Cobblestones is a new sandwich shop in Monument Square, located in the space formerly occupied by Henry VIII (the old sandwich shop, not the dead monarch).
The menu is a mix of soups, sandwiches and salads. The decor includes, as you might have guessed, images of cobblestones.
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There are a few small bistro-style tables in the back, each with four seats, and some bar seating with about a half-dozen stools. There also are a couple of outdoor tables. When we visited, most people seemed to be taking their food to go, perhaps to take advantage of the sunny day awaiting outside in the square.
There are stacks of paper menus strategically placed in various spots around the shop, but the menu is also handwritten on large chalkboards hanging on the wall.
The menu includes a selection of soups, including three that are served daily — cream of tomato, Hungarian mushroom (which came in a mushroom-and-spinach incarnation on one visit) and Portuguese sausage and pepper. There is also a chowder of the day and a chicken soup of the day.
In addition to a seasonal garden salad, Cobblestones serves a Greek salad, a Caesar salad with house-made dressing, and a spinach salad that includes mushrooms, red onions, hard-cooked egg, dried apricots and roasted pine nuts.
One thing’s for sure, with the Wednesday farmers market taking place just outside its door, Cobblestones is sure to have access to fresh greens and veggies for its salads.
The shop makes five specialty sandwiches ranging in price from $6.99 to $8.99. On my first visit, I tried the house-roasted turkey breast, served on a multi-grain panini with sharp colby, roasted onion and garlic marmalade, shaved fennel and sliced tomato. You can’t usually go wrong with turkey, and this sandwich was fine, but I personally didn’t care for the combination of the fennel and the roasted onion and garlic marmalade.
While most of the prices at Cobblestones are more than reasonable, especially considering the quality of the food, I thought $8.99 was a little steep for a turkey sandwich.
On my next visit, it was really tempting to try one of the specials: a house-roasted turkey and rosemary garlic brie sandwich with caramelized onions and roasted red peppers on rosemary foccacia. But since I’d had turkey the first time around, I decided to try the El Cubano ($7.99), which was a grilled ciabatta filled with lime spiced, slow-roasted pork loin, ham, Swiss cheese, hand-tossed pickles, red pepper relish and whole grain Dijonaise.
The pork loin was tender, and the seasonings weren’t overdone. This sandwich was both satisfying to the taste buds and very filling — you could probably eat half and save the other half for later.
Other house specialties are a slow-roasted top round of certified Angus beef served with fresh grated horseradish, forest mushroom aioli, leaf lettuce and sliced tomato on a potato kaiser roll; hot Boston brisket pastrami with Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and whole grain deli mustard on marble rye; and braised certified Angus corned beef with “purple sliced slaw,” Muenster cheese and hot red pepper aioli on marble rye.
You can also build your own sandwich from the menu’s “sandwich bar,” or build your own half sandwich and pair it with a cup of soup or a demi salad.
This shop is a nice addition to Monument Square. The ingredients are fresh and in many cases homemade; the food is generally a step above many sandwich shops.
One minor quibble: It would be nice if they posted what the chowders and chicken soups of the day are on the chalkboard. Sure, you can ask the employee who takes your order, but knowing what soups are available up front helps you choose what else you want to order.
There is just one person at Cobblestones behind the register who takes orders (and who also appears to help with some prep work), and one person making sandwiches. I wondered on my first visit how the folks behind the counter would be able to handle a larger lunch crowd once the place got “discovered.”
Sure enough, on the next visit (during noon hour a few weeks later) it filled quickly with people ordering lunch, and it took much longer to be served. I watched three customers walk out the door without ordering once they eyed the line of people waiting. It’s a shame, not only because it’s lost business for the owner but because they missed out on some good food.
The Features staff of The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram anonymously samples meals for about $7.
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