JD's Sandwich Shop at Kuhnsville Exxon

Dan and Patti Kuhns of Orefield opened inside their about 20 years ago, expanding the building to make room for a kitchen and four booths.  Their food has never been reviewed, until now.

I liked the idea that my first review, a breakfast at Morgan’s,  would be followed by lunch at such an unlikely place as a gas station luncheonette. 

It’s not the kind of place you’ll find salads with goat cheese and spiced pecans.

But the Kuhns’s kitchen offers a variety of fresh soups (Italian wedding, tomato basil and cream of mushroom this day) and made-to-order rather than pre-packaged sandwiches, including BLTs and club.  The steaks came highly recommended by a friend who appreciates a good bite for his buck.

“Have you tried the cheesesteaks in there?” he asked one day. “You won’t believe them for the price.”

He wasn’t kidding. Each one is packed with enough meat for two people -- and priced at $4.45.

So, when I took my mother-in-law, Virginia Marone, to JD’s for lunch, I warned her that the steak sandwiches were big. Still, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

She cut off an end with a plastic knife instead of trying to open her mouth wide enough for the sandwich. “Good,” she declared. “The meat is tender, the sauce tasty.”

I tried a grilled tuna melt on toasted rye and “fried broccoli,” which was dipped in a light batter and deep fried. (Good thing I weighed in at Weight Watchers BEFORE lunch.)

My sandwich was $3.50, and the broccoli $2.50.  I ate half the sandwich and all of the broccoli, telling myself it was nearly health food. I thought the veggies would be great with a little Bleu cheese or other dip, only to notice after-the-fact the “dipping sauces“ on the menu, including honey mustard, ranch, and horseradish for 25 cents extra.

My mother-in-law took half of her cheesesteak home with a wedge of funny cake ($1.75).  I managed to find room for a square of carrot cake, which came from Louie’s Bakery but tasted homemade, moist and dense with cream cheese icing. JD’s also offers chocolate and vanilla-iced donuts from Emmaus Bakery, each for $1.25.

 A favorite among the regulars are the burgers, which are hand-formed from fresh ground beef each morning, according to Patti Kuhns.  They take a little longer to cook , 13-15 minutes, she said, but are appreciated.

For a small place, open only weekdays, JD’s does ok.  Breakfast can be even busier than lunch, Kuhns added, with a record 33 dozen eggs cooked one morning. The menu features a variety of breakfast sandwiches on white, wheat or rye bread, English muffins, bagels or Kaiser rolls, the most expensive of which is $3.50.  Hash browns are $1.15, French toast sticks $2.50.

 JD’s is not a place to go if you are looking for ambiance. We could smell the gasoline when we first entered, and the booths felt hard and cold.  But if you want good food at a great value, give it a try.

Our total tab, with tax, came to $15.85.  Because you order at the counter and retrieve your food, there are no waitresses to tip.  We did, however, leave a couple dollars for the cooks.
 

JD’s Sandwich Shop
5743 Tilghman St.
Open Monday through Friday, 5:45 a.m. to 2 p.m