Village Deli Cafe quick bite for shoppers
By Colleen Coffield Sachs
Daily News Columnist

SANDESTIN – The Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin has lots of dining venues.
Some are upscale and some are homey. Most involve a sit down meal with table service. But if your main goal is shopping instead of eating, when hunger calls, you just want to grab a quick bite and get back to business.

The Village Deli Café provides that option from breakfast through dinner everyday. With a display case of desserts, a basket of cookies, pastries and fruit, chips, crackers, and Edy’s ice cream, it is also a possibility if you just want a quick snack.

Breakfast includes croissant sandwiches, biscuits with a variety of fillings, Eggs Benedict, beignets and pizzettes. The pizzettes are soft flatbread rounds prepared like a pizza with different toppings. All feature eggs.

The Coast Line Classic includes smoked salmon and cream cheese. The Greek has spinach, artichoke, Feta and black olives. The pizzettes weren’t bad, but they had the characteristics of mass-produced fast food. The bread was a little chewy, and the eggs were a little overdone.

A much better option was an order of beignets. These fried doughnuts were different from the version made famous by Café du Monde in New Orleans, but they were tender with a golden exterior. We tried the banana beignets that combine a plate of beignets with a Bananas Foster-style sauce. They were exceptionally sweet, but easily the best thing we had.

The lunch/dinner menu focuses on sandwiches and salads. Deli sandwiches, panini, and wraps are offered. Wraps include beef with oven-dried tomatoes and a blue cheese dipping sauce; and roast turkey with Swiss cheese and honey mustard.

Panini are hot pressed sandwiches. Two vegetarian options are the Marco Polo with grilled eggplant and marinara, and the Shroomini featuring a Portobello mushroom cap, roasted red peppers and goat cheese.

A list of signature sandwiches was where we found some of the best items among the lunch and dinner fare. The Club Intrawest features ham, turkey, roast beef, bacon, cheese and herb aioli on sourdough. Chicken or tuna salad is offered on a croissant, and Veg-A-Rama packs lots of fresh vegetables dressed with balsamic vinegar into a ciabatta bread sandwich.

My favorite dish for later in the day was a salad of tender lettuce topped with cucumber, marinated tomatoes and artichokes, chunks of fresh mozzarella, and red onion. The whole thing is dressed with a tart, but nicely balanced vinaigrette. This fresh, light salad tasted good, and made me feel good about what I was eating.

Other salads include a combination plate of chicken and tuna salads, a chef’s salad, a Caesar, and Bubba’s Shrimp Salad. Soups are offered, and we tried the French tomato soup one evening. Both its flavor and texture were unpleasant.

Tuna and chicken salad are offered by the pound, as are pasta, potato, and fruit salads. The Village Deli Café has a kids’ menu of peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, and meat and cheese sandwiches.

Being in the center of a tourist destination, The Village Deli Café also has things to make it easier for resort guests who want to entertain. There are party platters that feature fruit, cheese, meat and sandwiches; and a breakfast platter with fruit, yogurt and pastries. Baskets include wine and snacks.

The interior of the restaurant is tidy, and food offerings are visible either from the menu that hangs on the wall, or in display cases. Seating is at small tables, most with a nice view of the Village Street.

The only downside was indifferent service. On one visit the staff person didn’t say a word to us. On another visit, the server was abrupt and said unflattering things about the food as he delivered it to the table.

You aren’t going to find lots of made-from-scratch food at the Village Deli Café, but the setting is attractive and the food works when something quick is needed. If the restaurant can regroup on service, the dining experience could go from being utilitarian to being pleasant.