703 N. McCroskey
Nixa, Mo
Web Site
Our first time at the Nixa location. Not our first time at a McAlister's. Though the Nixa location is a mere 5 or 6 minutes from our house we usually visit the Springfield location as it is nearer to whatever Springfield things we are doing around lunchtime, HyVee, Relics (flea market) or Lowes.
We had driven by the Nixa store, but usually on our way to Springfield. Nixa Is a mere 6 miles from the southern Springfield city limit, so either way it is not nearly as long as the treks to Desoto or Festus were from our home of 18 years outside Hillsboro.
The first time we went, I ordered the spud, loaded. I was not extremely impressed. Nothing in particular was wrong with it, it was just a loaded baked potato after all, it was just at that time not very satisfying. I remembered the tea though, unsweet. Dark, fresh, very good.
The next time we went I tried the BLTA. A BLT with avocado. Quite fancy for a country boy like me. The next few times we dropped in I ordered the BLTA for myself or, on light-lunch days, Split one with Angel.
On our way this crisp and clear Saturday evening I considered other, more substantial options. I had skipped lunch due to an 11 A.M. - 3 P.M. volunteer shift at the South Campbell PetSmart for the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri, and was HUNGRY!
We stepped in. Above the order counter was a menu.
I should explain myself. I have cataracts, so the eye doctor recently told me, not really a surprise. EVERYTHING in the entire universe is a bit blurry, but just a bit. Just enough to make life a little frustrating. Cataracts don't cause blind spots, I'm okay to drive, I just can't quite make out the words on a street sign until I'm at the intersection. Angel put it best; it's a lot like wearing a pair of glasses from a previous prescription. It is fixable though and I am scheduled for cataract surgery the middle of November.
Fortunately McAlister's has laminated menus on the counter as well. I looked it over. Several kinds of sandwiches, as can be expected at a place that calls itself a deli. Also various loaded potato offerings, nachos, salads, soups. . . .(follow the link above for a more thorough list.)
As it was though, nothing sounded better than the BLTA. So that's what I ordered. They don't have a deep fryer, so instead of fries I asked for a bag of regular chips. The sandwich comes wit a dill pickle spear on the side.
This is not your mom's BLT. They use thick, apple wood, smoky bacon, not store-brand economy bacon. The lettuce is not iceberg, I don't recall what it is called but it is crinkly. and is menu described as a 'spring mix.' The tomato slice, well it's just a tomato slice. . . What makes this sandwich is definitely the A, The avocado. Creamy, fresh, very clean in taste. Avocados are notoriously tricky since they are only ripe and ready to eat for about ten minutes. The thick skin discloses nothing about the ripeness. I suppose there is a science or an art to choosing avocados, I just don't know what it is. McAlister's nails it though, EVERY time. Thick chunks, spread evenly. Heavenly.
Angel ordered the smoked pork nachos. She'd ordered that before at the Springfield branch
but was told that they were out of pork, so she ordered a sandwich instead. This night at the Nixa location they were NOT out of pork.
When the food arrived at the table, no time was lost, we were all pretty hungry.
The pork nachos were not smothered in anything. Just enough pulled pork, tomato chunks, green onions, olives and cheeses, topped with a drizzle of cheesy sauce, just enough to taste.
The plates, even at presentation, were clean looking. There was definitely some patience and practice applied with each service, not just stuff slopped into a bowl.
The 'Famous' tea should be mentioned. Angel had said, about the sweet tea in previous McAlister meals, was maybe a bit TOO sweet, My southern ancestors spin in their graves whenever anyone complains that any sweet tea is TOO sweet. Blasphemy!
So Angel asked the delightful, elfish, young lady taking our order if she could have "half sweet-half unsweet." The lady nodded and said "Sure". as if this were a common way to order tea.
If you are a long time reader or a new reader perusing the archives you might notice that I comment about tea frequently. That's because in a lot of eateries tea is treated as little more than a necessary hassle., a near-zero profit afterthought. It is quite difficult to find fresh, clear, dark tea in many places. If you find a place with really good tea, it tells you a lot about the personality of the place, the staff and the management. The way they treat the least of things gives you insight into the bigger things.
Summary:
The place, like the Springfield location, was immaculate. The four big TVs on the wall near our table were muted, two showing some sort of college sportsball, and two showing an episode of 'Sponge Bob Square Pants' I couldn't quite make out the teams playing but since my college alma mater (Wayland Baptist University, Plainview TX) doesn't even have a football team, I couldn't really concern myself with the score of this one. Sponge Bob doesn't really do much for me either.
McAlister's is upscale compared to Subway, not quite fine French cuisine standards, but this is Nixa, not New York City.
Angel didn't finish the nachos, but I didn't expect she would. She prefers to pick the toppings off and eat those one bite at a time. She'll eat SOME of the nacho chips, but never all of them.
Adam devoured his sandwich before I could even tell what was on it. . . He'd worked that day and also had all but skipped lunch. I asked him later which sandwich he had ordered, he didn't remember either, but added "It didn't have a lot of meat."
In spite of that, I HIGHLY recommend this place, especially if you are looking for a light lunch while out doing other things. No heaping helpings here.
McAlister's has 574 U.S. locations in 28 states. 35 in Missouri , 2 in Maryland and 21 in Kentucky.
The first store was opened in Oxford Mississippi in 1989
