By James Yeary
special to the chronicle
The fall 2017 semester has seen a wave of new on-campus dining options; the Netherlands Core is now home to a Boar’s Head Deli and a diner-style menu at the Oak Street Café, an Au Bon Pain has appeared across from the library elevators and Hofstra U.S.A. is now a Smashburger. Most students wouldn’t think to look off-campus for meals. But great quality “made-to-order” food can be found much closer than you would expect. A five-minute walk from the West Bridge (commonly known as the Netherspan) will lead you to BrickTown Deli.
Founded by Brandon Richardson, the 24-hour deli is known for its wide variety of choices for every meal, as well as for placing an emphasis on preparing specialties in the style that their customers want. One of the deli’s main cooks, Kevin, strives to give patrons a memorable dining experience.
“Cooking is a form of art,” he said. “You have to love what you do, you have to have passion and care about your customers and their delicacies. I want my customers to have it their way, that’s why they always come back to BrickTown.” Kevin listed the meals he was cooking that day – cheeseburger empanadas, pizza and chile with rice – none of which are on the official menu.
He also mentioned that many Hofstra students come to BrickTown so regularly that he has his own nicknames for them. On top of their commitment to specialties, the deli offers everything from classic bacon, egg and cheese rolls to grilled chicken wraps and homemade macaroni and cheese.
The restaurant’s name comes from the very beginnings of the deli business in Richardson’s family; his great-grandfather opened his first deli in Bricktown, a small neighborhood in South Jamaica, Queens.
He explained the schedule the store follows when it comes to menu choices, “We have the regular menu where we do breakfast, lunch, dinner: sandwiches, subs, burgers. But from Wednesday to Sunday nights, if there’s anything in particular that you would like, we have special dishes and can do that for you.”
He added that he would recommend the country hero (the deli’s best seller) or the bacon double cheeseburger with fries for any new customers coming to BrickTown from Hofstra for a weekend lunch.
As a current sophomore, I’ll admit that I had not heard of BrickTown until toward the end of my freshman year, but I wish that I had known about it from day one. Located on Fulton Ave, the deli is well within walking distance of campus and offers exactly what college students need: a wide choice of food.
The only complaint that I ever have when my parents ask me about how I’ve been eating is the fact that when I’m on campus, I tend to eat the same things almost every day. Having a restaurant that can offer as diverse of a menu as BrickTown so close to campus completely solves that problem, and I have a feeling that I’ll be heading back very soon.
