ariel's great idea

pommard deli, middlefield & loma verde, palo alto

Referred to by my family as simply "The Deli", Pommard is I think sadly overlooked by many Palo Alto residents. I've never really seen a busy day there before. It has changed a lot since I was a kid; previously, it was connected to the next door liquor store, and they didn't used to sell pizza. Nor, I think, did sandwiches used to come with french fries. But despite the changes they've gone through over the years, the sandwiches are still as great as they've ever been (my little brother, in particular, swears religiously by this deli, but I haven't been able to coax him into writing for the blog yet). Despite the availability of a wide variety of tasty sandwich options, I can never bring myself to order anything but "Ariel's Great Idea". It is a grilled chicken sandwich, topped with ham, melted swiss cheese, avocado, and a really good sweet mustard. As you can imagine, it's not the healthiest sandwich in the world, but then again, that's also why it's one of the tastiest. I'd really like to know what kind of mustard it is they put on this, because it kind of straddles the line between being dijon and being honey mustard. At any rate, it really ties the whole thing together, adding a necessary sweetness and balancing out the salty flavor of the ham and the savory flavor of the chicken. Perhaps the next time I go back I'll try something new, or coerce other members my family into writing about their favorites (my mom likes the roasted Mediterranean vegetable sandwich, my brother is particular to, I think, turkey and bacon). Pommard's also serves pizza, as I mentioned above, as well as roasted chicken and a full array of deli salads (although their deviled eggs aren't so hot). And one additional reason to check them out, if you are in the area, is that there is a Philz Coffee(!?) that recently opened next door.