When I say “good-bye” to a place, that usually means I never go back again. After going to Dusal’s for dinner twice a couple of years ago, I left feeling there was no reason to return. To me, it was average Italian food and was not worth the drive out there. My parents loved it, but I could not see anything to get too excited about. Then they tried it for lunch, and reported back to me tales of awesome salads and sandwiches. Was it worth going again? 

A few months ago, I went there for lunch en route to the Freehold Mall. I had the Palm Beach salad, which as advertised, was massive. The bed of lettuce was covered side to side with a thinly sliced fried chicken cutlet. There was not too much dressing, and all other toppings seemed to be just enough. Skip ahead to a couple of weekends ago, there I was again, trying the California Chicken sub. Same deal here: the chicken was paper-thin and crispy. That’s the key to any such sandwich. Once the chicken is thick, problems arise relating to crispness, chewiness, and the general construction of the sub (and you have to make sure it’s cooked all the way through). The lettuce and tomato were on in the right amount so that the sandwich was neither limp nor over-stuffed. Mayo, which hit or miss with me, was lightly slathered on to the top piece of the bread, which was crispy from being toasted. My dad and I split a side of fries, which was also large (and only $3.50), and the lunch totally hit the spot. It was as good as sandwich as one could hope for.

The price for my 10-inch sub, if I remember correctly, was around $7. You cannot go wrong with that. Actually, all their prices are more than fair. This leads me to wonder if I should try them for dinner again. But I don’t want to press my luck. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. This might end up becoming one of my lunch places, where I know I can get affordable, quality food in a portion which will satisfy me. Dusal’s gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Dusal’s Italian Restaurant is located at 345 West Main Street in Freehold, New Jersey.