The sandwiches, soups and salads at Goodie's live up to its name.

Dining Review

A recent luncheon expedition to Pacific Grove reminded us of the upswing of noshing opportunities that grace the fair landscape of Butterfly Town. While it may not be the Big Apple, trying to cross Lighthouse Avenue at Forest around noontime can be something of a challenge--but still not daunting enough to warrant a stoplight.

No doubt some of the traffic was en route to Goodie''s, judging from the brisk business that was filling up the doorway of this former gas station turned corner deli. On this particular foray, the sun gods had seen fit to part the familiar sea of fog, so we quickly grabbed one of the outside patio tables and declared it a picnic, while inside at the counter our task was to choose from a list of 30 sandwiches and a deli case that was making a big come-on with its sprightly assortment of prepared salads.

Placing your order here is pretty straightforward. You tell the counterperson what catches your fancy, take your seat, and they yell out your name when your order is ready. It took several alarms to find me on the patio, but eventually the curried rice pilaf salad and I were united. Mixed with orzo pasta, dried apricots and some peanuts thrown in for crunch, the salad had lots of yummy flavors and textures. Ditto for the cilantro noodle salad, a lo mein-style affair that had lots of flavor without being soppy and wet. These are offered along with American-style macaroni, pasta and potato salads, with the large pint-size going for $5, and medium and small sizes at $3.50 and $1.50, respectively.

My companions began with soup, each at $3.25. The first was quite good, a Chinese vegetable soup reminiscent of chow mein. Someone forgot to add the broth to the other one, which was supposed to be chicken and rice, but more closely resembled gruel--hopefully that was just an oversight.

Everyone was well-pleased with the choice of sandwiches, all oversize and on good quality fresh bread. I particularly enjoyed #15, the Mediterraneo. Almost like a Greek salad served on francese, it was loaded with tangy feta, black olives, cucumber, spinach, red onion and tomato, dressed in a creamy herb spread. The crab Louie sandwich, #16, was also a hit, stuffed with fresh tasting surimi crab salad, lettuce, tomato, and sparked with a hint of lemon, also on francese (both $5.25).

No self-respecting deli should be without egg salad, and Goodie''s didn''t disappoint. Made with delicately sieved eggs, the salad was appropriately perky, as opposed to gloppy from being overworked with mayonnaise ($3.75).

The offering of jumbo-size cookies and pastries was also eye-catching, and the piece of moist, tender, homemade-tasting carrot cake we settled on was more than adequate for three sweet tooths.

As Goodie''s offers such a large selection of deli sandwiches, there are plenty of reasons for repeat visits. I''m told the homemade meatloaf on sourdough is a big draw, and the hot Italian sub was also tempting. There are many healthy vegetarian choices, like the marinated tofu sandwich and the veggie and brown rice burrito served with salsa and avocado. Along with six entree salads that include Cobb and chicken caesar with pasta, there are plenty of ways to keep your appetite entertained when it''s time to go monarch watching