L.A. Murphs (Salisbury)

I'm not the biggest fan of Salisbury, NC. Now, don't get me wrong. The people are friendly. The streets are safe (at least the ones that I've been on). And the traffic congestion is minimal. And (in my opinion) it can't hold a torch to the Lake Norman Area. But my opinion of Salisbury is improving, and it continues to improve, every time I visit L.A. Murphs.

I consider L.A. Murphs to be, first and foremost, a catering company. From cakes and entrees, to sandwiches and cookies, these guys can take care of your catering needs. But, the beauty of Murphs, is that they also provide box lunches.

These aren't your typical box lunches. These are gourmet meals that include everything you'll need to keep going during the day. I've only been there a few times, but I just can't stop ordering the #3... a smoked turkey wrap, with chips and salsa, and a chocolate chip cookie.

Personally, I'd pay the full lunch price just for the freakin' cookie. It's delicious, moist, and filled with more chocolate chips than are physically possible for a cookie that size. They must bend the laws of physics (and taste) to get those things made, and not have them turn into a big chunk of chocolate.

But the star of this meal is, without a doubt, the smoked turkey wrap. The wrap is filled with (I think) smoked turkey, field greens, caramelized onions, bacon, and an herbed soft cheese. These flavors mix together and compliment each other perfectly. The smoked turkey compliments the smokey sweetness of the bacon. The bacon is enhanced by the caramelized onions. The onions are off-set by the slight bitterness of the field greens. And the field greens are complimented by the herbed soft cheese.

These flavors are amazing, it's like a symphony for my tongue. And I simply can't get enough. But I do have one complaint -- they're too small. Only 1/2 of a wrap per box lunch. Personally, I could skip the chips and salsa, which I consider to be the weak link of the meal anyways, and I would just be happy with the wrap and the cookie.

Of course that could be a bad thing.

I would probably eat there several times every day, and would soon be found wandering the streets of Salisbury on some sort of post-cookie sugar-induced hallucination muttering something about bacon and caramelized onions... but I can think of worse things to do with my time. :)

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11/5
Price: $ (A boxed lunch with drink is under $10)

Conclusion: If you're in Salisbury, you should be eating here. If you want to eat at home, grab some cookies, and one of their oven-ready meals to-go. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Restaurant Info:
L.A. Murphs
1532 West Innes Street
Salisbury, NC 28144
(704) 636-2505
http://www.lamurphs.com/