Classic Italian from Quiznos

So hey, remember in that very last post how I made a big shpeel about how when you're out of town you should go somewhere cool and local instead of going to some chain that you could visit anytime you wanted to at home? Yeah....well, I have a confession to make. After taking a totally amazing cruise to Alaska in May of this year, we had some time to spend in Seattle before driving back home. And where did we go to get a sandwich? Quiznos. Yeah. THAT Quiznos. The same one that's in the strip mall like 2 minutes from my house. I know - I can hear your collective groan from here and I agree - big time LAME on our part. Not that it matters, but here's my (weak) defense - we were on a very tight schedule, we were on foot, and worst of all, I just hadn't done any research ahead of time to know where a really good place to go was. Hungry and in a hurry, we saw the familiar Quiznos sign, knew what to expect and succumbed to the temptation of a quick and easy fix to our hunger dilemma. Now look, I'm not trying to throw Quiznos under the bus here - I like the place. I do. But in a huge, exciting city like Seattle? Come on, there's dozens of really awesome sandwiches that could have been had which simply don't exist back here at home. So, with that confession out of the way I'm asking you right now to help me to ensure that this doesn't happen again. All you have to do is tell me where I need to go to eat a sandwich. Anywhere. Any city - I don't care. Just start filling up the comments section in any one of these posts with things like "Yeah, that looks decent, but you should really go here." or "Dear dumb-crap, you obviously don't know anything because you haven't been here yet." You get the idea.

So back to Quiznos. The history of Quiznos begins in Denver, CO in 1978 with the opening of a sandwich shop called "Sandwich World". A couple years later, Sandwich World was bought out by new owners who changed the name to "Quizno's" and began franchising and pitching the idea of toasted subs, which is the chain's claim to fame. In the 30 years since, Quiznos has gone on to become the second largest submarine sandwich chain in the world behind Subway. There are well over 4,000 locations world-wide.

Despite being in existence since roughly 1980 and starting up in (relatively) nearby Denver, I only became aware of the existence of Quiznos in the late '90's. When I was dating my wife, there was a Quiznos near the building she worked in, so we went there quite often for lunch. In the years since, Quiznos has obviously kept expanding and now they are nearly inescapable.

So anyway, there we were - walking back from The Space Needle on our way to the Mariners/Padres inter-league game and in a rush. We'd already passed the Quiznos once thinking we'd find someplace with better sandwich offerings, but having not found quite such a place, we ducked in and went to work. I went with the Classic Italian, which features the following:

• Type of Bread: I went with Rosemary Parmesan, but Italian White, 9 Grain Artisan Wheat and Italian Herb were also options.
• Condiments/Dressing(s): Red Wine Vinaigrette
• Toppings: Ham, Salami, Pepperoni, Capicola, Mozzarella,Black Olives, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions

This sandwich features the types of things you would expect in an italian - cured meats, mozzarella cheese, olives and a vinaigrette dressing. As is customary at Quiznos, I got my sandwich toasted (which involves a quick burn through the conveyor-belted toaster oven, if you've never seen it done before) and we were all set. As is the case when you order any sandwich, your overall experience is at the mercy of whoever is preparing it for you. And today, unfortunately, we got a dud. Sufficeth to say, dude's sandwich making game was weak. And that will show a little bit in the scores:

• Quantity/Value: 4/5 - Quiznos sandwiches are available in three sizes - small, regular and large. As usual, I went with the large which, in this case, set me back $6.99. Under 7 bucks for a solid foot-long sandwich is pretty decent value. However, it's not quite enough sandwich quantity wise (I had no trouble finishing the whole thing in one sitting) or value wise (especially considering the recent rash of $5 foot-long deals) to earn a 5 in this category.
• Originality: 4/5 - Putting cured italian meats and mozzarella on a sandwich has certainly been done before, so this is not getting a 5. However, the combination of meats is a good one and the red wine vinaigrette is a nice touch as well. Also adding to the originality is the toasting factor. It really improved this sandwich and Quiznos, as stated earlier, was the first place to really take the toasting idea and run with it.
• Appearance: 7/10 - Here is where homeboy making my sandwich really started to do his damage on this thing's score. Having made sandwiches for a living myself, it really irks me when someone obviously doesn't take care when doing this. This guy was probably about done with his shift (at least I hope so) and it showed. He slapped that thing together so that the placement of everything was uneven, lop-sided and sad. The only thing not sad is the guy they buy their lettuce from because that guy is making a killing. Hey sandwich-maker - the idea is to put enough lettuce on to cover my sandwich. Not enough that I can take it home and stuff a pillow with it. Thanks. That said, everything on the sandwich looks nice and the toasted bread looks great.
  
