Brown Dog Deli – A Game Changer in the Charleston Sandwich Scene

By Mark A. Leon

We have all walked past Brown Dog Deli located at 40 Broad Street hundreds of times.  Perhaps on your way to the Art Walk or Blind Tiger.  Maybe you were looking up at the church steeple and you didn’t even notice.  It is a small unassuming restaurant that provides a safe haven of dining and delivery to the Broad Street, Battery and peninsula community.  As you walk in, there is a casual look and feel.  A nice bench in the front window as you wait for take out; a soda machine and two vats filled with sweet and unsweetened Ice Tea; tables in a small open setting and staff scurrying around to meet your needs.

Brown Dog is a traditional deli offering:

• Salads
• Wraps
• Traditional Deli Classic Sandwiches
• Specialty Sandwiches
• Assortment of homemade sides (We recommend the hummus or macaroni salad)

Here is what you need to know and this is the secret we are finally going to unleash:  The food is outstanding.  The peninsula has transformed itself to a foodie paradise where inventive dishes have created a competition that lives and breathes on its own.  Hidden in this renaissance is a traditional deli environment surrounded by lawyers and fine art that delivers some of the most enticing salads and sandwiches in Charleston.

There are two specialty sandwiches we would like to tell you about that we recently tried:

• “The Grateful” Duck Club – This memorable gourmet sandwich includes:  apple-smoked duck breast, cashew butter spread, peach-ginger-pepper jelly, bacon, colby-cheddar cheese, arugula, & sherry walnut apple salad on a toasted sourdough bread.  Let me ask you, how long does it take to typically eat half a sandwich (yes, we shared it)?  I am thinking five to ten minutes, maybe fifteen if you engage in a thought-provoking discussion.  This half a sandwich took over 45 minutes to eat.  Not because I was super busy with work, but because I savored each and every bite.  The sweetness of the jelly and apple salad combined with the hearty bacon and duck was heavenly.  I was a little surprised at the thought of arugula, but it added a refreshing tartness to the sandwich.  As referenced in the title, this is a game changer.
  

• Apple “Butter” Jeans – A beautiful autumn creation made with warm melted brie, sliced Granny Smith apples, local apple butter, fresh arugula, mesquite smoked turkey, honey ham, and applewood-smoked bacon served on a panini-pressed local French baguette.  Some sandwiches scream a season and if one was born for the fall and winter, this is it.  Typically, you cannot go wrong with brie and apples on a baguette, but add smoked turkey, ham and bacon and oh my do you have a meal.  Once again we shared and one half of this sandwich was enough to fill your appetite.
  

Brown Dog Deli does offer a combination option that includes a drink and side to make your meal complete.

If these two gourmet delights do not put you in a curiosity frenzy to stop by for lunch, then the Salmon, watermelon, feta cheese salad, chipotle chicken cobb salad or Mesquite Turkey Croissant (brie cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, sprouts, red onions & cranberry-pepper jelly) should completely win you over.

Wesley Denney, is titled a cuisine artist on the website and the mastermind behind the menu, What he does is more than create culinary art, he has mastered a true marketing victory.  By catering to the traditionalists and the creative salad and sandwich diners in a comforting setting, he has built a home for northern tourists, locals and business professionals from government officials to art curators.  With fresh local ingredients, gluten-free options and refreshingly explosive menu of mouth-watering dining treats, Brown Dog Deli is a winner in the Charleston casual dining space.

If you are looking for a craft beer to wash down these great menu selections, rest assured, they do offer a fine selection of drafts and bottles.  Come in for lunch or dinner, but not too late, they do close at 8:00 PM.  Come in for lunch or dinner, but watch out, it could get addictive.