Chez Nous is a little deli just off of the I-15 in Scripps Ranch. Easy to miss and tucked into a little shopping center with a Carl’s Jr., a Subway and a sushi place, it’s easy to pass by it without giving it much of a chance. But looking at the listing for this place on Yelp you can see it’s hopping with its clientele fiercely vocal about a sandwich called the “Spicy Chicken Melt”.
Being that I haven’t always been a fan of spicy foods, I went here a long time ago and tried the Portobello Chicken Sandwich instead.
What I remember about this sandwich was that it was unremarkable and lacked serious flavor. The chicken didn’t taste like it was seasoned and the mushrooms fell kind of flat for me. And so, I did not visit again for many moons.
But, last week, I went twice in one week! Once, I went alone and finally had that one sandwich everyone raves about (spicy chicken melt!) and then I went again and took Jake, knowing full well that he would be bonkers for it.
And I must say it’s so nice to be so right.
Jake wanted to try a cup of the soup on this visit and I wanted to try the Pesto Pasta Salad. I liked that the pesto pasta salad had some veggies in it, but I had to sprinkle a little salt on it for my own taste. It kind of lacked some depth of flavor in my opinion, but I ate it with my spicy sandwich and it let my mouth cool off a little bit.
This is a cup of one of their soups, a Chicken, Corn and Sweet Potato Soup. I loved the bits of crunchy corn in this slightly sweet soup – the flavors melded together really well here. You had a little crunch, a little sweetness and a kick of spices in the background to play around in your mouth while eating it. Very good!
Here’s the tour de force, the Spicy Chicken Melt ($5.75 for a whole sandwich). I got a whole sandwich for Jake and a half sandwich for myself. I really wish I had known about the half sandwich earlier this week! Half a sandwich was perfect for me along with the pasta salad.
The spicy chicken melt is on specialty made jalapeno bread and is sliced thick. It kind of reminds me of thick cut sourdough but with pieces of jalapeno in the bread. It’s not overpowering or too spicy but does add some extra heat to the sandwich. Now, I’ve slowly added some spice into my life since I met Jake (ha ha!) so this is a spicy sandwich – and it lingers a little bit – but then goes away. I couldn’t eat the sandwich by itself though, I need something to break up some of the spiciness.
The chicken itself is in some kind of sauce – the owner/chef told us that the chicken is made in a sauce with 17 different spices in it and they go through boxes of spices every 2-3 days! There’s cheese and tomato slices on this sandwich as well, but you don’t really taste them. Jake, who does not like tomatoes on his food, didn’t even notice there was a tomato on his sandwich and almost insisted there was no tomato. It just kind of blends in with the spices! I also love that the bread is grilled and not just toasted. It makes such a difference!
Jake, of course, loves this sandwich more than I do but I still like it and would have it again, but in a half size, please. With some soup or pasta salad on the side.
Chez Nous
9821 Carroll Canyon Rd
San Diego, CA 92184
(858) 566-4766
Hours:
Mon-Fri 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Sat 10 am – 3 pm
Cash Only
