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Weck's: Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Tribune photo by CHRISTINE DELESSIO

Everything on the menu at Weck's Deli is prepared fresh daily, including the Corned Beef on Rye with mustard and a side of Pasta, Pesto & Peas salad.

By MARY PATRICK

Tribune correspondent

Published: January 22, 2009

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LAND O' LAKES - Sandwiches appear deceptively easy. What seems effortless - slapping some meat and cheese between two pieces of bread - is actually difficult if you want it to be memorable.

They obviously want it to be memorable at Weck's Deli. They've elevated the simple craft of sandwich-making into something resembling a culinary art, or as close to art as sandwich-making can come.

The attention to detail, from the freshness of ingredients and the selection of sandwich breads to the right mixture of cheese, meats and relishes, shows a true dedication to getting it right.

Weck's is in the Village Lakes Shopping Center on State Road 54, just east of the intersection with U.S. 41. (Benedetto's, the excellent Italian restaurant reviewed in these pages a few weeks back, is in the same shopping center.)

The interior is small but tasteful, with 10 tables and original artwork on the walls by Norm Altenhoff of St. Petersburg. As you enter, you'll also see a display case containing some of the deli's food, made fresh daily.

Do not go to Weck's unless you are in the mood for sandwiches and salad. There is little else on the menu, except for homemade soup and chili, which achieved the goal of being filling without being too heavy. It also wasn't a bit greasy, something of a miracle for restaurant-made chili.

There are also dinner specials on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. On the Thursday we visited, the special was meatloaf, which we ordered for our picky, 7-year-old dinner companion. She devoured it, as well as the green beans and bleu cheese salad dressing the waiter brought after asking for the child's preference (another rarity in dining).

But the sandwiches are the stars at Weck's, and deservedly so. Most are named after streets in Buffalo, the hometown of one of the restaurant's owners. But we started with the top specialty sandwich, Beef on Weck, which came with a very generous stack of thinly-sliced roast beef piled high on a kummelweck roll with a container of au jus for dipping.

The Bailey Avenue proved to be one of our favorites, with an interesting combination of brie cheese and roast beef, topped with an onion relish. It's a brilliant combination, smooth and sweet, served on pressed, golden Cuban bread.

Also interesting in a good way is the Jefferson Avenue BLT Wrap, with fresh shredded romaine lettuce, bacon, pancetta and tomato expertly wrapped in a sun-dried tomato tortilla. That would probably be good by itself, but Weck's also adds chipotle mayonnaise to give the entire concoction a kick.

For elegant simplicity, it's difficult to best The Chipawa, which is Cuban bread topped with Italian dressing, tomato and feta cheese, all broiled until the feta is slightly browned. One of the cheaper sandwiches, it also proved to be the most memorable.

Every sandwich came with a crisp pickle and a side of thinly shredded tri-color coleslaw dressed with sweet vinegar. Desserts are delicious homemade brownies and cookies as big as your face.

Weck's is available for catering and also will build party platters to order. It's a nice alternative to drab "deli rounds." You might want to take the kids, too. If they taste the difference homemade can make, they'll never want fast food again. (OK, they will, but you can use Weck's as an alternative they might actually go for.)