• Quality/Freshness: 7/10 - Here is where the chain restaurant/assembly line aspect of Quiznos comes into play and hurts. I have no idea how long any of the stuff that went on my sandwich had been sitting there, but I know for a fact none of it was made to order. That said, the quality was there. The meats didn't look slimy, the lettuce wasn't wilted and the fact that the sandwich was in fact toasted in front of me helps as well.
• Taste: 16/20 - Sandwich guy strikes again as he dumps that dressing on my sandwich as if it were water and he was trying to put out a fire. I'm not really sure what this sandwich is supposed to taste like since it was completely overpowered by the deluge of dressing. Aside from masking the taste of everything else (which was a shame because the other stuff was good - I pulled some of the meats free and tasted them on their own. They had unique flavors - the spicy capicola was especially tasty), the dressing quickly made this sandwich a big time sog-fest which does not help the taste at all. Anyway, the taste probably rated lower than a 16, but I corrected a little bit towards what I believe the sandwich would taste like if it weren't prepared by a distracted, ham-fisted zero.

If we add all those numbers together, we come up with a score of 38/50 for the Quiznos Classic Italian. Oddly enough, that ties the score of the one other major chain sub I've reviewed so far. And, that score is waaay more than the score I would get on choosing a great place in Seattle to get a sandwich at. Epic fail there. Again, not that Quiznos is awful, it's just that I could've and should've found a sweet local joint instead of a place I can go to anytime I want. So yeah, help me avoid making this mistake again by recommending cool sandwich places all over the place and hopefully I can get there.

Westside Signature Sub From Westside Drive In

One of the best parts about being on a life-long quest to find the best sandwiches anywhere is that every time you go on a trip and pay a visit to different town, no matter how big or small that town may be, chances are there will be a place there where you can get a sandwich to try. Such was the case last summer when we took our regular trip up to Cannon Beach, OR. With a four-year old in tow, it's a bit much to make the entire thirteen hour trip in one day, so we decided to make a pit-stop in Boise, ID and spend a night there. Before leaving, I did some research which included watching episodes of both Man v. Food and Diners, Drive Ins and Dives where they had stopped in Boise. After doing that and figuring out where we were staying, the place that was the best combination of good-looking food and convenient location from our stay for the night was the Westside Drive In. Here's the video of Guy from Triple D visiting the place:



Fortunately, this place was as advertised. First of all, you need to look past the nauseating pink and blue decor (I know you're probably going for a cool vintage vibe there, but seriously, it looks like a Miami flamingo yanked all up in that place). Anyway, what this is, is a drive in that offered things like prime rib and pasta that you wouldn't ordinarily expect to find next to drive in staples like burgers, fries and milkshakes. As I perused the menu, one item quickly jumped out at me - the Westside Signature Sub. It was still tough to decide as there were several things on the menu that looked awesome. But in the end, I remembered that, as a general rule, if something on the menu is given its own special section and is labeled as "signature", that will probably be a pretty good choice. Thankfully, that was the case here. Unfortunately, that good choice was countered by the poor choice we made of ordering spaghetti for our little boy. In a crucial lapse in judgment, I forgot how inconceivably messy a four-year old can get when tackling some spaghetti. Being on the road as we were with no laundry real handy, that was a bad move. But anyway, here's what the Westside Signature Sub looks like (figuratively):

• Type of Bread: Hoagie Roll
• Condiments/Dressing(s): Sour Cream, Dijon Mustard
• Toppings: Ribeye Steak Strips, Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Bacon Strips, Provolone, Lettuce, Tomato
  

And, here is what it looks like literally (in the upper left, you can also see the spaghetti that my son would soon be wearing:


Unfortunately, my trusty Han Solo action figure didn't make this trip with us, but I think you can still get a pretty good idea of how big this sandwich was (and keep in mind, this was only half of one). Normally, I would get a full sized version, but I knew chances were good I wouldn't be able to finish it, and with no real refrigeration available, I didn't want to waste what was left over, so I just went with a half. Let's get to the scoring:

