Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe

The sandwiches are small, the prices are high - so the overall value is weak.  The sataff at the one downtown off Jefferson are down right rude.  I won't go back, too many other places make better sandwiches or the samme quality for less money.

I think the inclusion of Gourmet in the name of this place is a tad misleading. It is certainly a cafe but nothing about it says gourmet. They don't bake their own bread. They run their sandwiches through your standard toasting oven just like Quiznos. And you get your food served in a parchment paper lined basket. When I think of gourmet I think of pioneering flavor combinations that make your palette question what it is tasting. A meatball sub with marinara and provolone while nice, certainly isn't anything newfangled.

If you want to find out why this place is called Pickleman's just order their signature club and it will all make perfect sense. What constitutes the Pickleman's part is a distinct blend of toppings consisting of peppers, carrots, onions, and celery. This pepper heavy blend literally soaks in a bath of what tastes like pickle brine and vinegar. Since I find pickles to be highly agreeable, this salty wet concoction was generally complimentary to my sandwich. It has some spice, but I think it could pack a little more heat, and it could be a little less salty. By the end of the meal, I felt like my tongue was numb from so much salt (I also had the salt & vinegar chips). If pickles aren't your thing, you will probably find this pickle inspired topping to be a back handed compliment.

In terms of everything else I've had, it has all been pretty typical. Their pizza is thin, crunchy, and nicely topped... and is actually one of the best items on the menu. The meatball sub was as I expected it to be... Average as the specific details have been forgotten. The caesar salad was actually a little on the sad side and is served in their to-go plastic containers even if you have it in the restaurant. But hell, that's totally gourmet right?

The staff is tremendously friendly and probably one of the most redeeming qualities of the restaurant. On my most recent visit there, one of the employees actually brought over a complimentary round of fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies for our group. I am a lush for sweets so this went pretty far with me. The cookies were slightly underdone which made them delightfully gooey. Their dough to chocolate chip ratio was chip heavy, which was also appealing. But who wouldn't like a cookie overloaded with chocolate and still slightly resembling raw cookie dough? Again, nothing gourmet as it appeals to one's more naive flavor sensibilities.

I will say that it is difficult to be a unique sandwich shop when there are half a dozen competing purveyors within a 2-block stretch of road. So how does this place stack up? Well it is easily better than Pickerman's. It is cheaper and feels more personalized than Jimmy John's. And it feels about the same as Planet Sub... I'd have to agree with Justin G. that what this lackluster stretch of sandwich places really needs is a Potbelly or something of the like.

I like pickleman's a lot.  A great variety of sandwiches and salads.  They also have pizza.  I've tried two sandwiches and both were great.  One of my son's declared their pizza the best.