With fresh ingredients and handmade ice cream, the build-your-own-sandwich and simple layout of Hillsdale’s new deli Handmade is worth a visit.
After Oakley’s Riverside Deli closed in 2014, the building on Hillsdale Street was shut down for two years. Derek Spiteri, 24, recently reopened the shop, now named Handmade, to sell handmade sandwiches, coffee, and ice cream.
While the new sandwich shop probably won’t have you calling home, it is a welcome addition to Hillsdale’s dining limited dining options. The sandwiches are satisfyingly filling, reasonably priced, and varied enough to make a return trip worthwhile. The award-winning ice cream, though a tad pricy, is advertised as the “best ice cream in Wisconsin.”
Surprisingly, Handmade appears to be a prime off-campus study location. The wooden tables, surrounded by an assortment of chairs, provide a calm, relaxing environment, and the instrumental background music doesn’t distract from studies. Plus, the wall is lined with outlets, and there are more open spots than AJ’s Cafe typically offers.
Clearly, the owners of Handmade pride themselves on their ingredients by displaying their meats and cheeses in a large cooler at the front. The turkey looks much more like Thanksgiving day turkey than your typical lunch meat, and the slices are cut thickly. Oakley lovers will be pleased to know the bread comes from the same baker as the bread at Oakley’s. Most of the options are square-shaped (including the nine grain wheat, sourdough, and rye), but the “Old School” French bread comes in 7-, 14-, or 21-inch loaves.
Among the nine flavors of meat, the “bacon lover’s turkey” is popular. In addition to normal meats and cheeses, Handmade also offers buffalo chicken, pastrami, cheddar with horseradish, and cheddar with garlic. All additional toppings are free, except avocado. Pro-tip: Try the bistro sauce. It goes well with most sandwiches.
Order your sandwich hot or cold, grab chips and/or drink (Coca-Cola products) if you like, and take the order to the register. Handmade’s 25-cent water cups are neither as big nor as cold as those from AJ’s, but the old-fashioned register at least provides a distraction. My order — honey barbecue turkey on 7-inch French with provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, bistro sauce, and water — came to $7.25.
Even with only a few employees, the wait was fairly short and the presentation was nice; my sandwich came with a pickle.
Though the French loaf was thick, the sandwich contained enough meat and toppings to avoid a bready texture. The honey barbecue chicken is delightfully sweet and the bistro leaves a tangy, spicy kick.
Then there’s the ice cream.
First off, sample as many as you like — even all eight flavors. From classics like vanilla and cookie dough to “Snap O’ Lantern” (pumpkin with ginger snaps) and “Fat Elvis” (banana ice cream with fudge and chocolate chips), the flavor varieties will please all audiences. The salted caramel flavor, which is charmingly labeled “This sh*t just got serious,” may pose a dilemma for employees; at what age can they begin telling children what this “stuff” is actually called?
I split my single scoop between two flavors: “Yippie Skippie” (peanut butter with pretzel balls and brownies) and “Exhausted Parent” (espresso-spiked bourbon). It might be worth being an exhausted parent if this is the kind of ice cream they eat: it’s uniquely flavored, incredibly creamy, and appropriately chunky.
Unfortunately, the $4 scoop only equaled about half an AJ’s single scoop, but they do offer waffle-cones. Pro-tip No. 2: Order a cone to receive a little more ice cream than the cup.
Perhaps the most unique item is the nitrate coffee: coffee brewed essentially the same way Guinness is.
Whether they come for the nitrate coffee, the classic and fresh sandwiches, or the stand-out ice cream, students now have one more homey Hillsdale restaurant to enjoy.