M Kay Supply Deli is much better than just mmkay

We traveled to Benton this week to eat at a farm/hardware/anything-you-can-think-of store. M Kay Supply, located very close to the off-ramp of I-55, truly and honestly surprised me. One of you gave us a tip to go try out their deli sandwiches, and wow, are they tasty and huge.

Upon entering the store, I was immediately impressed by the sheer volume of stuff the proprietors had packed in the building. Toys, hardware, coolers, liquor, funny cookbooks -- it seemed to all be there. My next impression was the fact that this was actually a well-designed interior. Lots of huge beams of wood and hunting trophies gave off a very slick feel, like a large sporting goods store, but with more heart.

We wandered around for a little bit before we found the deli tucked into the right back corner of the building. Once again, there was an unexpected surprise: an actual restaurant sitting on the edge of this store. Long, warm wooden tables gleamed with glossy varnish, loaded up with 12 chairs apiece and inviting us to sit down. A huge stone and brick fireplace stretched along the outside wall, set with a taxidermied strutting turkey, a dancing fox and three large leaping hares. Bare corrugated metal shone dully, framed by enormous beams of wood, thick and rough-hewed. Once again, design had taken the front seat, much more than was needed to simply function, and it was unexpectedly pleasing.

The ordering system of the deli is not very intuitive, although it is simple once you figure it out. At the end of a long wooden shelf full of specialty chips is a counter with pencils and menus. Next to the menus is the ordering form, where you pick which sandwich you want and what you want on it. There are not a ton of base sandwiches but with all of the choices given, the possibilities are nearly endless.

I ordered a Lock, Stock and Barrel with honey roasted turkey and bacon smoke cheddar on homemade white bread, toasted. The bread was soft inside, the outside perfectly browned with butter; the meat was hot; and the cheese was melty. I should have asked a few more questions about the ordering system though, as I thought the Lock, Stock, and Barrel had a preprogrammed topping and sauce that they automatically put on it. It didn't, and I should have picked one on the ordering ticket. So my sandwich came with just turkey and cheese on beautifully toasted bread. I was bummed until I took my first bite, and let me tell you, that meat and cheese were so flavorful and melted together so nicely the flavor was wonderful and I didn't get back up to ask for sauce. If I had it to do over again, I would have added tomatoes, caramelized onions and some chipotle mayonnaise, but I figured there's always next time.

The cinnamon rolls from Mkay Deli are the size of your face and slathered with frosting.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

We also tried a Reuben, piled high with corned beef, aged Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. I asked for this one to be toasted as well, and the rye was marbled and pretty and stout enough to hold up that sandwich. It was the best Reuben I've had in a while. When I pulled the sandwich halves apart I got the most satisfying cheese pull. Delicious.

We were getting ready to leave when we overhead the deli cooks talking about something that involved "cinnamon rolls." Hold the phone! They were pulling them out of the oven, and we stood by the cash register to place another order and get a hold of two of them. They frosted them for us, and oh, my goodness! These cinnamon rolls were as big as a person's face, warm and smothered in a cream cheese-based frosting that was out of this world.

The trip to Benton was fun, a pleasant drive down the interstate that didn't take too long, cruising on a Saturday with good food at the end of the drive. I will return to M Kay and order a sauce-laden sandwich next time, maybe a roast beef with horseradish sauce. I bet it will be even better, and after all, anticipation is one of the better spices of life.

M Kay Supply is at 6626 MO-77 in Benton, Missouri.