McAlister?s Deli (Business Lunch Review)

We decided to try McAlister’s Deli the first Monday after they opened. As soon as we got there, we wondered if we had made a mistake. There were about 30 people in line in front of us, and the line wasn’t moving fast.

About 20 minutes later, though, we were at the counter and placed our orders. The buzz usually does that to new restaurants in Fayetteville. People are anxious to try them out. A month later, we suspect, the lines won’t be that long, though the owners of this franchise store probably hope we’re wrong.

On the day we went, it was also hard to find a seat. We lurked around until someone left, then quickly plopped down at the dirty table to stake our claim.

A waitress showed up at about the same time to wipe away the crumbs at our elbows.

We each had a big glass of McAlister’s tea ($1.50) to keep us occupied until our meals arrived. The tea comes in two varieties — sweetened and unsweetened — and refills are free.

Our entrées arrived after about 15 minutes.

The pot roast potato ($6.05) was big enough to feed two people. The splayed out tater was about the size of a flattened football. Inside it, huge chunks of tender pot roast swam in dark gravy with carrots. The pot-roast fan at our table thought it was the best spud he’s ever had.

“The gravy was thick and tasty,” he said. “The roast was tender.”

The other diner at our table had the Reuben sandwich ($5.75), which included corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on rye.

This diner really liked the Reuben. The corned beef was delicious, and thankfully there was more of it than bread — unlike some of the giant-bun places we’ve experienced before. The scoop of potato salad on the side was killer, too.

For dessert, we split a slice of Kentucky Pie ($4), which is a hot chocolate chip pecan pie topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and a cherry.

It was richer than Sam Walton holding a winning Powerball ticket, but we enjoyed it all the same. The ice cream mixed with the pie and syrup was so good, we wound up with chocolate all over our faces.

We enjoyed our meal and will return to McAlister’s soon. We think we’ll like it even more the next time, after some of the new has worn off.