Long before the pandemic made an artform of restaurant takeout, I freely admit my great love for prepared foods markets. Our household of two can get decent mileage from the typically generous portions these markets offer, and I’ve yet to find one in this region that hasn’t excelled in preparation and variety.

Long River Local in Old Lyme is now part of this elite group, with a cherry on top, so to speak: hot breakfast and lunch served until midday. After that, get thee to the refrigerator cases for the dinner options. 

Bonus bonus? One of those breakfast items is a burger — a combination of fried egg and smashburger titled The Okie ($10.50). A smashburger is a thinner patty that fries up quickly and, as it turns out, pairs very well with farm fresh eggs. (Long River Local supplies its own eggs, and you can buy a dozen while you’re there.) The Okie is served on a ciabatta roll, and mine was lightly grilled to perfection and endured no soggy collapses from the load of goodies within, including a layer of very good cheddar cheese and onions.

The Okie is far more filling than the basic Sausage, Egg, and Cheese sandwich ($7), but what looks like a demure little package is hearty indeed thanks to the thick patty of light-savory breakfast sausage. Once again, a toasted ciabatta roll supported its compatriots while adding a light wisp of wheat flavor. The cappuccino ($3.50 for a medium) I ordered to go with was everything I look for in one: stiff froth; rich, roast-y coffee; and a good balance between the two.

The lunch menu includes sandwiches (including the Cuban I’m getting next time), daily soups, and “Grab and Go” salads. Once grabbed, I suspect most folks who sample one aren’t going to finish it in one go if my Chipotle Chicken Salad ($12.95) is any indicator. Put another way, after two of us went at it, we still had leftovers and had probably consumed one chicken breast apiece. We loved the slight kick from the chipotle rub on the chicken, and the abundant greens were a cleansing, crispy treat. Shreds of more excellent cheese, plus black beans and chopped bell peppers added very enjoyable flavor and texture accents. This salad comes with cilantro-lime vinaigrette — which was zesty and lovely — but the salad has so much other great flavor going on, you might not need much or any at all.

We ate like royalty again during a dinnertime sampling of the absolutely delicious sesame peanut noodles ($10.95), having noshed on one of the also-delightful house-baked sesame baguettes ($5.99). If you like the savory nature of sesame and a properly balanced soft-to-crisp ratio in your baguettes, grab one ASAP. We used the bread as a dipper for the container of Long River Salsa ($3) I also brought home, and it stood up well to the chunky, deeply tomato-forward-with-a-kick salsa.

As for the noodles, they presented a nice balance of that peanut buttery sensation of some renditions and the pepper oily kick of others. A dash of scallions adds a bit of earthy zing, and an accompanying sauce (maybe soy based?) upped the flavor ante even more. Dee-li-cious.

The mister and I tend to agree on most culinary assessments, but we parted ways on the Matzo Ball Soup ($10.95 for 32 ounces). I loved it, he liked it well enough. One of us was raised on Rein’s Deli’s matzo ball soup, so there’s some bias to consider. One note: Not a noodle in sight in our batch of soup, but it was loaded with tender, shredded chicken, a broth I found brightly flavorful, and no less than four matzo balls with a great herb mixture rolled in. I will get it again and will not share any with Mr. Picky.

And that’s the point: I’ll be back again, because the quality of preparation, locally grown produce, and the variety of the prepped dinners all make for better eats. Plus, remember: Breakfast burgers.

Long River Local

Long River Local 

96 Halls Road, Old Lyme

(860) 598-9086

https://www.longriverlocal.com

Atmosphere: Pleasant, tidy, and easy to navigate. Management has done much to make a small space feel quite roomy. Very limited seating inside, but several picnic tables out front. Note: Tables are situated on rock fill.

Cuisine: Breakfast sandwiches and lunch; coffee bar; baked goods; prepared dinners and more, much of it sourced locally.

Hours: Market, Tuesday-Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; breakfast and lunch in the café, Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Service: Efficient and courteous

Prices: Not the cheapest eats around, but the quality helps justify the cost.

Reservations: N/A

Credit cards: Accepted

Handicapped access: New, sturdy, and wide ramp up to the entrance; plenty of parking; fairly small interior