This location is now closed.
After work yesterday Kim and I passed Jan’s Brown Bag Deli which is located at the corner of the famed 153rd Street and Galaxie in Apple Valley. I’m a fan of deli restaurants, especially Pastrami Jack’s (also here) out in Minnetonka.
Anyway, I was out running around after work and noticed that Jan’s Brown Bag Deli was open for business. Interesting enough, why not loop back around (because the morons made 153rd one way) and go inside…
The Shops on Galaxie building is still under development. It’s seriously like they ran out of money and are hoping that as tennants take up residence they will get enough money from the rent to finish the job. There are only a couple of businesses that are open and one includes Jan’s Brown Bag Deli, I didn’t bother to poke my head into any of the others.
Anyway, Jan’s is obviously looking to get underway before they decide to finish decorating, building, and setting up. The store had a *very* unfinished look about it, especially the corner where the bathrooms are.
I went up to the counter (where there is no clear direction on what you need to do) and was handed a menu while I was looking at their selection of pre-made salads and imported cheeses. The menu overhead on the wall did not include anything about the sandwiches they offer and at first glance I wondered if they were only selling meats like a grocery store deli counter.
After giving the handheld menu a quick once over I took some time to see what Jan’s Brown Bag Deli had to offer. Their motto seems to be “Rediscover Real Food, Real Service, Real Value”. Not such a good motto when the first menu option happens to be “The New Yorker” a $14.49 sandwich (one pound of corned beef or pastrami on your choice of bread). Pastrami Jack’s offers a very similar sandwich for only $12.50. I can’t compare, other than price, as I have never had either but to say that you offer “Real Value” while charging $2.00 more is a bit of a stretch.
I read through the menu in its entirety and made selections for both Kim and I. I decided on “The Godfather” and their “Buffalo Ranch” sandwiches. Both were fairly expensive sandwiches for their size ($6.99) but I guess that’s what you get when you order “Real Food”. “The Godfather” was listed as “a sandwich that you can’t refuse - italian beef, mozzarella, grilled onions & peppers - may we suggest garlic bread?” The “Buffalo Ranch” was described as “oven roasted spicy buffalo chicken, monterey jack cheese & ranch dressing”.
My sole motivation for ordering “The Godfather” was their suggestion that I should try it on their garlic bread, unfortunately for me they had ordered it but it hadn’t yet arrived. Bummer. I looked forward to some fresh mozzarella on my sandwich based on their abundant selection of both imported and Wisconsin cheeses. Again I was disappointed (this time at home) to find that my sandwich was not only missing fresh mozzarella, it was missing the cheese all together. The grilled onions and peppers were a nice touch and added enough flavor to nearly forget that they fucked up but it still didn’t make it worth $6.99. I really would have been better off eating Subway.
Kim’s sandwich was really sliced chicken breast meat with hot sauce rather than “spicy buffalo chicken”. It did include the cheese, however, and when I tasted it I found the sandwich to be on par with what any 10 year old could come up with for an after-school snack while his parents were still at work.
The meals included a “side salad” and a pickle spear. Your choices of side salads were potato, pea and cheese, fresh fruit salads, cole slaw or “some pretty fancy potato chips”. You also had the option to enjoy just the pickle and sandwich for 50 cents less. Sadly, I didn’t read that last part until just now or I would have happily skipped the meager “side salad” options and enjoyed my pickle. Oh wait, I didn’t get any pickles either. Boo.
In total they offer about 25 sandwiches. Some are just minor variations on others (including melting the cheese), some are interesting enough, and others are your homecooked favorites like grilled cheese ($4.39). Nothing really stood out as *exciting* or *thrilling* and it’s certainly not something I feel like running back to this second to fill up again (even though I’m still starving) but I guess if you’re anti-Subway/Blimpie and you want to try something new, it’s good enough for that.