• Quantity/Value: 4/5 - The half sized version of this sandwich cost me $6.49, but you can upgrade to a full for $9.29. Getting a massive steak sandwich for under ten bucks is a pretty good deal, if you ask me. Especially with all the other goodies that come on this thing. As it was, I barely finished the half of it. This is a really good sized sandwich.
• Originality: 5/5 - A steak sandwich is not in and of itself original, but this version of a steak sandwich definitely is. The first thing I couldn't help but notice was the addition of bacon strips. It makes so much sense - I mean you wrap steaks in bacon all the time when you cook it, so why not put it on the sandwich? The peppers, onions and 'shrooms are typical additions to a steak sandwich, but the addition of sour cream and dijon mustard was another interesting twist that makes this sandwich completely original. Well done.
• Appearance: 9/10 - If there is anything more beautiful than some melted cheese draped over bacon and beef, I don't know what it is. I mean seriously, months later and just looking at that picture gets my salivary glands going. The colors of the vegetables, the perfectly toasted roll, and even some parsley on the side as a garnish (garnishes at a drive in??! I know, right?). This sandwich looked great.
• Quality/Freshness: 9/10 - When you've got a legitimate, trained chef with 30+ years of experience running the place, it's really no surprise that the quality and freshness of the ingredients is top notch. I don't know that there's much else that needs to be said about it.
• Taste: 18/20 - I've already talked about how original I think this sandwich is, how good it looks, how fresh the ingredients are, so the only question left is how did it taste? Perhaps not surprisingly, it tasted really great. I mean, I don't know how badly you can mess up a marriage of steak, bacon and cheese, but the trick is balancing flavors with all the other ingredients and not letting one completely overwhelm the others. The Westside Signature Sub does a great job of this. I think a mild cheese like provolone is a good choice with this in mind. The creaminess provided by the sour cream and cheese, the bite from the peppers and dijon mustard and the tender steak were all delicious. My only minor complaint would be that I couldn't really taste the bacon as much as I was hoping. But whatever, you could probably wrap this whole thing in bacon and I still would want more. That's just me. Well, me and Jim Gaffigan.
  

So, if we add it all up, the Westside Signature Sub from the Westside Drive In in lovely Boise, ID receives a seriously impressive score of 45/50. Visiting this cool little place was a great part of a great trip and I will definitely look forward to returning some time in the future. There's definitely something fulfilling about discovering a new great place to eat in a city you're visiting. So next time you're on a trip, be sure to get out there and try somewhere new. I mean, Subway's good and all, but you can get that at 5 different places 5 minutes from your house anytime you want. Come on, you're better than that. Oh, and be sure and tell me about the cool places you go, okay? Deal.

Turkey Cranberry from Paradise Bakery & Cafe

If you're a long time reader of this blog (*cue sound of crickets chirping*), or if you have perused the archives at all, you may know that the very first review I wrote early this year was of a sandwich from Paradise Bakery & Cafe. So, I suppose it is only fitting that the first establishment to receive multiple reviews is that same Paradise Bakery. Now why do I end up going here so often you ask? Well, there are many reasons I could give, but the real one is that my wife enjoys the place and, since she is the boss, we eat there with some frequency. Draw your own conclusions about me based on that statement if you will, but that's the way it is.

So anyway, today Paradise Bakery becomes the first multi-review joint as we take a look at their Turkey Cranberry sandwich. And aside from providing the first review of more than one sandwich from the same place, it at the same time provides the first review of essentially the same sandwich from different places. Nice! I already gave a brief overview of Paradise Bakery in my previous review, so I think here I'll just provide some very general likes and dis-likes. In general, the things I like about Paradise are that it's always clean, the service is nice, and they use fresh ingredients to good effect. The downers, in my opinion, are that it tends to be a little pricey and I seem to always leave hungry. As I mentioned, the main reason I end up here so often is that my wife loves it. I asked her just what it is that she likes about it and her reply was "the cookies and the Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad." Obviously, this doesn't help us at all with sandwich analysis, but there you go.

