CLOSED: Hickory Kist offers respectable meals, yummy desserts
A selection of food and desserts, photographed on Wednesday, at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork. Clockwise from front-center are a Turkey, Bacon, Avocado sandwich, a Roast Beef and Pastrami half-sandwich, a mud pie, Cream of Potato Soup in a bread bowl, a plate of chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, and a Coca-Cola cake.
A Roast Beef and Pastrami half-sandwich at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork.
The mud pie at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork.
A Coca-Cola cake at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork.
Cream of Potato Soup in a bread bowl at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork.
A mud pie, photographed on Wednesday at Hickory Kist.
Peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies offer delicious goodness at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork.
A Coca-Cola Cake, chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies and a mud pie, clockwise from top-left, photographed on Wednesday at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork.
A Turkey, Bacon, Avocado sandwich at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork.
A Roast Beef and Pastrami half-sandwich, photographed at Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork.
Hidden in a building marked “Meat Snacks, Gift & Deli,” within a neighborhood populated mostly by large industrial buildings, Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork is quietly serving up tasty sandwiches and treats in a place — on the inside — that evokes warmth and comfort.
If I’m being honest, a sign that advertises “meat snacks” is not exactly the kind of thing that stokes my appetite. But walking inside the building, I was immediately charmed by the interior: The cozy booths, hanging art and wood panels make everything feel old-fashioned and homey.
The entree menu is mainly sandwiches and wraps. Choose from over a dozen toppings on your choice of bread and meat, and they make it to your satisfaction. If you choose the smoked turkey, I recommend topping it with some cranberry sauce — a topping that I don’t see every day, but tastes great.
The roast beef makes for another good sandwich — or meat snack, if you will — and goes great with Angelo’s mustard and olives. And the smoked turkey salad makes for a great wrap — especially with bacon sprouts.
The bread is made right there in the adjacent bakery, and everything tastes fresh. A word of warning, though: The “full” sandwich is completely packed with goodness, and its size is not for the faint of appetite.
It would make a great date night, though, if your beloved has the same taste as you and wants to split.
But as yummy as the sandwiches are, the real prize here are the desserts. With a greater variety than even the sandwich menu, there are lots of ways to satisfy your “need for sweet” after your meal.
First of all, each sandwich comes with either a fudge brownie or a fresh cookie — but that shouldn’t stop you from trying the other items.
One flavor Hickory Kist has definitely figured out is chocolate. The double chocolate cookie, Oreo brownie and the “ohreo” — which has white filling smashed between two soft chocolate cookies — are all delectable, and, like the sandwiches, giant.
The chocolate, across the board, tastes rich and delicious. Unlike the sandwich-place-that-shall-not-be-mentioned (but which is named after the smelly underground transportation system), the cookies from Hickory Kist are not greasy or flattened, but perfectly textured and thick.
If you prefer the non-chocolate varieties, I strongly recommend the caramel apple cake. I also tried the peanut butter fudge and red velvet cookie, and while they weren’t my favorite on the list, those flavors rarely are. Peanut butter always feels like it’s missing its chocolate to me, and red velvet always seems like it’s ashamed of its. But if you like those flavors, you’ll probably like this cookie or fudge.
And I must admit, the dessert that satisfied me the most was perhaps the most simple: the Rice Krispie square. It’s huge (are you noticing a theme, here?) but it also had a full, rich flavor that I don’t often find when I make them myself.
So next time you need a place to have a respectable meal before satisfying your craving for yummy desserts — or you just need a little meat snack — don’t overlook Hickory Kist.
HICKORY KIST
Where: 1533 N. Main St., Spanish Fork
Prices: Around $7.99 for a sandwich, chips and drink, $1-$3 for desserts
Hours: Monday-Friday: 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sat: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Info: (801) 798-9895