In addition to sandwiches, they offer a coffee bar (which I didn’t explore but the menu claims includes an “enormous selection”), fresh deli meats (which pale in comparison to what Kowalski’s offers), and some fresh fruits and vegetables which currently include onions, garlic (at $5.29 a pound), and lemons (.99/ea). They also have a small stock of olive oils and garlic roasters. Weird.
They will deliver on orders of $15 or more. Our two sandwiches (no drinks, etc) came out to be $14.69 so it’s quite possible to easily make that.
At the bottom of their menu they mention that you should join them for “afternoon tea”. They apparently serve an “authentic afternoon tea” Monday through Saturday from 2:30pm until 5:00pm (they do it on Sundays from noon until three). Choose from English Cream Tea or an Irish Country Tea. They also offer a Children’s Tea (whatever the fuck that is). They suggest that you call ahead to reserve seating…
Perhaps after they finish getting everything setup, get their staff trained a bit better (I wanted my fucking pickle you bastards), and the rest of the Shops on Galaxie get going, this might end up being a nice little location.
They’re open M-F 6AM until 8PM, Sat from 6 till 6, and Sunday from 11:30 until 4. You can find them in the Shops on Galaxie on the corner of 153rd and Galaxie at 15322 Galaxie Ave #101. For call ahead seating or delivery try them at 952-431-DELI (3354).
See all the pictures from today here.
Related posts:
August 10th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
The deli in Apple Valey sounds like the food is superb…even if the describer (Minnesoooota Kim’s friend) doesn’t know that children’s tea is mint or other uncafenated so the little darlings can sleep.
The rest of the comment was edited by the admin to remove the off-topic and pointless content
August 10th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Thanks for the info that I could have easily found on Google. As far as you go… What would a Texan searching for “picture brown bag over head” care about a deli in MN for?
Strange.
September 18th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Geez, where to begin . . . sorry you couldn’t see the sign that said “Order Here” and the rug that said “You are here”. Tell me Pastrami Jack’s uses Boar’s Head brand products in their sandwiches - the only deli meats and cheeses you will find in New York - and perhaps we can discuss the price difference. The Godfather never claimed to have fresh mozzarella, it is made with the Boar’s Head mozzarella. If, however, you had wanted fresh mozzarella, we would have happily made it that way for you. We can only apologize for not providing the cheese at all, and especially for the lack of a pickle. As you noted, we are new and still learning. If you had read the menu as thoroughly as you say, you would know that your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. This means that we want you to tell us when we “fuck” up so that we can make it right for you. We still invite you to come in for a free sandwich to replace the one that was such a bitter disappointment to you, although if you really believe you would be better off at Subway, I suppose that’s where you should take your culinary expertise.
Kim’s sandwich was indeed made from oven roasted spicy buffalo chicken breast - check with your friends at Kowalski’s and they’ll point it out to you - and to claim it was not is nothing short of slanderous. The so-called pre-made salads you referred to are made fresh in our kitchen each and every day from our own recipes. Get your facts straight before you bulldoze somebody’s hard work, would you please?
I so appreciate your prediction that we “might end up being a nice little location.” Certainly with such well-researched and thought out reviews like yours, how can we miss? Next time you put your heart, soul and lots and lots of money into something, be sure to invite me over to tell you how much it sucks. Now really, who’s the bastard?
September 18th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
Tell me Pastrami Jack’s uses Boar’s Head brand products in their sandwiches - the only deli meats and cheeses you will find in New York - and perhaps we can discuss the price difference.
I can’t tell you what Pastrami Jack’s uses as I don’t remember off the top of my head and their website/menu doesn’t say. I’m really not interested enough to call them and ask as my personal tastes find nothing special in Boar’s Head meats (growing up eating it in Northeast PA) other than their prices and obnoxious claims by those that sell them that they are above average.
The Godfather never claimed to have fresh mozzarella, it is made with the Boar’s Head mozzarella.
You’re correct, I was only *hoping* that it would be loaded with fresh mozzarella.
