Mid-Michigan Dining

• 3552 Meridian Crossing Dr. Suite 550
• Okemos, MI 48864
• (517) 853-1100
• No Known Website
• Menu

The State Side Deli at Meridian Crossings in Okemos

I’m not an expert on New York deli’s.  In fact, I’ve never eaten in one.  I’ve only been to New York City once and that was a quick weekend trip to see a baseball game in old Yankee Stadium with my brother.  We ate at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, La Famiglia Pizza in Times Square, and a bar near Madison Square Garden.  We were going to find a deli to get some corned beef but we never did.

I read the message boards at Chow.com quite often and the most popular question about dining in Lansing is “Where can I find a New York style deli?”  Recently, the answer has been State Side Deli.  I’ve heard a lot of good and only one bad, so I’ve been looking for an excuse to go. 

For the first time in about two months, I had a Saturday off.  No work.  No family in town.  No trips to Chicago.  Just a Saturday afternoon where J and I could do whatever we wanted.  What we wanted to do was go to Walmart.  J had a list of things she needed and can usually get cheaper at Walmart.  Since there’s really not one close to us, we were going to have to drive somewhere.  Since I there was a Walmart in Meridian Township, I chose that one so I could finally stop at that deli everyone’s been talking about.

State Side Deli is in the Meridian Crossings shopping center somewhere between Stillwater Grill and Starbucks.  You can see a sign from Okemos Road, but your better off if you enter on the backside which is techinically Meridian Crossing Drive.  There is an entrance in front, but the counter and tables are off the back parking lot.

It was a cold, rainy day and we sprinted towards the door.  There were a couple tables set up outside, but it was not a day that you wanted to eat out there.  There was also a rack full of menus.  I grabbed one and started looking it over.  When we got inside, we were greeted by a lady behind the counter.  The store is not that big.  The counter is in the middle.  There are some cases with desserts and ice creams.  There is no meat display like I would picture a deli having.  Above the workspace behind the counter is a menu board and it takes up the whole wall.  There are 56 sandwich combinations to choose from.  It’s pretty intimidating and we asked for a few more minutes to look it over. 

J picked out a sandwich right away, but I still needed some time.  Everything looks pretty similar, but there are a few differences in each and it takes a while to pick the one you want.  After about five minutes or so, I started to feel pressure to pick something.  Another family had come in behind us and I didn’t want to hold them up.  J had already ordered, so I quickly blurted out #3 which is a  classic roast beef sandwich.  I should have just ordered the corned beef.  Why I didn’t, I’ll never figure out.  The “Classic Fantastic Sandwiches” come on rye bread with lettuce.  I added cheddar cheese.  For another two bucks, you can add a pop and chips.  They have cans of pop and have both Pepsi and Coke products.  The chips are small bags of Lays.  I got a Pepsi and grabbed a bag of BBQ chips.

State Side Deli at the corner of Okemos & Jolly Roads in Okemos

J ordered #16 which is called Lance T’s Turkey.  Her sandwich came on white bread it was filled with turkey, applewood bacon, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  She also got the combo with a Diet Pepsi and a bag of baked Lay’s BBQ chips.

We took a seat and waited on our sandwiches.  It really didn’t take long.  Five minutes tops.  The guy making the sandwich reached over the counter and handed us two Styrofoam boxes.  We opened them up and our jaws dropped.  These were HUGE sandwiches.  Each half was easily four inches tall and most of the height came from the meat.  I had no idea how I was going to get it in my mouth.  I sort of nibbled on the front and whittled it down to a manageable size.  The roast beef was delicious.  It was so tender and just a little pink in the middle.  I made it to about the last three bites before I gave up and let the sandwich win. 

J’s sandwich was even a little bigger than mine because of the extras.  She peeled some turkey off and gave it to me to make her sandwich more manageable.  Her only complaint was the mayo.  She could have used a lot less.  She did her best to wipe some of it.  Still she loved the sandwich.

Our bill was a little pricey at just over $22, but we did get a lot of food.  We noticed another couple ordered one sandwich and split it.  If we could agree on a meat, it would probably be a good idea for us.  One half of a sandwich is enough for a meal.

One of the better things about State Side Deli was the people.  Everyone seemed friendly and took a genuine interest in our meal.  We were asked by all three people working if everything was alright and how we liked the sandwiches.  When the family behind us asked the cashier what the best thing on the menu was, every one of the employees said “#32!” at the same time.  Some places would just go generic and say “Everything is good,” but the folks at State Side aren’t afraid to brag about their speciality. 

Like I said, I have no idea if State Side Deli is comparable to a New York Deli.  The guy making the sandwich had what sounded like an East Coast accent and the desserts included cheesecake, carrot cake, and baklava.   Whether it is or not, State Side is worth the stop….next time, I’ll try the corned beef like I should have this time!