Now then, back to the sandwich at hand. See what Paradise Bakery would like you to believe this sandwich looks like here. Compare that to the image above and, as usual, you will see there is a slight discrepancy. Here's the ingredients that go into this one:

• Type of Bread: Paradise Molasses
• Condiments/Dressing(s): Mayonnaise, Cranberry Sauce
• Toppings: Oven Roasted Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato

Pretty standard list of ingredients for a sandwich of the turkey cranberry variety, with the one foray into the unknown here being the type of bread used. In my opinion, the key to executing a turkey cranberry sandwich well is striking a balance between the sweetness of the cranberry sauce and the savoriness of the mayo and turkey. Let's see how Paradise Bakery fared in this regard as well as the other areas we judge:

• Quantity/Value: 3/5 - As I mentioned earlier, the main gripe I would say I have with Paradise Bakery in general is that it seems pricey for what you get. That was the case with this sandwich as well. For over $7 (which, it should be noted, also included a cookie), I expect there to be enough sandwich to vanquish my hunger. Unfortunately, after I downed my sandwich, I still had enough room to put away the last half of my wife's salad as well.
• Originality: 4/5 - While not totally original by any stretch of the imagination, having a turkey cranberry on the menu at least shows that the establishment has some sense of adventure when it comes to making sandwiches. And in addition to that, Paradise gets some style points for putting everything inside their unique molasses-tinged bread which you won't find just anywhere.
• Appearance: 7/10 - As you can see from the pictures, this is a pretty good looking sandwich. Here's another one in case you missed the first one:
  Obviously it's not close to the photo of the sandwich you see on their website or menu, but they never are. Obviously some care was taken in putting the sandwich together and the deep and vibrant colors of the lettuce, cranberry sauce and bread contrast nicely with each other.
• Quality/Freshness: 9/10 - This is where Paradise usually excels and today was no exception. The bread was obviously fresh, but although it was soft and spongy, it hadn't been left around long enough for anything to seep into the bread and make it soggy. The vegetables were cool and crisp - everything as it should be.
• Taste: 16/20 - Alright, now let's take a look at where the rubber meets the road. The freshness of the ingredients as mentioned above obviously contributed in a positive fashion to the taste of this sandwich. Unfortunately, so did the quantity/value rating. What I mean by that is I wish there would have been more turkey on my turkey cranberry sandwich. As you can see from the photo, the amount of turkey is less than the thickness of a tomato slice and in my book, that just is not getting the job done. Also, the sweet/savory balance I mentioned earlier fell a little too far on the sweet side for my taste. This again would be remedied by some more turkey on that bad boy or at least a little more mayo. All in all though, a pleasing version of a new classic.

Added all together, that gives the Turkey Cranberry from Paradise Bakery & Cafe a rating of 39/50 . And, as fate would have it, that is the exact rating I gave the other sandwich I tested from here in the first review on this blog. Interesting. We'll have to see if the next sandwich I get from here gets a 39 as well. And, with my wife in charge, I'm sure that day will come soon enough.

Rocky Balboa from Gandolfo's

When it comes to Utah sandwich joints, there is one that holds more personal significance for me than any other - Gandolfo's. Sure the sandwiches there are solid, but the reason I will always have a special place in my heart for this spot is that it is where I had my first official date with my wife. We had met previously and even hung out together at a memorable show by the late great Elliott Smith at the now defunct Club DV8 in downtown SLC, but it was at the very sandwich shop pictured above where we first met for lunch on a warm spring day in 1999. I had a Burning Bridge, a fantastic time and the rest is history. My wife and I have returned often over the years and I've taken several friends here as well. And thus you see how my life has become inextricably entwined with a sandwich shop.

On this day, knowing that this blog project was underway, I engaged in an ordering strategy that I tend to use at places I know I'll be coming back to. That is, I just start at the top of the menu and work my way down. I've done this with the shakes at Granny's in Heber, I've done it with the burgers at Training Table, and now I'm doing it with sandwiches at Gandolfo's. So, with that in mind, I perused the menu, noted that the Rocky Balboa (all the sandwiches at Gandolfo's are named after famous New York landmarks or figures) was in the top left corner position and ordered it immediately.

Now before I get too far along here, there is one important thing to note about Gandolfo's. Although it started as a local sandwich joint/deli, it has now been bought and sold and become a national franchise. And, as with any franchise, while there are constants from location to location, in the end the quality of your experience depends upon who is running the particular location you are visiting. With that in mind, I can wholeheartedly endorse two Utah locations - the downtown location pictured above as well as the store near the University of Utah campus. It is no coincidence that both these stores are run by the same person (at least the last time I checked) who really does an incredible job.