We can only apologize for not providing the cheese at all, and especially for the lack of a pickle. As you noted, we are new and still learning. If you had read the menu as thoroughly as you say, you would know that your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.
Thanks, apology accepted. It’s always nice that owners are willing to accept responsibility for their actions rather than just trying to throw a free meal in your face…
We still invite you to come in for a free sandwich to replace the one that was such a bitter disappointment to you, although if you really believe you would be better off at Subway, I suppose that’s where you should take your culinary expertise.
Ahhh, there it is…
I routinely do take my “culinary expertise” there. At least I know I’m eating poor quality food for reasonable prices. At least they don’t pretend to be anything else.
Kim’s sandwich was indeed made from oven roasted spicy buffalo chicken breast - check with your friends at Kowalski’s and they’ll point it out to you - and to claim it was not is nothing short of slanderous.
Boar’s Head “Oven Roasted Spicy Buffalo Chicken Breast” is fairly poor IMHO then. Even moreso than the rest of their overpriced offerings!
The so-called pre-made salads you referred to are made fresh in our kitchen each and every day from our own recipes. Get your facts straight before you bulldoze somebody’s hard work, would you please?
Are you claiming that they aren’t “pre-made” and instead claiming that they are made fresh right before our eyes? My comment that they are “pre-made” means exactly that — you made them that day, earlier. Sorry for the confusion.
As far as the quality of your “hard work”, I guess to each their own but I was originally talking about the sizes of the salads, not their quality but we personally thought that some frozen peas, mayo, and cubed cheese would have tasted tons better than what we were offered at your store. To each their own goes for foods too.
Next time you put your heart, soul and lots and lots of money into something, be sure to invite me over to tell you how much it sucks. Now really, who’s the bastard?
Thanks, you just did!
March 1st, 2007 at 10:34 am
I agree, this place is way overpriced and the subs are just average. I had the nuclear sub and a side of cole slaw. The sandwhich was much smaller than expected for ^$6.99 and reminded me of something you’d get in a college dorm cold cut sandwhich line or at a hospital cafeteria in plastic wrap. You’re better off at Milio’s or Jimmy John’s for more food, although less choices, but better tasting and about $2 cheaper. They also didn’t give us a pickle.
March 19th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Hey,
I’ve been to Jan’s and, while the food may not be of “New York” grade, the staff is fabulous, and fun
to be around. That must count for something…..
March 19th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Thanks for the comment.
June 17th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I would wholly agree that I was dissapointed at Jan’s brown bag deli. I ate there just a week ago, that being june and there haven’t been any improvementsthat i can see, since your description from months ago seems to still fit. My “toasted” bread from my sandwich was so dry that it cut my mouth, the potato salad was inedible and flavorless, and the prices didn’t seem worth it to me. I could have made a much better sandwich at home and not spent $7 on it.
June 18th, 2007 at 7:57 am
I feel badly about this but I to am going to have to join the chorus of bad reviews on Jan’s Brown Bag Deli.
I went there this past Saturday for breakfast. My friend and I are always looking for good breakfast places and finally decided to give Jan’s a try. I was very disappointed in the whole experience. I’m not bashing here for the sake of bashing. I think the owner or owners need to hear what people are saying here. I know how hard it is to make a business go and the restaurant business is one of the most difficult to survive in. I ordered a breakfast burrito and my friend ordered one of the croissant breakfast sandwiches and we both ordered iced tea. The best thing about the whole meal was the peach iced tea. It was wonderful. Easily some of the best iced tea I’ve had in a long time. But the (2) rather small glasses that we received were the last of the tea apparently. So this meant no refills, which we would have been happy to purchase, but that was not an option. Finally after about 20-25 minutes or so our breakfasts are delivered to our table. I took one bite of my burrito and sadly couldn’t make my self swallow it. It was lousy. The burrito breakfast at McDonalds, which I confess to having eaten on occasion, beat this hands down. My friend’s croissant sandwich was like a deflated tire. The taste was ok but visually it was very unappealing. We both really wanted to like Jan’s. It is close to where we live and would have been a nice place to add to our breakfast spots. I hate to write this place off after one visit but there was very little to encourage a second visit.
