I’ll admit it — I was one of those people. For years, Honey Baked Ham occupied a very specific place in my culinary calendar. A holiday staple that I sometimes worked into my mix on Christmas and Easter. The rest of the year I barely gave it a thought.
That said, I caught the Honey Baked Ham store on Encinitas Boulevard out of the corner of my eye every time I made a trip to CVS or Smart & Final and noticed they were open year-round.
A reliable source said they had great sandwiches, sides and desserts, which sent me into the Honey Baked Ham store with fresh eyes, and what I discovered was a reminder that some businesses become so associated with one thing that we completely overlook everything else they have to offer. That’s certainly the case with Honey Baked Ham.
Sure, they still produce what many consider the gold standard of holiday hams. That sweet, crunchy glaze and perfectly spiral-sliced smoked ham have been showing up at dinner tables for generations for good reason. But they have a lot more going on than ham.
The lunch menu includes classics built around the company’s signature ham and roasted turkey, the old school ham salad along with warm sandwiches, sliders, fresh salads and a handful of sides that make for an easy, satisfying meal.
I’m a sucker for a good ham sandwich, and Honey Baked Ham has had decades to perfect theirs. Thick slices of their signature ham layered with Swiss cheese, fresh lettuce, tomato, honey mustard and just enough mayo to tie it all together.
No gimmicks. No towering Instagram creation you need two hands and a strategy to eat. Just quality ingredients assembled by people who know their product. Sometimes that old school goodness is exactly what you want.
Then there are the lesser-known menu items. One of my favorites is buying ham by the pound. It’s one of those things that makes life easier during a busy week. Throw together a quick sandwich, make a chef’s salad, fold it into an omelet, build a charcuterie board, toss it into pasta or elevate a grilled cheese. Having premium sliced ham in the refrigerator is a good feeling.
The roasted and smoked turkey deserves equal billing. Moist, flavorful and anything but an afterthought, it’s available sliced by the pound as well and works beautifully for everything from weekday lunches to weekend entertaining. In the comfort food category, their pot pies are right up there with the best of them.
And then there are the glorious ham bones. If you grew up in a family where nothing good ever went to waste and a parent that knew how to make good use of a ham bone you already know what I’m talking about.
A Honey Baked ham bone is liquid gold for anyone making split pea soup, bean soup or a big pot of lentils. Those in the know are aware that some of the best meals start with a great ham bone, and judging by how quickly they disappear, I’m clearly not alone. They don’t get nearly enough attention, but they should.
Honey Baked Ham also stocks many of the sides people usually associate with holiday dinners. Creamy mashed potatoes, broccoli salads, potato salad, stuffing, beans and other prepared dishes make putting together dinner remarkably easy without sacrificing quality. It’s the kind of place you can stop after work and have dinner solved in about 10 minutes.
And don’t overlook dessert. Whether it’s carrot cake, lemon cake, cheesecake or one of the seasonal offerings, they are all worthy of your consideration.
As I’ve said many times over the years, consistency is one of the hardest things to achieve in the restaurant and food business.
Anyone can have a great day.
Anyone can make one amazing sandwich.
Doing it day after day for decades is another story.
Honey Baked Ham has built its reputation on consistency. The recipes haven’t chased trends. They haven’t tried to reinvent themselves every six months. They simply continue doing what they’ve always done well while quietly expanding the menu beyond the holiday centerpiece most of us associate with the name.
If you’re planning a party, the catering options make entertaining almost effortless. Sandwich trays, boxed lunches, meat platters and complete meals can take the stress out of feeding a crowd, whether it’s an office gathering, graduation party, family reunion or neighborhood get-together.
Here’s my takeaway. Don’t wait until the next holiday to think about Honey Baked Ham.
Check it out for lunch. Pick up a pound of ham or turkey for the week. Take home a ham bone for soup. Try their desserts. You’ll probably find yourself wondering the same thing I did. “What took me so long?”
Sometimes the best local discoveries aren’t brand-new restaurants that are tough to get a table at. Often they’re businesses we’ve driven past a hundred times because we thought we already knew what they offered. Honey Baked Ham in Encinitas reminded me that’s not always the case.
And it’s discoveries like this that provide the joy of writing Lick the Plate.
Find them at 459 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas or www.honeybaked.com
