Archie and Sons- Luncheonette et al

Not quite sure how Archie and Sons got on our radar, but it did and we were determined to get there.  The menu looked straight-forward enough, but some times a girl just needs a good luncheonette that is a no-brainer; there are only so many days that you can sit at Eisenbergs, and not every meal has to be a major event.  Archie and Sons seemed like an every day sort of option. We walked over there one rainy day and have to say that we were a little, not disappointed, but surprised when we saw the size and the structure at Archies; it is a narrow space with some counter seating as well as tables, and you order up front and have your food brought over.  Every thing was bright white and new, with old-school linoleum of tables and soda-shop stools.  The menu is straight-forward and familiar,  a mix of some breakfast specials with hand made salads (tuna, crab, chicken) , available as platters or sandwiches.There are also some unique yummy melted creations (Greek Pizza) and salads (honey-mustard chicken) that seem to be part stoner ideas that ended up working out.

Anyway, you order at the counter and take a seat,  unless you are taking your order to go like a lot of people that we saw, or had ordered from Seamless, a process that we watched the staff deal with as well.  Everything is pretty transparent, you can see the entire kitchen (grills, etc) and watch the action.  Things seemed a little hectic when we were there, but when our food came, it was delicious- classic, quality comfort food executed cleanly.  I had a tuna melt on rye with cheddar cheese, and chose cole slaw as my side.  Sister had the Greek melt, and got the macaroni salad due to heavy lobbying from the man at the counter; we heard  him repeat his pitch for the macaroni salad several times, and it is really quite good.  We also split a chicken soup.  The soup was fine, full of noodles and chunks of chicken, a little oily and not quite salty enough.  The tuna melt was perfection, with the bread cut neatly into four open faced slices, and just needed a slight bit more toasting on the bottom.  The Greek pizza is something that I would never order but kind of now see myself craving; it is an open face creation of whole wheat pita (you choose the pita) with spinach, onions and feta melted with low fat mozzarella.  It sounds like something a girlfriend of mine would make late -night to merge drunk food with being healthy, but the spinach is cooked nicely and seems to have been sauteed with some garlic, and the warm feta gives it all a little bit more sophistication.

The owner was on the line expediting and came over to chat with us (our mutual friend had told him we were stopping in).  He made up an amazing sampling platter of the rest of his cold salads: egg white and spinach (his favorite as a kid), chicken and pea salad, crab salad, and honey mustard chicken salad.  He also sent over some potato salad.  All of the salads were fresh and delicious, sticking to the ingredients that their names suggest.  I am partial to artificial crab in any form, and loved the crab salad, and Sister was taken with the honey-mustard chicken salad- they all would be solid  salad bets in sandwich or platter form.  We wish the best for Archies- it might not sound so exciting, but it is a great place to go when you need a meal and want it taste like it should.  The salads and sides are clearly steps above bodega fare, and you won’t feel gross or guilty eating this at your desk.  When you can’t think of what you want for lunch, think Archies!