Longtime Groton deli is a go-to staple

September 30, 2015 12:00 am • Last Updated: September 30, 2015 2:09 pm

By Rick Koster
Day Arts/Features writer

You know those mind-japes where, maybe even for years, you see something without really seeing it? For example, we have a city-provided street sign implanted curbside in our yard. We've lived there since, oh, since the Hurricane of '38 — and I have zero idea what it's for or says!

Seriously.

As I type this, I literally couldn't tell you whether it's a DEER CROSSING sign or says BEWARE OF FALLING ROCKS or warns of a DEAF CHILD AT PLAY ... and I hope no falling rocks crush a deer or a child anywhere, and particularly not on our lawn!*

In that context, we've been quasi-regular customers at the North End Deli in Groton for a long time. Nice place, nice folks, good food. Like most restaurant regulars, my wife and I have favorite dishes that we tend to gravitate towards, although occasionally we try different things. And it occurred to me recently that, in all the many visits there, I've read and re-read the North End menu — and suddenly realized how curious it is that, all along, one of their entrees is General Tso's Chicken ($9.99).

Why is General Tso's Chicken on the menu of a mainstream deli? Hell if I know. But it finally HIT me that it's there, and so I tried it. While it's a decidedly Anglicized version — no discernible dried chilis, and featuring the sort of fried, panko-breaded breast chunks one associates with USA-style chicken tenders rather than the flash-crisped Asian protocol — it's still got a soy sauce/vinegar dazzle. And, served with crisp broccoli and spooned over delicate mounds of rice pilaf, it was a fun and tasty variation.

But, yes, this is a deli, first and foremost. Located in a strip mall, North End has a deep, narrow layout with booths along one wall, tables up front by the windows, a see-all kitchen and take-out counter, and framed travel posters. Casual, very relaxed — and a wonderful and friendly wait staff.

There are soups and salads and appetizers and daily specials, along with paninis, designer and build-your-own sandwiches, burgers, fried platters, mac & cheese twists and "heartier fare" (as per the General).

As mentioned, we have our favorites. My wife, Eileen — The Vegetarian Who Walks Among Us (TVWWAU) — is a devotee of the Gorgonzola Dream salad ($9.99). This bit of sorcery combines baby spinach, walnuts, red onion, tons of gorgonzola and dried cranberries and, as TVWWAU sternly notes, this is the only acceptable use for dried cranberries in history. She frequently orders it as the Saturday pre-errand meal: a huge salad that fills you up without slowing you down. It's so simple but it all works harmoniously.

More often than not, I go very "deli basic" with a corned beef on rye ($8.99) with Swiss (selected from a "build your own" board that includes such staples as Genoa, turkey, roast beef, lean pastrami, chicken salad, Cappicola, etc., with a variety of cheese, veggie and bread options). I don't want my sammich heated or the bread toasted and I don't want mustard or mayo. I'm rewarded with a huge mound of gorgeous, fat-free and flavorful corned beef, with the fresh rye getting softer as time passes and the meat and cheese blend into the whole construct. Perfect.

Here are a few other North End items we've tried:

• The Classic Mac & Cheese ($8.99 plus 50 cents each for the additions) is perhaps a misnomer, but in a good way. Eileen added tomato and broccoli. Her report: "I'm not sure it's 'classic' as the name implies. The 5-cheese sauce is almost like a béchamel as opposed to time-honored M&C with orange cheese forming a glue to hold the pasta together. Perhaps that's because it's not baked ... ? Anyhoo, that makes it more like a pasta dish than the stereotype — and a decadent pasta dish, to be sure: Cavatappi pasta served in a bowl swimming in that subtly rich cheesy sauce topped by bits of crispy Ritz cracker. I couldn't stop eating it."

• The Eggplant Parmesan ($11.99) was constructed with striations of super, super thin fried eggplant, breading, mozzarella and marinara. It was lovely to look at and even better to taste. The sauce, sparingly applied, was almost tart and worked in a big way.

• The Vermonter Panini ($8.99) featured thick-carved ham with sharp cheddar, snappy apple slices and a sneaky-good maple mustard. The panini was toasted perfectly and all the components snuggled together.

* As I wrote this review, I emailed TVWWAU — and she has no idea what the sign says, either. She even tried to get a pic from Google Earth but it's too blurry to see. Weird.