Mark’s Score 8.8
The best restauranteur in Easton (by sheer volume alone) is Bluepoint Hospitality. But you can’t eat every meal at a Bluepoint restaurant. Sometimes you just want a sandwich.
A while ago, I had heard good things about The Ivy, but I still had a way to go before eating my way through Bluepoint restaurants. On my way back from St Michaels I happened to pass through Easton at lunch time. I wasn’t in the mood for a big meal and a sandwich sounded like it would hit the spot. So, the moment had finally arrived to try The Ivy.
Though the restaurant is surprisingly large, for a sandwich shop, it is easy to miss. It is located on West Dover Street on the south side of the Court House. The Court House’s solid brick wall, and the mature trees lining the street makes West Dover Street feel closed in. I walked right by The Ivy and had to turn back. Even then, I managed to walk through the dining room door rather than the courtyard door. You order at the counter immediately inside the courtyard door.
I walked in looking a bit lost and a helpful waitress directed me to the ordering counter in the back. I ordered “The Chad” which is a turkey sandwich with cheddar cheese on wheat bread and a bottle of San Peligrino. They handed me a number and I headed back to the dining room, without picking up my San Peligrino. It was only after I sat down that I realized I was supposed to pick up the water myself. I started to head back but a very helpful waiter offered to get it for me.
Now that I was settled in, I had time to look around. The first thing you notice about The Ivy is that it does not look like a sandwich shop, rather it looks like an art museum that happens to serves sandwiches. The warm wooden floors and the white painted brick walls gave the room a chic sophisticated urbane atmosphere. I could have been in Paris or New York.
As for the sandwich, I ordered a simple turkey sandwich because one way I measure the mettle of a restaurant is to see if they can make the ordinary memorable. It is easy to make a six-course meal memorable. It is much harder to make a simple turkey sandwich memorable. So how was the sandwich? The lettuce and tomatoes where crisp fresh, and full of flavor. They obviously used high quality cheddar, and the turkey was sliced from the bone, and not processed deli meat. I am not sure it achieved memorable, but it was never-the-less a very good turkey sandwich.
If you are in the mood for just a sandwich, do yourself a favor skip the fast-food chains and take yourself to The Ivy. You will get a very good sandwich in a lovely atmosphere. Can you ask any more than that from a sandwich shop?
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