It’s taken Santucci’s over a year to renovate its location at 10th & Christian. “Good things come to those who wait” they say.
This is mostly the case with Santucci’s. I made a point to stop by today. My first impressions are “It’s good and I will go back.”
When I walked in the door, I was welcomed in a friendly manner by a server. I indicated to her that I was taking out, and she handed me a paper menu. The young man at the counter quickly asked if he could take my order. I told him to give me a minute so I could read the paper menu. In less than a minute, I made my selection; before he rang up my order, I asked if they take cards yet. They do not accept credit cards at this time, but said they should be getting their card machine as early as “sometime next week”.
As he was ringing up my order, I repeated that it was to-go. I paid the bill, collected my change and receipt, and told him that I was going to sit down at one of the tables to wait. The decor isn’t ultra fancy, but it’s definitely a step up from your typical pizzeria type place. They’ve got candles on the tables, a large plasma tv on the wall, wine glasses and buckets that can be filled with ice if you should BYO. A plus in my eyes.
There was only one seated customer in the place which didn’t strike me as odd at 3:20PM. It’s that dead zone between lunch & dinner after all. After waiting for nearly 15 minutes, though, I was starting to get worried. Did they forget about me? Then right before I was considering standing up to ask if my sandwich was ready, I saw the cook place a wrap sandwich on a plate at the server area. I overheard him tell one of the cashiers “I have a wrap sandwich here.” but they didn’t seem to respond. I stood up & told them that it was supposed to be to-go. The cook (not the young man who took my order) apologized, put it in a plastic container, bagged it, and handed it to me.
A mild service hiccup if you ask me. I could tell they’re still figuring things out as they go. Which is to be expected when a new place opens up. No biggie!
By the time I got home my hunger took over and I ripped the bag open quickly. I hadn’t eaten all day so I was hoping it would be worth the wait and the extra wait at the restaurant.
Well, much to my elation, it was! Not only was the wrap quite substantial in size, but it came with a good bit of hand-cut fries (at no extra charge). You have your choice of regular hand-cut fries, hand-cut sweet potato fries, or side house salad. Since I had sweet potatoes yesterday, I opted for the regular fries. They were perfect! There’s just nothing like hand-cut potatoes. Frozen fries be damned to Hell!
As for the sandwiches, you can choose from a variety of breads: Italian roll (white or whole wheat), wrap (white or whole wheat), Burger bun (brioche or whole wheat) or Panini style with house-made Focaccia bread. The Grilled Chicken comes with provolone, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, & mayo.
For $8, it’s a lot of food! A very satisfying late lunch/early dinner (“linner”?). With prices and quality like that, I’m sure they’ll do great business. I hope as time goes on they get a little more organized because I’m sure to be a repeat customer. Damn, I love this ‘hood!
Picture borrowed from Meal Ticket.
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