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• SATURDAY May 25, 2013 F

Schmucks is not for schmucks

At a glance: Schmucks Pub, 109 Buffalo St. 631-0405. Open 11 a.m.-close (about 2 a.m.) Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-5 a.m. Thursday-Saturday. Cash and major credit cards accepted. Free WiFi.

I confess I’ve had several favorite eating spots in downtown Johnson City — places where my friends and I would congregate for food, drink, comfort and good times.

Over the years, these comfortable eateries have come and gone as tastes change and Dame Fortune has either smiled or frowned upon the proprietor. One such spot is 109 Buffalo St., once home to Pug’s Subs & Pizza and more recently to the Chew Chew Cafe.

The brand new tenant of 109 is the unfortunately named “Schmucks.”

Thankfully, there is nothing unfortunate about what new owners Dan Herrell and Adam Ray Fair have done to the place, either in the new décor or the cuisine.

Together, they have wrought a major change to the interior and exterior of 109. Solid, handmade hightop-style tables, comfortable seating and a short but serviceable bar give a warm, friendly feeling to the place. There’s a new patio facing the park, and room for tables on the sidewalk out front.

Schmucks’ menu is not extensive, but what is there is fresh, and made with care and attention. Along with their “Authentic Chicago-style Deep Dish” pizza, they offer a sizable supporting cast of appetizers, subs, salads and beverages.

Schmucks warns you up front that “Going Deep” requires an investment of time to be done right, anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes. Prices range from $6 for a small cheese pie to $25 for a large “Fat Schmuckers” with everything.

Ours, a “Schmuck Bros. Veggie” ($12) was worth the wait. We were presented with a hand-formed golden brown pie crust with 2-inch sides piled high with fresh sliced tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, leafy spinach and black olives. Everyone at the table had some, and agreed that Schmucks’ deep dish claim to fame was well-founded.

A Schmucks Classic Wedge Salad ($5) is just that — a quarter head of cold iceberg lettuce with a selection of toppings and dressings; simple, basic and complementary to any meal.

Even without their deep dish headliner, Schmucks could be famous for their subs alone.

Take their Meatball sub ($7) as an example. There’s a lot you can learn about a restaurant from the care they take in preparing this ubiquitous staple of the lunch menu. What Schmucks placed before me was a fragrant toasted Italian bun containing succulent, firm, properly seasoned meat balls, covered with Schmucks homemade marinara sauce and sprinkled with aged mozzarella cheese.

For the vegetarian-minded, there’s the Farmer’s Garden sub ($7), with loads of farm-fresh crisp vegetables, hummus, sauced with an excellent basil olive oil and topped with just-shredded mozzarella.

As an entree, my dining partners ordered a meaty calzone, and were rewarded with a handmade, crispy 12-inch turnover filled with pepperoni, sausage, sliced meatballs, green peppers with more of that yummy marinara sauce inside as well as on-the-side for dipping.

My entree, a medium-sized hand-tossed “Duo” (steak & cheese) pizza ($16.75) had a touch more oil than necessary, which made the bottom of the pie soft towards the center. Despite this, the pie’s blend of steak, cheese and sauce made for an excellent and tasty meal.

Schmucks should have no trouble making their own mark on the Downtown restaurant scene.

Anywhere you can dine on a remarkably fresh and tasty meal for $15, tip included, that’s not being a schmuck, that’s being smart.

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