TGIF! I love my job and all, but there is something about Fridays that makes me excited. Perhaps it’s the fact that I treat myself to something special for lunch and for breakfast. Typically this means a stop at The Good Life Market in Raymond which just so happens to be the half-way mark between home and work (Raymond Elementary School). This place is great because it opens early at 7 a.m. and has a really diverse selection of foods.
I love going to this place because the people there are always so pleasant. The moment I walk through the door I am welcomed warmly, some of them even know my first name already and use it when saying hello. I typically take a moment to peruse their deli case which is usually filled with pre-made foods like salads, slaws and casseroles. I then size up their specials menu which may be small, only three items, but these items are very much worth a gander and sound amazing. They take your order and hand you a slip that you can take to the register to pay so there is no awkward “what did you order?” moment.
First things first: breakfast. Today I ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich that is usually served on foccacia bread. I ordered mine on their sour dough bread (I think it’s pretty amazing stuff). The sandwich was art. The sausage was seared to sweet and salty perfection. The cheese was melted beautifully, and the egg was scrambled and piled high like a cloud on the Panini pressed bread. I love it when my breakfast sandwich tastes like it came out of my own kitchen – all too regularly breakfast sandwiches come from places that are known for mass producing low-quality mass-produced, preservative-packed, breakfast sandwiches – The Good Life’s sandwich is fresh, tasty and great ‘til the last little crumb.
While they make my breakfast, I decide on my lunch. Sometimes I order a BLT – they have one on their menu that includes roast beef which is absolutely delectable, but some days I just want a straight up BLT, minus the L, add the O (onion). I make sure it is made on sour dough bread with their garlic mayo. This sandwich is phenomenal, don’t get me wrong, but today I wanted something different – the deli case had caught my eye. There on the middle shelf was a casserole dish piled high with mini-beef wellingtons. For those who don’t know what beef wellington is, it is an English dish that includes beef tenderloin and mushrooms all wrapped in puff pastry. The Good Life uses steak tips (genius!) for theirs. I ordered one of their wellingtons and a quarter of a pound of their minted melon salad.
The wellington was delicious. There were three juicy steak tips inside sharing the cavity with some pretty delicious mushrooms. The flavor the meat permeated the pastry crust and, though I was afraid it would be dry because I had to microwave it, the dish, as a whole, was moist and flavorful. I will definitely be on the lookout for this in their case again.
The minted melon salad was so fresh. It tasted as if they scooped the melon balls right before handing my container to me. The mint was a nice, flavor punch, with the juicy and sweet melon. The only thing that could make this better for me would have been a larger portion. This would be fantastic on a hot day, that’s for sure!
I think the best part of The Good Life Market is that it is conveniently located on Route 302. Those of us who pass it can make the emergency “oops, I forgot my lunch” stop. They have a really great market of higher end foods which includes a really great selection of wine. They also have a cheese section that could rival a French fromagerie. Their pies are also pretty amazing!
Highly Recommend:
Raspberry pie
Any baked good
Deli case items
Sandwiches
Soups
Smoothies
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