Taste Unlimited's flagship eatery will feed you well

Taste Unlimited’s flagship store is, like the restaurant’s menu, massive.

The eatery and retail spot moved to its Hampton Boulevard location this year, and it makes the most of the space. My friend and I perused rows of novelty foods while waiting to order lunch. Nuts, dips, spreads, oils, sweets, snacks, cheeses, drinks – you’ll find it all, and you can even sample some. If you aren’t hungry when you walk in, you will be soon. Pretzels with gingerbread dip and a bit of Taste’s own pimento cheese got our stomachs growling on this day.

That made our decision at the lunch counter tough. Taste’s menu includes salads, sandwiches, paninis, soups, combinations, and daily specials. You can choose a signature sandwich or build your own from myriad meats, cheeses, veggies, breads and dressings. The possibilities are endless.

I settled on a Stockley Garden salad topped with blackened tuna salad. My friend Lauren chose a three-cheese panini with bacon.

Neither entree should have been difficult to create, but my salad came up a full 15 minutes before her sandwich. For a restaurant that seemed to run smoothly despite a steady crowd, we were surprised and, well, annoyed.

Fortunately for Lauren, the sandwich was worth the wait. And while my blackened tuna salad had a nice bite and a side of crusty bread dipped in house dressing, I was jealous of the cheesy goodness just across the table.

I, though, was smart enough to order Taste’s best side: a giant dill pickle. My only mistake was telling the cashier not to slice it. When I return – and you can bet I will – I will have that puppy cut for me.

But that doesn’t mean I will share.