Now then, back to the menu and my sandwich. The sandwiches on the Gandolfo's menu are divided into categories based on the meat featured in the sandwich. The Rocky Balboa was the first sandwich listed under the "Chicken Breast Sandwiches" category and as such, was the sandwich of choice today:

So, with that visual introduction to the sandwich of choice out of the way, let's examine it's composition:

• Type of Bread: Hero Roll
• Condiments/Dressing(s): Mayonnaise, Oil & Vinegar
• Toppings: Chicken Breast, Cappicola, Provolone, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion

So, as you can see, I ordered my sandwich sans onions. One of my goals of this whole project is to broaden my taste and experience new flavors and little by little I am getting there ( a short time ago, I would've X'd out the tomatoes as well, but I've been eating them more and am finally coming around). I just can't handle the onions yet. Patience, dear reader - I may yet get there.

One more brief side note before we get into the scoring for today's sandwich. As you've seen, I am using my classic Han Solo action figure as a means for you to judge scale. But it occurs to me that I haven't yet told you just how tall the figure is. So for your benefit, I took out a ruler just now and measured Han at nearly four inches tall (somewhere between three and three-quarters and four, to be precise). So, hopefully that helps you out a little if you were wondering. Now, on to the scoring:

• Quantity/Value: 4/5 - As you can see in the photo above, this is a good-sized sandwich - probably not quite a foot long, but close. With that in mind, the $7.99 price tag is reasonable, but the price : what you get ratio is not quite enough to give this one a full 5 out of 5.
• Originality: 5/5 - One of the best things about Gandolfo's is the originality of their sandwiches. Sure they have classic standards like a Reuben and a French Dip, but for the most part, their sandwiches contain combinations of ingredients that you won't find anywhere else. The combination of chicken, cappicola and provolone was somewhat reminiscent of Chicken Cordon Bleu, but with a different and unique flair.
• Appearance: 9/10 - The moment you pick up your sandwich at Gandolfo's, you're struck by its appearance. Tightly wrapped in colorful butcher paper, it's sort of like opening a Christmas present. Once you free the sandwich from it's constrictive wrappings, it bursts open to reveal all the sandwichy goodness that was heretofore held within. You've also got to love the melted cheese bridge that remains when trying to separate the two halves. Awesome. The one thing that keeps this from getting full marks is something that will affect a couple other areas as well. After making up the sandwich, it got tossed in what looked like a microwave for a few seconds. While this obviously heated the sandwich to the desired temperature, it also resulted in some of the outer portion getting dry and crusty which looked a little less than optimal.
• Quality/Freshness: 8/10 - This is where the microwaving really hurt this one. I understand that we were there on a Saturday afternoon in downtown Salt Lake and there wasn't a whole lot going on (there was one other couple in the store, which was vastly different from the bustling scene here on work days), but I just wish that the ingredients themselves could have been prepared fresh so that they would have provided the necessary heat to warm this sandwich up rather than tossing it in the microwave. That definitely hurt the freshness factor. The shredded, from-a-bag Subway type lettuce was kind of a let down as well. However, the meat and cheese were great, the bread was soft and fresh, and that is key.
• Taste: 18/20 - Again, the microwave job hurt a little. It left that weird microwaved melted plastic kind of taste with the sandwich that marred an otherwise delicious effort. As I said earlier, the combination of chicken, cured pork and melted cheese was not unlike Chicken Cordon Bleu, although a less salty version. The soft bread and melted cheese were contrasted in texture by the crunch of the lettuce and outer crust of the hero roll. The mayonnaise was just right as well - enough to provide some creaminess, but not too much to over-power everything else.

Add that all together and you have a pretty impressive score of 44/50 for today's subject, the Rocky Balboa. So there you have it - the first sandwich reviewed from Gandolfo's - a place that will always hold a special place in my heart and my stomach.

Pepper Steak from Moochie's

Okay, so after focusing on sandwiches made by local and national chains my last few entries, I figured it was definitely time to return to a nice one-of-a-kind local joint for a sandwich. And if you're going to do that, I can think of few better options in the Salt Lake area than Moochie's. I honestly can't remember where I first heard about Moochie's, but I remember that my buddy Jeff and I were driving around one day looking for somewhere to eat when one of us suggested this place. We'd both heard good things about it, so we headed down 9th South in Salt Lake keeping our eyes peeled since we didn't know the exact address. We almost drove right past the nondescript location near 2nd East, but thankfully spotted it and headed inside. Now, I used the term "one-of-a-kind" earlier and that's a term you hear kicked around a lot to describe things, but in this case it is very much true. Unless of course you're aware of another killer sandwich purveyor located inside of a pottery gift shop? Yeah, didn't think so.

