{"id":6701,"date":"2017-09-20T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T17:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=6701"},"modified":"2017-09-20T10:47:42","modified_gmt":"2017-09-20T15:47:42","slug":"maplewood-discount-deli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/09\/20\/maplewood-discount-deli\/","title":{"rendered":"Maplewood Discount & Deli"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mario Pacetti<\/em><\/p>\n

4124 Maplewood Dr. \u2022 Sulphur \u2022 337-625-5586<\/em><\/p>\n

If I\u2019ve learned anything over the few years since I started writing this column, it is that you can\u2019t look at the outside of a building and make an honest determination as to the quality of food that\u2019s served\u00a0 in it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>That statement has never been more true than when it comes to Maplewood Discount, which is a little convenience store tucked away off Maplewood Drive just west of Maplewood Middle School in Sulphur. I\u2019ve driven by that store a thousand times and have read their signs about being the \u201cHome of the Stuffed Burger.\u201d But because it has such a plain, run-down exterior, I have never had much interest in trying it out.<\/p>\n

But over the past several weeks, I\u2019ve had some people whose opinions I trust when it comes to food help me make the restaurant decisions rather than letting my eyes make up my mind. I and Chelsea and my niece Amber went to lunch recently; since none of us had been to Maplewood Discount before, we decided to grab three different burgers:<\/p>\n

\u2014 The Stuffed BBQ Brisket Burger, which is topped with grilled onions, barbecue sauce and two slices of pepper jack cheese.<\/p>\n

\u2014 The Stuffed Italian Burger, which is stuffed with pepperoni, salami, Italian sausage and shredded mozzarella cheese and topped with\u00a0 Swiss cheese, fried mushrooms and light marinara sauce.<\/p>\n

\u2014 The Mac & Cheese Stuffed Burger, which is topped with saut\u00e9ed onions and jalape\u00f1os.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I liked the mac and cheese burger a lot, but the brisket burger was my hands-down favorite because the barbecue sauce had a kick-ass flavor to it. Plus, how can you go wrong with brisket?<\/p>\n

Now, I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect with the Italian, but it came together well, and the Italian sausage was what made the Italian theme really jump out in each bite.<\/p>\n

This is a family business. The staff were so very friendly and were really interested in the fact that the customers loved their food. I was told that the mom is the real artist behind these insane burgers. But it is clearly a team effort that makes this situation work.<\/p>\n

As we were talking about how much I enjoyed the lunch, they told me that they were planning to open in the Nelson and Country Club area, which I felt would be a great move for them, since there are no burger places like this one anywhere near there.<\/p>\n

Go to Maplewood and try these rock star burgers, because if you haven\u2019t, then you\u2019re missing out, just like I was.<\/p>\n

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/p>\n

Miyako\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

915 E. Prien Lake Rd. \u2022\u00a0Lake Charles \u2022 337-478-1600<\/em><\/p>\n

Chelsea and I have been on a sushi marathon most of the year. Every chance we get to eat some spicy tuna, we jump at it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Well, of course, we have two or three go-to spots in Lake Charles, but for some reason I always forget about Miyako\u2019s on Prien Lake Road. We went in a few weeks ago, and as always, I was not disappointed.<\/p>\n

First, I must say that our waiter, Matthew, had the ideal personality for a waiter: he was more than ready to engage us, but never did he overstep and make himself intrusive. He had a great sense of humor that had us laughing several times. But his humor wasn\u2019t silly or a show for us; it seemed to just be part of his personality.<\/p>\n

OK, let\u2019s talk food. We started off with the Asian Tartar, which consisted of fresh tuna, avocado, cucumber, tomato and cilantro sandwiched between three layers of fried wanton skin. Our waiter asked us if we wanted two of these. But since we share so much of our meals, we thought one was enough. But after trying it, I realized Matthew knew we would want more, and we surely could have eaten more.<\/p>\n

We opted to go with three rolls. One was the Poseidon Roll with black pepper tuna and avocado inside. It was topped with spicy salmon, wasabi tobiko and a chef\u2019s special sauce. We also had the Jurassic Roll, made with spicy salmon, jalape\u00f1o and avocado inside and topped with black pepper tuna and unagi. It was served with eel sauce and spicy mayo.<\/p>\n

Finally, there was the Fantasy Roll, with spicy salmon, avocado and crunch inside; spicy tuna, snow crab and wasabi tobiko on top; and also served with eel sauce.<\/p>\n

The sushi tasted very fresh and simply melted in your mouth. I\u2019ve learned over the years that adding soy sauce to high-quality sushi only takes away from the natural flavors that come from the freshness of the ingredients, and that if I have to add soy sauce, then the sushi wasn\u2019t really that great to begin with.<\/p>\n

I know it doesn\u2019t sit in the hub of other restaurants, but don\u2019t let this little gem slip your mind as it did mine.<\/p>\n

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/p>\n

Toga Grill \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

4439 Nelson Rd. \u2022 Lake Charles \u2022 337-477-4142<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On a closing note, I stopped by with my close friend Garrett Broussard to see my friend Sammi, the chef at Toga\u2019s recently. We both decided to try the lamb chops, and I must say they were perfect! The meat had a nice pinkness to it. It was so tender it melted in your mouth, but it packed such a bold flavor that I couldn\u2019t put it down, even though I was already getting full from the cabbage rolls and hummus I\u2019d been throwing down on before the lamb chops arrived.<\/p>\n

I love what Sammi does with food. His passion for life is inspiring to watch. He has a great place and a wonderful family, which makes going to and supporting them a must.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mario Pacetti 4124 Maplewood Dr. \u2022 Sulphur \u2022 337-625-5586 If I\u2019ve learned anything over the few years since I started writing this column, it is that you can\u2019t look at the outside of a building and make an honest determination as to the quality of food that\u2019s served\u00a0 in it. That statement has never [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":6702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[264,1563,263,1564,262],"yoast_head":"\nMaplewood Discount & Deli - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/09\/20\/maplewood-discount-deli\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maplewood Discount & Deli - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Mario Pacetti 4124 Maplewood Dr. \u2022 Sulphur \u2022 337-625-5586 If I\u2019ve learned anything over the few years since I started writing this column, it is that you can\u2019t look at the outside of a building and make an honest determination as to the quality of food that\u2019s served\u00a0 in it. 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