinder’s had opened, and every time, I was disappointed to find that I’d have to dine someplace else. I’d heard rumors of Kinder’s prowess at fabulously meaty sandwiches, juicy ribs and fresh deli meats, but the main reason for my eagerness was that it’s within a five-minute walk from my work. Finally, I saw the words “now open” gleaming down West Moana Lane.

This location didn’t particularly need another deli. There’s Massimo’s less than a block away on the other side of Moana, and there’s Deli Town inside the Shell Station on the corner at Lakeside. Fortunately, the three delis have differing offerings. Massimo’s has the Italian deli front covered, and Deli Town has got the Port of Subs thing going on, with extra flair. Kinder’s, on the other hand, combines a full-service meat market (including marinades, sauces and rubs) with an extensive sandwich and barbecue menu.

Unlike other delis, where a “combo” meal means chips and a drink, the combo at Kinder’s is downright down-home. Order any sandwich ($5.95 if you go solo), and pay an extra $1.50 for a whopping spoonful of potato salad and a hearty, little cup of barbecued beans with onions and cheese. It’s all served up on a metal pan that I imagine looks like the type of dish you’d get inside a prison. It’s original and charming, and it’s a big platter, so there’s plenty of room for each of the three courses to breathe.

I ordered a peppered turkey sandwich on rye bread with Swiss cheese, combo-style of course. I could have paid an extra dollar for the “deluxe” version of the sandwich, which means extra meat. I declined, which was a good thing, because the quarter pound of turkey in the regular version was more than sufficient for my medium-sized bite.

The turkey was thickly sliced, very moist and not too salty, as deli meats can sometimes be. The rye bread was better than what I make at home in my bread maker. It, too, was thickly sliced, as well as being spongy and moist. The crust had that distinctive well-cooked-but-not-quite-burnt flavor that fresh, homemade bread has. It surpassed my expectations. The tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and ample mayonnaise added to the overall soft deliciousness of the sandwich. It was a meal to really sit down and enjoy. The potato salad was above average, thanks to the enormous potato chunks and, again, copious mayonnaise.

I was three-quarters of the way through my meal before I noticed the enormous squeeze bottle of barbecue sauce on my table. I’d been eating by myself, watching one of three flat-screen televisions, when I decided to test the sauce on my sandwich. I know it’s not a classic combination—rye bread, turkey and barbecue sauce. But that sauce was so mouth-watering it could have made burnt shoelaces delectable. I decided to drench my side of beans, which originally tasted pretty basic, in the sugary, pungent sauce. I ate every piece of food on my prison plate. I might’ve licked out the bean cup had I been the only person in the restaurant.

Kinder’s is sure to please meat-lovers, while its array of deli salads, lighter turkey sandwiches, as well as a veggie sandwich, assure something for everybody. Their beans and barbecue sauce alone did wonders for me.