June 30th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
I think the quality of the food is good (a little pricey, but not too bad). I’ve been happy with the soups. My only real complaint is that the menu doesn’t offer anything exciting…for an example of what I’d LOVE to see on a menu, see: http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/outoftown/pennsylvania/philadelphia/west/kochs/kochsmenu.jpg
(That’s the menu of my all time favorite deli).
On the up side, their espresso is wonderful! And from a local roasterie…
-Mike
July 9th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I too visited Jan’s Brown Bag Deli as I work very close and would rather support the local deli than a chain. I ordered the nuclear sub and I too was disappointed with it. The bread was dry, the sub was boring and nothing justified the price. I really hope to see some improvements as I would love to go there every day for lunch.
Hands-down the best deli in the Twin Cities: http://www.caffreysdeli.com
Three-pepper chicken and ranch gobbler are awesome. I should also say I have no affiliation with them except that every time I’m in there I ask if they would sell me franchise rights :).
July 16th, 2007 at 7:25 am
Well, I hope you’re all happy with yourselves and your negative remarks you’ve left–the place is now closed. I was really craving a Pub Grub and went there yesterday to get one. I for one enjoyed the food and like many others prefer to support a local business over a chain.
For the record, I got a pickle EVERY TIME I went there!!!
Goodbye Jan, and Godspeed.
July 16th, 2007 at 7:29 am
Patti,
Thanks for the heads up on the closure. Unfortunately, I’m more disappointed that even though Jan herself read this thread, she didn’t make the changes to her menu, staff, and restaurant to make it as successful as it could have been.
July 16th, 2007 at 8:06 am
Patti: If you truely blame the negative posts on this one site for the closing of the business you enjoyed, please share in the blame if you did not post a positive comment with worthwhile and informative comments in support of the restaurant before it closed.
July 16th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I am sorry to see this place fail. There is such a great opportunity for take-out food in Apple Valley and surrounding communities.
Restauranteurs and/or would-be restaurant investors should take particular interest in the story here as well as the parallel commentary here about Satay 2 Go just a stone’s throw away from Jan’s Brown Bag Deli.
I hope Bill will grant me the liberty to speak directly to those restauranteurs/investors for a second. Here goes:
Let me introduce myself. I am the population of folks here in the south metro that is seeking to dine out quickly, simply, and with very little demand other than a couple of things:
Please, PLEASE, PLEASE offer something I cannot easily make at home. If you insist on centering your menu around soups, salads and sandwiches, PLEASE make them interesting and/or unique in some way or offer some variety that is not easily made, or practical to make at home. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, please send SOMEONE to, at the very least, one or more of the legendary delis in the country like Katz’s in Manhattan or Langer’s in Los Angeles, or even a reasonable semi-local facsimile like Jake’s in Milwaukee. While they’re away, say the Manhattan option, send them to the Soup Kitchen International, Russ & Daughters, Zabar’s, etc. to witness the potential that thoughtful product offering can create.
If that’s not possible or practical from a cost perspective, MAKE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR STAFF MEMBERS familiarize themselves with the history and culture of the American diner, delicatessen, pizzaria, whatever it is you are trying to emulate.
Sombody, SOMEBODY please teach some deli staff how to steam and hand slice a slab of pastrami or corned beef.
We don’t want sandwiches we can assemble from the cold cut case at Cub. We don’t want to pay $5.00 for Sysco-grade soups even if you did get up at 4 a.m. to make them from scratch. Making something from scratch doesn’t magically make it great. I don’t want the same pasta salad that was next to the cold cuts at Cub.
