There's something familiar about the Local Deli, even though the sandwich shop just opened this fall in Hayden's Prairie Center. Maybe it's the smell of fresh-baked bread or friendly greeting when you walk in the door. Or the faces of the Carhart family, who had operated Caruso's sandwich shop out of this location for almost a decade.
The menu is familiar, too, featuring many sandwiches leftover from Caruso's, like the Wallace Works — formerly the Godfather — with turkey, roast beef, bacon, and dressing ($6.75/$12.95), but now with your choice of cheese.
Yet the Local Deli is unique, says Shelly Carhart, in that they're emphasizing "simple and local."
When they made over the interior, it was with signage and furnishings from local businesses. The few items they don't make in-house are sourced as locally as possible. Sweetwater Bakery, for example, provides bagels, while Cheryl's Scones out of Coeur d'Alene provides scones.
New menu items include the Local Club: turkey, bacon, Swiss, cheddar, avocado, tomatoes, sprouts and ranch dressing ($6.95/$12.95). The Appleway Salad features romaine, spinach, apples, grapes, celery, onions, blue cheese, candied walnuts, raspberry walnut poppy-seed dressing and croutons baked from their bread ($6.75).
Additional menu items range from wraps to soups to salads, as well as breakfast. Try the herb tortilla-wrapped burrito ($5.75) or a breakfast sandwich ($4.75-$5.25). Their sandwich menu lets you choose from a wide range of meats and cheeses, as well as dressings and breads, including gluten-free options.
A separate catering menu means sandwich platters, box lunches and even foot-long subs to-go.
They even serve beer, with $1.95 pints for happy hour, yet the place is decidedly family-friendly, including a kid's menu ($3.95-$4.25) with chips or applesauce and small drink. Over time, they hope to increase the number of local products they use, says Carhart, a busy mother of five, including two who work at the business.
After running the business for nine years, says Carhart, they felt ready to strike out on their own. "So we took the leap of faith." ♦
The Local Deli • 113 W. Prairie Shopping Center, Hayden, Idaho • Open Mon-Fri, 7 am-8 pm; Sat-Sun, 10 am-6 pm • facebook/localdelihayden • 208-762-4676
