Franklin Square Deli–Kent Yummy Sandwiches

So it was a beautiful day (something rare for us this year) and I felt like getting on the motorcycle and heading out for something to eat, so I looked through my pile of Groupons (http://www.groupon.com/r/uu778548) to see what I felt like that would be a nice ride; well Franklin Square Deli fit the bill perfectly so I cruised down to check out this sandwich place right in the middle of downtown Kent.   Located at the corner of Water and Main Streets Franklin Square has a great location, close to most of the bars, near the waterfall and the riverside park and not a bad walk from campus.  The corner location is easy to spot and once inside you find a friendly looking sandwich shop with black and white tiles and a lot of car racing pictures and art.  The overall effect is a bit retro and different then I would have guessed for a college hang out, but they make it work. 

The staff was friendly and attentive, with good service.  Also in the short time I was there the friendly staff and owner when not waiting on customers was working hard to keep everything very clean and neat, so kudos for that.
Looking at the menu (which you can see here) quickly shows you that this is not really a deli, but actually a very good sandwich shop, with an emphasis on submarines, although they also have soups, bagels, pitas, salads and breakfast.  With the Groupon I ordered a whole tuna sub, a bowl of the clam chowder and a side of potato salad.  The food was prepared and presented to me in a reasonable time so I settled in to give things a try.
I started with the soup, which was preportioned and then heated up in the microwave.  Surprisingly, I found this to be a very nice rendition of Clam Chowder, well stocked with clams, potatoes and vegies, the soup itself was just a hint thin, but had very good flavor and balance.  By keeping it refrigerated and heating to order, they managed to avoid having the soup over reduce and thicken up.

Next up was half of the tuna sub (I had had them wrap the other half to take home for a later meal).  The half sub was more then enough for a meal and was well stuffed with good quality tuna and fresh vegies, including some nice peppers to wake up the taste buds.  The bread was good, but a little soft for my preference since I love a sub that has the really crusty bread with a soft interior.  The seasoned oil and vinegar topping added just the right touch to make everything meld together in a harmonious melody of flavors.   The side of potato salad was pretty much what you would imagine it to be, so neither a plus or a minus.

Overall I had a very pleasant lunch at Franklin Square Deli and I will hit it again when I am in the Kent area.  This is good quality food, simply presented and a step above most of the chains sub shops.  If you are in the Kent area and need a bite, check them out.