NEW DEAL CAFE
3445 West University Ave.
352.371.1711
New Deal Cafe is located next to its sister restaurant, Mildred's Big City Food, on the busy corner of University and 34th. Despite the location in the heart of college Gainesville, New Deal seems to have that "hole in the wall" feeling. The dining area is not very large, consisting of a few tables lined up against the wall. The decor relies more on the well-picked colors of the paint and the large spherical hanging lights all over the restaurant than on actual things on the wall. It had a calm feeling. The menu had some variety but not very many options. It wasn't a bad thing; you can definitely find something to strike your fancy, but New Deal kept it simple with the number of menu selections. Because of the size of the place, service was pretty good. I asked the waiter a question about the tuna and then told him I was debating between the tuna melt and a burger, to which he matter-of-factly replied, "Get the burger." I hate when wait staff tells me both things I'm debating between are great and I could go either way because that just doesn't help me. I ended up getting the burger with white cheddar cheese ($9), although I have some thought to the mozzarella. Joining me were Lyle, who got the Margherita Flatbread ($8) and a cup of Seafood and Chorizo Soup, and Kaicee, who got the Eggplant and Tomato Panini ($8, picture).
My burger was cooked as I ordered and the bun was crispy and flavorful. The fries were delicious and tasted like they were baked, despite the fact that I saw the deep fryers. Whatever their secret is works very well. Lyle devoured the soup and both Kaicee and Lyle loved the salad that came with Kaicee's meal, saying that the dressing was delicious. When Lyle got his he asked if they had any garlic powder; the waiter went back and looked, and came back to apologize for not having any but said that the chef would mince a garlic clove for him if he wanted. Lyle said it'd be alright without it, but about 2 minutes later, the waiter returned with some fresh-minced garlic. Kaicee's panini was served on thick bread and came with olives and feta cheese. She took half of it home. For a quick lunch, New Deal did the trick and was delicious. And as a side note: Mildred's and New Deal buy all their produce, seafood, and meat locally and claims to have bought more local food this year than all other Gainesville restaurants. Pretty cool.
Food quality: 10/10 (30)
Service: 9/10 (22.5)
Ambiance: 8/10 (16)
Pricing: 8/10 (12)
Menu selection: 7/10 (7)
Composite score: 87.5
visit: http://www.mildredsbigcityfood.com/newdeal.html
3445 West University Ave.
352.371.1711
New Deal Cafe is located next to its sister restaurant, Mildred's Big City Food, on the busy corner of University and 34th. Despite the location in the heart of college Gainesville, New Deal seems to have that "hole in the wall" feeling. The dining area is not very large, consisting of a few tables lined up against the wall. The decor relies more on the well-picked colors of the paint and the large spherical hanging lights all over the restaurant than on actual things on the wall. It had a calm feeling. The menu had some variety but not very many options. It wasn't a bad thing; you can definitely find something to strike your fancy, but New Deal kept it simple with the number of menu selections. Because of the size of the place, service was pretty good. I asked the waiter a question about the tuna and then told him I was debating between the tuna melt and a burger, to which he matter-of-factly replied, "Get the burger." I hate when wait staff tells me both things I'm debating between are great and I could go either way because that just doesn't help me. I ended up getting the burger with white cheddar cheese ($9), although I have some thought to the mozzarella. Joining me were Lyle, who got the Margherita Flatbread ($8) and a cup of Seafood and Chorizo Soup, and Kaicee, who got the Eggplant and Tomato Panini ($8, picture).
My burger was cooked as I ordered and the bun was crispy and flavorful. The fries were delicious and tasted like they were baked, despite the fact that I saw the deep fryers. Whatever their secret is works very well. Lyle devoured the soup and both Kaicee and Lyle loved the salad that came with Kaicee's meal, saying that the dressing was delicious. When Lyle got his he asked if they had any garlic powder; the waiter went back and looked, and came back to apologize for not having any but said that the chef would mince a garlic clove for him if he wanted. Lyle said it'd be alright without it, but about 2 minutes later, the waiter returned with some fresh-minced garlic. Kaicee's panini was served on thick bread and came with olives and feta cheese. She took half of it home. For a quick lunch, New Deal did the trick and was delicious. And as a side note: Mildred's and New Deal buy all their produce, seafood, and meat locally and claims to have bought more local food this year than all other Gainesville restaurants. Pretty cool.
Food quality: 10/10 (30)
Service: 9/10 (22.5)
Ambiance: 8/10 (16)
Pricing: 8/10 (12)
Menu selection: 7/10 (7)
Composite score: 87.5
visit: http://www.mildredsbigcityfood.com/newdeal.html
4 comments:
I've eaten there several times as a friend of mine used to work there, and I frequently ordered the burger. Call me a glutton for punishment, but they never managed to cook it the way I wanted. One time they even brought the bun out completely burnt to a crisp, and when I complained, they gave me a bun that had obviously been in the fridge, since it was hard and cold.
Top that off with the fact the owner is a jerk, and no, I will never support him again (no matter how good the food is or how delicious their cakes are).
I agree about the management. They are not very professional at all. The day the let me go (during training) they had me work extra hours because someone was sick before telling me. And now refuse to pay me for that day because they say the don't have documentation.
But I will say the chefs are very talented and the food is good. But I can't ever step foot in there again because of how disgusting they manager is.
I've always had good experiences at New Deal. My mom raves about the Blue Cheese Burger, and I really like their paninis. The lemon aoili is amazing.
Well thankfully I had no interactions with the manager!
If I ever do I'll update you all.
Post a Comment