Jason’s Deli
4130 East 82nd Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46250
http://www.jasonsdeli.com/

Indy Food Geek has done a previous review of Jason’s Deli and I have been there several times for the salad bar, but have never done a review because really, who wants to read a review of a salad bar (it’s a really good one by the way; I guess I just did a review)?  Anyway, I had decided after my last Jason’s salad bar visit that I was going to get something other than the salad bar, but I wasn’t sure what that would be.  Since we all know I watch too many food shows, I recently caught an episode of Unwrapped where they were showing a segment on Jason’s Deli and how they make their signature Muffaletta sandwich.  Intrigued enough by the segment, I finally knew that I had a winner on what to order next and on a recent Saturday, I made the trip.

What I Got:  Whole Ham & Hard Salami Muffaletta; $10.99.  Served with two bags of chips (baked or regular Lay’s) and two pickles.

Seeing that they serve this with two orders of chips and two pickles, this sandwich is obviously large enough that it is intended for two people (the picture above is only half the sandwich).  Not for ol’ IndianapolisEater though…I was going to take down the entire thing.  Yeah, I’m a fool.

Anyway, here’s how Jason’s describes their Muffaletta:  “Jason’s signature sandwich begins with round, crusty New Orleans muffaletta bread we split and layer with ingredients. Topped with our famous family-recipe olive mix and grilled to perfection!“  They offer it in several different options (Ham & Hard Salami, Turkey Breast or Veggaletta) and as I listed above, I chose the Whole (9″ inch diameter roll) Ham & Hard Salami version.

After I received my order, I actually laughed.  I thought that perhaps I had bitten off more than I could chew here (pun intended), so I’d at least I’d have some leftover for lunch for the next day.  This was a HEAVY sandwich and was loaded with quite a bit of ham, salami, cheese and olive mix.  The bread was also crustier than I expected (and also topped by sesame seeds, which was completely unexpected).  Still, I was looking forward to diving into this thing because I LOVE olive salad.

I took my first bite and I could tell that I was going to be disappointed.  This thing was bland and the taste was unmemorable.  The deli meats and cheeses were fine and plentiful, but they weren’t all that flavorful.  The olive salad was also there in plentiful amounts, but it really lacked flavor.  You knew it was there visually and you could feel the texture of it in your mouth, but it wasn’t nearly as salty/briny as you’d expect from something made up of so many olives.  Also, the crusty bread was basically unusable because it kept falling apart under the weight of all the toppings.  After eating half of my first portion (they cut the giant sandwich into fourths, so that was one quarter),  I had to get up and go to my refrigerator to get the spicy brown mustard in order to give this one some sort of pleasurable taste.  When you have to doctor a “signature” sandwich, that’s not a good sign.

Would I Buy It Again?  Definitely not.  Bland, boring and a total letdown.  I will go to Jason’s Deli again, but I’ll stick with their outstanding salad bar (hey, there’s another review!).  Other than that, I have no desire to try any of their other stuff unless I hear someone else give it a glowing review.

Oh yeah, since I’m sure you are dying to know…I did finish the entire Muffaletta and the two pickles.  I left the chips for later because I decided that I’d rather finish my meal with a White Chocolate Magnum ice cream bar and also a Peanut Butter Snickers bar instead of two bags of Baked Lays chips.  Hey, I skipped lunch!  LOL.  I may eat too much from time to time…

-IndianapolisEater

Just off the corner of 10th and Post Road this east side eatery is tiny with a capital “T.”  The menu is also brief and focused but in what might sound like a contradiction, but offers ton of combinations.  Your Po-Boy can feature Cajun Chicken, Roast Pork, Smoked Ham , Shrimp or Sausage, dressed or not, half or full and even breadless if you are one of those anti-carb freaks.  They even have daily specials to add to your decision making process.  Of course then you have to pick your sides…

What I had: Luckily I knew that I wanted:  Muffaletta.  Muffaletta is both a type of bread and a sandwich.  I’ve had several but never one outside of New Orleans where both were invented.  Typically the bread is round rather than loaf shaped as it was at Papa Roux.  Ham, salami and provolone cheese are stacked on the bread along with olive salad.  The olive salad is what makes this sandwich special.  It’s a combination of both green and black olives, olive oil, garlic, onion and who knows what else.  The olive salad at Papa Roux was a disappointment.  While the salad added the needed moist counter-point to the bread and cheese, it was just sort of bland.   The thing just lacked that huge blast of flavor that I expected.  The bread was spongy and light rather than crunchy and hearty.  There wasn’t enough meat for my liking either, just a couple of thin layers.

The sandwich also came with a choice of side, mine being Vegetable Creole.  It was OK.  Creamy and rich but lacking the real depth of flavor that I expected.  My wife had the red beans and rice.  A taste of that let me know I made the wrong choice.

Would I Buy It Again?  I have to say no.  At nearly $10.00 for my sandwich and drink and still having to leave a tip, I just wasn’t that satisfied with the meal.  I wasn’t hungry but I wasn’t satisfied either.  I’ve read other reviews of this place as well as signs in the restaurant itself that note the lengths to which they go to source good quality, authentic ingredients and I applaud that, but can someone honestly tell me why Cajun food is, in my mind, so expensive?  At its core, Cajun cuisine is peasant food with common ingredients.  I’m missing something.

-Smokin DB