Delightful Delicatessen

Little corner sandwich shop in Oswego boasts delicious bites

By Christopher Malone

It’s always reassuring to see a restaurant excited about its food.

The Cutting Board at the corner of West Bridge and West Second streets has exclamation points after the words burrito, panini, and toasts.

Sure, this doesn’t say much about the food but you can’t dislike the confidence if it’s not hollow.

And The Cutting Board’s offerings are definitely not hollow.

The breakfast and lunch shop offers a variety of handhelds to fill your belly and ease those daylight hunger pangs.

If you’re not looking to dine in — there is a fair amount of room to sit comfortably and enjoy your meal — take your meal away. Keep in mind, depending on the size of your order, be sure to call ahead.

The Cutting Board at the corner of West Bridge and West Second streets in downtown Oswego.

Everything is made to order, so I spent my waiting time looking through the large-paned window and getting lost in my thoughts as the snow fell heavily in the Port City. A mix of Dave Matthews Band played through the speakers and bounced off the walls of this brightly painted eatery.

To kick off the meal, a 16-ounce PB (peanut butter) heaven smoothie ($4.50) helped get me back part of the way home.

The snow globe that is Oswego had my knuckles whiter than the snow, so the smoothie lasted longer than probably intended. The medium-thick smoothie didn’t disappoint.

The breakfast burrito ($5): a tightly wrapped three-egg and cheese with choice of meat

The rest of the food traveled well the 45-minute trek home. The breakfast burrito ($5) was a tightly wrapped three-egg and cheese with choice of meat. I opted for bacon and without asking for a preferred preparation, it came nice and crispy but not burnt to a crisp. The burrito had a good weight to it but it wasn’t overly filling, which is important for breakfast.

The toasts are prepared on crispy flatbread. The Fancy ($4) boasted raspberry preserves, goat cheese, apple slices and shredded basil.

Unfortunately, Cutting Board was out of goat cheese but that was OK with me. I love goat cheese — don’t get me wrong. But the flavor was still there.

The raspberry, apples, and basil combined for a beautifully bright flavor.

Like any toast — well, it’s toast. For a quick, easy and healthy option, it’s a good one.

The Fancy ($4) boasted raspberry preserves, goat cheese, apple slices and shredded basil.

I was slightly confused with the breakfast power bowl ($7). It didn’t really come with anything and the components in a clear to-go container. I prepared it all nice in a bowl at home. However, I expected everything would come in some kind of edible bowl.

The ingredients, however, were absolutely fresh and delicious, the hummus and avocado especially; there is spinach and mushrooms, too. The two eggs were perfectly poached to be easily cut open for the golden yolk to spill out.

And finally, we have the sweet chicken salad sandwich ($7). According to the menu in a message complete with an exclamation point, it comes with a quarter-pound of meat! The chunky chicken salad is sandwiched between ciabatta bread halves.

The chicken is joined by celery and grapes in a mix of mayo and cinnamon. The cinnamon is just enough. The crisp bites of grape halves and celery pieces add that subtle sweetness in each bite. The sandwich is solo, however.

With tip, the cost of the meal came to $37 and change.

The Cutting Board has a lot to offer for your day, whether you’re starting it or in the middle of it — or somewhere in between. If you’re looking for a place to relax or just take stuff to go, it’s a reliable option.

Featured image: Breakfast power bowl ($7): hummus, avocado, spinach and mushrooms, too. The two eggs were perfectly poached to be easily cut open for the golden yolk to spill out.