Peter’s Since 1969 Now Selling $5 Chx Sando

Back in September, I checked out a 50% off deal at the just opened Peter’s Since 1969 (9th ave. btw 42+43rd). Even at half off, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the food, and didn’t really think much of trying them again. That is, until I saw them advertising a BBQ chicken sandwich for $4.82. That was a good enough reason for me to give them another shot. My return visit proved two things: 1) I’m a sucker 2) not much has changed at Peter’s.

The price of the sandwich was the big draw for me. I knew going in that it would cost me to add a soup or side, but $1.84 didn’t seem like a bad price for that option. Using tax-excluded prices definitely worked on me, because I wasn’t realizing that my lunch was already jumping to $7. Then when I got inside and let the day’s special cold cucumber-dill soup convince me to order both a soup and a side, things really spiraled out of control.

Unwittingly, I broke the ML barrier with my $11 lunch (I believe the soup was added to my sandwich and then the $3.44+tax side of creamed spinach somehow got rounded up to $4). There’s really no way I can consider that a good deal. It’s a lot of food, and I wouldn’t consider it a huge rip off by Midtown standards, but price is just not a good reason to come to Peter’s.

The sandwich was pretty small ($5 for just the sandwich would kind of be a rip off, especially since the sides are a hefty size). I got it on what was described as a plain roll by the gentleman helping me, which actually turned out to be brioche. I don’t really like brioche all that much and really should have been paying more attention while ordering. Otherwise, the sandwich was ok, but like everything I’ve tried at Peter’s it is just kind of bland. The chicken was a little bit on the dry side. The lightly applied BBQ sauce adds a little moisture but not much flavor. I wouldn’t call it bad exactly, just completely lacking in excitement.

The creamed spinach was a little bit better. It’s heavy on the spinach and not as much on the cream, which is ok by me. The portion is pretty large and it kind of felt like the centerpiece of my meal as opposed to a side. It was definitely a little bland as well, but with the addition of some salt and pepper, I would have happily eaten more.

The cucumber-dill soup was the biggest letdown of my meal. It had a very acidic taste, almost like it was fermented. It just tasted kind of “off” to me and I didn’t eat that much. It certainly did have plenty of dill flavor though. I love dill, but I still thought the lack of balance might have grown a bit tiresome after a while.

While the food at Peter’s lacks seasoning and spice, they give customers plenty of opportunity to tailor their meal to their liking. Salt, pepper and Tobasco are on every table, and there is a sauce station with horseradish, BBQ, Peter’s Favorite, and ketchup. Peter’s really could be something of a blessing for people who are very particular about how their food is seasoned. I tried the horseradish sauce (nice and creamy but not very horsey) and Peter’s Favorite (kind of a slightly spicy pickled pepper flavor). They didn’t put my meal over the top, but they certainly helped.

The sign on the Peter’s storefront promises “the comforts of home.” While the interior definitely provides a relaxing atmosphere, I think it’s obvious this is meant to extend to the food. Home cooking has sort of become synonymous with a certain standard of quality, but I think what Peter’s offers, reliable but relatively unexciting food, is certainly an accurate representation of what many people are used to eating at home. I would love to branch out more and see if there are any diamonds hidden on their large and diverse menu, but the prices and menu structure don’t really encourage that kind of exploration. Maybe they’ll do another 50% off deal for their 1 year anniversary.

The + (What people who like this place would say)

  • The food is simple and comforting
  • They don’t overseason the food, and give me everything I need to make the food how I want it
  • It’s a nice, relaxing place to enjoy a quick meal

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • The food is boring
  • It’s overpriced

Peter’s Since 1969, 587 9th Ave. (btw. 42+43rd), 212-868-0600

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