Now, usually at this point in a post, I like to give some background info about the sandwich establishment in question before talking about the actual sandwich itself. Of course, you can go to Moochie's website to read about them, or instead, you can watch the video clip below. It comes from one of my favorite shows: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Basically, the show is about a guy traveling around the country stopping at all these cool little local restaurants, finding out what their specialties are, and then eating them like crazy. How on earth do I get that job?? The host, Guy Fieri, is kind of a toolbox (those sunglasses you're wearing? yeah, those go on the front of your face, chief) albeit a knowledgeable and ultimately likable one who obviously loves what he does. Here is the segment of his show where he paid Moochie's a visit:



So as you may have gleaned from watching that, among their considerable menu, Moochie's has two sandwiches that you could consider specialties: the Meatball, and the Philly Cheesesteak. I have had them both and without giving too much away, sufficeth to say they are both phenomenal. Today we'll be reviewing the Philly Cheesesteak...well, truth be told I don't think what I got is considered a "true" Philly Cheese. From things I've read, a Philly Cheesesteak includes (besides the obvious cheese and steak) onions, peppers and mushrooms. I'm not quite sure if those ingredients are merely optional or if they are requisite to a true Philly Cheesesteak so maybe someone can enlighten me. Anyway, since I'm not a huge fan of onions or 'shrooms, I got mine with only peppers on top of the meat and cheese which was termed a Pepper Steak. So in review, my sandwich was composed of the following:

• Type of Bread: 12" Hoagie Roll
• Condiments/Dressing(s): n/a
  
• Toppings: Thinly Sliced Ribeye Steak, Melted American Cheese, Roasted Bell Peppers

The roasted bell peppers that I threw on there were actually an optional addition and there are other optional ingredients that you can add to any of Moochie's sandwiches. These are grilled mushrooms, lettuce-tomato-mayo (counts as one ingredient), and extra cheese or a cheese substitution (putting provolone, swiss or mozzarella on instead of melted american, for example). Once you've got your ingredients picked out and decided whether you want the 6" or 12" version, the only thing left to do is sit back and enjoy. Here's the scoring breakdown:

• Quantity/Value: 4/5 - The thing that keeps this sandwich from getting a perfect 5 out of 5 is definitely NOT the quantity. If you get the foot-long like I did, you are probably not going to finish it in one sitting. And if you do, you are probably not going to need a meal the rest of the day. The thing that drops this down to a 4 is it's substantial $10.49 price tag. To be fair, the base price is $9.49, but once you add an extra ingredient like I did with the peppers, that's an extra dollar. This is a great sandwich, and it's price definitely reflects it, and maybe then some.
• Originality: 4/5 - Obviously Moochie's did not invent the Cheesesteak, but when it comes to getting an authentic version of this Philly staple, you can't do much better than Moochie's. And besides the sandwich, as I mentioned earlier, the shop itself is definitely an original and needs to be visited.
• Appearance: 9/10 - I probably should have opened the sandwich up a little bit more in the picture I took that is seen at the top of this post. As it is now, it doesn't really do it justice. When you unwrap that foil and expose the sandwich inside, it is a thing of beauty. The perfectly grilled steak smothered in melted cheese spilling out of the roll are tantalizing enough, but when you add in the beautiful reds and greens of the roasted peppers, the appearance is positively amazing and make you want to dive right in.
• Quality/Freshness: 10/10 - If you're going to charge over $10 for a sandwich, it better be huge (check) and it better use only the best ingredients - check and mate in this case. Not only are the ingredients top-shelf quality, but the key is that they are prepared to order - they don't just have a pile of steak keeping warm somewhere that they use; they throw that meat down on the grill only when you order your sandwich -that is key. Another example of freshness is that the peppers used in my sandwich were roasted on site. You could get around that if you wanted to, but the fact that they're willing to do it is why Moochie's earns a 10 here.
• Taste: 19/20 - If I haven't alluded to it enough already, this is a great tasting sandwich. I mean really great. It has everything that you want - there is a contrast in texture with the crunchy bread and the chewy ingredients within, there is a wonderful contrast in taste between the savory meat and cheese and the sweetness of the peppers. And, on top of that, there is some degree of intangible tastiness in knowing that this thing was prepared on the spot for you. I think the best way I can sum up how good this thing is is that the last time I had one, I couldn't finish it (not unusual). But by the time I got home and had a chance to digest and was ready for more, I couldn't even wait to heat it up - I yanked it out of the fridge and pounded it and that was that.