I’ll even go so far as to offer ALL OF YOUR STAFF a ride (as many as will fit in my stereotypically suburban Toyota minivan) up to Grand Avenue in St. Paul (Cafe Latte) for the elementary education on how to make a soup, salads and sandwich joint work. We’ll stop off at the Birchwood in Minneapolis for the Masters Degree course and maybe to Punch or Pizza Nea to beg for a branch to go in somewhere in Apple Valley or Burnsville. I’ll run you by Maverick’s in Roseville, an AWESOME place based on the wonderful simplicity of THOUGHTFULLY MADE and UNIQUE roast beef sandwiches.
Or do kebabs. Whenever I visit the D.C. area, I have 8,000 quick service kebab joints to choose from within a walking distance from wherever I’m visiting. NOTE TO RESTAURANTEURS….MINNESOTANS ARE GA-GA FOR FOOD ON A STICK. HELLO!?! Every gosh damned region on this earth has SOME variety of food on a stick. Open a take-out place, similar to Chipotle, where you go down a line, select from Middle Eastern kebabs, Asian skewers, American kebabs, Fish kebabs, Veggie kebabs or whatever, offer up a couple types of rice or grilled veggies on the side, some sauces, charge $7.00 and move people through the line. It’s offers healthy options and it’s more portable than a massive Chipotle burrito or Noodles & Co.
While you’re at it, you can do what Satay 2 Go is doing to rave reviews — come out from behind the counter and INVEST in your consumer by expanding their culinary horizons a bit.
I don’t have the time or patience to mix an overnight marinade for my chicken kebab and then whip up a side of couscous with toasted pine nuts when I get home from work. I SURE AS HELL WOULD LOVE A TAKEOUT PLACE IN APPLE VALLEY TO DO IT FOR ME AND I WOULD GLADLY PAY FOR THE EFFORTS.
Unfortunately, the restauranteurs and/or would-be investors in restaurants insist on opening places to offer the same crap we can make at home or get at a million other places just up the street.
Another case in point — in Burnsville we’re getting “Jo Jo’s Rise and Wine” a coffee and wine bar with an attached meeting facility because the owners said “there’s no place like that where you can have a quiet glass of coffee or wine and chat”. WHAT THE HELL IS CHATEAU LAMOTHE/MARCEAL’S WINE BAR just down the street??? (Answer: a wine bar with quiet, comfy gathering space for conversations and an attached meeting/event facility).
Enough with coffee, sandwiches, soups and salads. Give me a neapolitan pizza place, a kebab joint, some real Chinese food, a kick ass burger joint, an honest bakery or ice cream place like Izzy’s/Pumphouse Creamery/Sebastian Joe’s or SOMETHING NEW.
ARGH. I’ve had it. Rant over.
p.s. - PLEASE people, get into Luxury Sweets next to the Brown Bag and try their gelato. This IS something different here in Apple Valley area (gelato) and they really do a good job with the product. I worry about them though because they have such a massive space and, from my experience or lack thereof, do almost ZERO marketing. They should have been out at the Ironman Bike Ride, Apple Valley 4th of July Parade, etc. I never see anything about them anywhere.
July 16th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
In response to “sui generis”–I just stumbled upon this site today when I googled “Jan’s Brown Bag Deli” to see if I could find any information as to why it closed. Had I known this about this site, I GUARANTEE YOU I would have posted positive comments.
As for Luxury Sweets–I’ve been there and the gelato is FANTASTIC!!!!
July 16th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I GUARANTEE YOU I would have posted positive comments.
Why? The food and service were sub-par and the prices were quite a bit higher than they should have been. What did you like about Jan’s that we didn’t?
July 16th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
I always had good service and good food when I went there. Perhaps we visited on different days at different times; that could have a lot to do with any opinion concerning a restaurant. My visits tended to be on Sundays when perhaps they were less crowded than other days. I agree that the prices were higher than say, Subway, but I’d rather pay a little more and support a local business (just a personal preference).
July 16th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I guess we all have different opinions as to what is good and what’s worthwhile.
From what I have seen written here and from what I’ve heard both at the restaurant itself and from others that don’t post here, the service was never good and the food was never anything but mediocre.
YMMV.