Ivan Kalensky
Restaurant Critic
You may think it’s hard to find a lunch for under five bucks within walking distance from the ISU campus. But the daily specials at Goody’s have bucked that trend for over 30 years.
With a long line of urgent customers one of the mainstays of the lunch rush, it appears that I’m not the only one that has found this gem on 5th Street right across the street from campus.
Since the 1960s, Goody’s has offered daily lunch specials for their sandwiches that range all the way from a turkey and cheese to a roast beef, bacon and paperback sandwich served with au jus known as “The Wendel.”
But if sandwiches aren’t your thing, Goody’s also offers Italian calzones called, “bombs” and boast that they have “the coldest beer in town” which is served in their pub.
The only issue with the bomb is that you have to wait about half an hour before you start chowing down. You can get your sandwich in under five minutes, depending on how long the line is.
Although almost all of their sandwiches are winners at prices that will keep you coming back, the hot pastrami served on rye bread is the only real way to go. They call it the “Pastrami Reuben,” but it isn’t one of their daily specials, so it’ll be a bit pricier.
The rueben is a hot sandwich which includes pastrami, topped with swiss cheese and broiled, giving it a pizza-like topping. I’m a purist, so there is no need for vegetables, but you can feel free to top it with whatever you see fit. Just don’t put mayonnaise on it because in New York any deli maven would blanch at that as it’s not part of the deli code.
Mayonnaise goes with light meat products, whereas beef needs something more substantial like horseradish.
At Goody’s, you have it your way because you build your own sandwich. There’s no accounting for taste, but if you don’t like your sandwich at Goody’s it’s your fault.
The only thing they miss out on is blue cheese. The French love their roquefort and the Italians love their gorgonzola, but you won’t find that at Goody’s.
You start by choosing your meats. They have choices of turkey, a variety of hams and even pepperoni and salami.
Then, you choose your bread. Your choices here are white, wheat or rye.
Then, you choose your vegetables and condiments. They have everything that you could ever want on a sandwich.
Finally, you cut it in half and eat it. If you want, you can get a bag of chip or a brownie with a drink.
Now here’s a hot tip about cold drinks at Goody’s: go for the canned sodas as opposed to the regular fountain drink. You will save about half a buck.
You eat lunch every day, so if you’re getting it done for less than five dollars you’re doing it right.
