Center General Store

Route 52, Lincolnville Center

Sandwiches $5.49-$6.99

763-3666

For years, I’ve considered the Center General Store in Lincolnville Center one of the best-kept secrets for lunch. My husband first brought me there about seven years ago, while we were on our way to the coast. We had taken the back roads, and I had no idea where we were. Plus, I was annoyed because I wanted to eat in Rockport. But that all changed when we stopped in and grabbed a piece of pizza – heavenly – and a satchel of tamari-roasted almonds. Scrumptious.

Since then, this upscale convenience store has become my standby for homemade gourmet treats in a hurry. But the last time I stopped in, lured by the slate outside advertising a sandwich of roasted chicken and smoked tomato spread on crusty bread, things had changed. Owner Mary Lynch had ditched the convenience store concept altogether and turned the rustic space into a food haven.

Instead of just pizza and a side salad or two, the store now offers a full “Why Cook?” menu, which boasts “ingredients so fresh they might spank you!” The menu is filled with cheeky sandwiches such as Dr. Paradise: Or How I Learned to Love the Pineapple – thick cut ham, smoked Gouda, pineapple and green pepper with mozzarella; and “roll your own” wraps.

There are always a few tantalizing sides – orzo salad, roasted veggies – in the deli case, but I usually opt for thick-cut kettle chips and a Boylan Bottle Works black cherry soda.

Like I said, heavenly. And worth a detour, for sure.