That all adds up to a huge score of 46/50. And for those of you keeping track, that puts the Pepper Steak from Moochie's into a tie for first place with The Deluxe from Grove Market. Very impressive. Very impressive indeed.

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Meatball Marinara from Subway

I know I've made this point already, so just by way of re-iteration, if you're looking exclusively for reviews of high-end sandwiches with ingredients like arugula and pork tenderloin, this is probably not the right place for you (but keep reading anyway)! As I've stated from the beginning, the goal of this project is to search high and low for sandwiches in all their variations. While it is true that sometimes this involves going to an amazing deli with absolutely top shelf ingredients, more often than not it involves going down the block to your local sandwich chain shop. Which is where we find ourselves today. It's hard to believe that a little over 40 years ago, Subway didn't exist. Especially since today you can't hardly throw a rock into the air and not have it plummet down onto one of these omnipresent sandwich joints.

The history of Subway is an interesting one. You can read all about it here, but here's the Cliff's Notes version - back in 1965, a 17 year old (!) named Fred De Luca needed to generate some money to pay for college, so he borrowed a thousand bucks from a family friend and opened up a sandwich shop in a mediocre location in Bridgeport, CT. Apparently the place was packed from Day 1 and it's never slowed. Today, with nearly 33,000 Subway locations in 93 different countries, Subway has been rated the #1 Global Franchise and Mr. De Luca is a billionaire. Hmm, I wonder if he ever bothered going to school?

So how did this place go from a barely pubescent lad's glorified lemonade stand to the global behemoth that it is today? Certainly some savvy advertising along the way was useful (Get out of my head, $5 Foot-long jingle!!!), but basically it all comes down to this guy. Just kidding....sort of. Interesting side note: when Subway finally put the brakes on the Jared-as-pitchman train, their sales plummeted 10% and they immediately got him back on board to keep shilling sandwiches. Now how is that even possible??? How does a googly-eyed nerd holding up a pair of fat-pants make people go eat sandwiches?? Who knows. Anyway, I might be wrong, but I'd have to say that Subway's success can be attributed to the simple fact that they offer a good product at a good price. Notice I didn't say "great", I said "good". I think the Subway brain-trust has somehow isolated a magical formula where they make their product just good enough to keep people coming back and charge them just enough to make a fat profit without breaking their customers' bank. This has resulted in unheard of commercial success. Good for them. Seriously. I wish I could do that.

Okay, enough about the somewhat brief but storied history of Subway. Let's get down to reviewing one of their sandwiches. The sandwich on the docket today is the Meatball Marinara. Long before Subway started offering a toasting option for all their sandwiches (to compete with rival Quiznos), the Meatball Marinara was one of the few "warm" sandwiches that could be ordered at Subway. Maybe this is why I started ordering it - especially in the cold winter, sometimes a warm sandwich really hits the spot. Obviously you could dress this sandwich up anyway you wanted to when you ordered it, but at it's core, it consists of the following:

• Type of Bread: Again, you can choose any of Subway's bread options. I went with what I usually do - Monterrey Cheddar.
• Condiments/Dressing(s): Marinara Sauce
• Toppings: Meatballs, Cheese of your choice (Provolone for me), Parmesan Cheese

The only other decision to make is whether you want to take advantage of the relatively new toasting option. Even though the meatballs and the marinara sauce they come in are already warm, I would highly recommend toasting if for no other reason than to melt your cheese. Besides that, you sandwich will stay warmer longer. Once I got my sandwich ordered, put together and toasted, here is what I ended up with:

Again, notice the difference between the appearance of the sandwich in the Subway ad at the start of this post and the actual thing above. It's almost comical. Granted, this sandwich endured a car ride home, but despite it's appearance I did not sit on it for said car ride. Let's get to it:

• Quantity/Value: 5/5 - I got this foot-long bad boy for a mere five bucks as part of Subway's $5 Foot-long promotion. That is a lot of food for not a lot of money which is, of course, the goal of sandwiches trying to do well in this category. Obviously if and when the promotion end and this thing's price goes up, the rating would have to change accordingly.
• Originality: 4/5 - Was Subway the first restaurant to come up with a meatball sandwich? I seriously doubt it. But, it was the first place I saw them offered and even now it's not every place where you can get a meatball sandwich, so this rates quite well.
• Appearance: 6/10 - Yeah, this thing looks pretty sad. The advantages of toasting the sandwich have been mentioned above. The one drawback is that heating it up makes everything a little more pliable. Couple that with an immediate tightly compressed wrap in wax paper once it's out of the oven and by the time you get it out to eat, that thing is squashed. Does it make it taste any worse? No, but with the bread compressed to about 1/4 inch thick, as soon as you squeeze down on the sandwich, those meatballs practically fly out every which way which is not going to put you where you need to be.
• Quality/Freshness: 7/10 - Subway's meatball sandwich is going to take another bit of a hit here. There's no way those meatballs are made fresh on site, and once they're warmed up and go into the stainless steel holding bin, the only thing that determines how long they've been sitting there is how many (or how few) people before you ordered the same sandwich. The meatballs I've experienced have at times been on the soft and bland side and I'm sure that's a result of significant time in the sauce bath. Where the sandwich gains some points back, though is with the bread. As with all the Subway breads, it gets made fresh daily and that is key.
  
• Taste: 16/20 - Despite the less than perfect ratings in the appearance and freshness departments, the fact is that this sandwich tastes pretty good. The bread is wonderful - especially when toasted for some added exterior crunch to contrast the soft meatballs and marinara-soaked interior. Aside from the odd batch that's been sitting for too long, the meatballs in general are seasoned well and they're not stingy with them. The marinara sauce is warm and flavorful, with some nice chunks of tomato -it's not just a tomato soup that the meatballs sit in. And it's all finished with some lovely melted cheese to pull it all together (literally, if you look at the photo above).

Add it all up and that gives the Meatball Marinara from Subway an SSTF rating of 38/50. It's not the best sandwich you'll find around - it's not even the best meatball sandwich you'll find around, but if you've got a hankering for a meatball sub and not a lot of time, the news is good - chances are you're within spitting distance of a Subway and you won't be disappointed.

Turkey & Bacon From Training Table

Training Table, for those who might not know, is a local Utah chain of burger joints that also happens to serve one of my favorite sandwiches - The Turkey & Bacon. You'll notice that I made a distinction there between burgers and sandwiches. Now technically, isn't a hamburger a sandwich? Well, of course it is, silly. But for the purposes of this blog, I've chosen to separate the two. The task of sampling all the myriad of sandwiches out there is Herculean enough without throwing burgers into the mix as well. Does this mean I don't like burgers? Of course not. I love 'em. It's just that for the sake of time and simplicity, I'm not going to be including them in this blog. That will have to wait for another time, or more than likely, another lifetime. There - thanks for allowing me to make that distinction. I've been meaning to do that for awhile.

Anyway, as I was saying, Training Table is a chain of 9 restaurants dotted up and down the Wasatch Front that, as an old slogan of theirs used to state, serves "Gourmet Burgers, Sandwiches and Such". The "such" includes such things a soup, salads, and some really wonderful cheese fries - a must with any order, be it burger or sandwich. Aside from the magnificent cheese fries, you'll find 17 different burgers on the menu and an equal number of sandwiches. I've tried nearly all the burgers with varying degrees of satisfaction, but the only sandwich I've ever ordered is the Turkey & Bacon. It's one of those situations where although I know there are other great things to discover on the menu, every time I go to order one, the allure of the Turkey & Bacon is too much and I just can't pull the trigger on the unknown. What (besides the obvious turkey and bacon) goes into this sandwich? I'm glad you asked:

• Type of Bread: Hamburger Bun
• Condiment(s)/Dressing(s): Ranch Dressing
• Toppings: Turkey Breast, Bacon, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato

It should also be noted that this is a "hot" sandwich. Obviously the bacon is going to be hot, but this isn't like a BLT where the bacon's hot, but everything else is cold. The bacon is hot, but so is the turkey which is key in ensuring proper Swiss cheese meltiness. Now you've probably guessed from the above commentary that I'm a fan of this sandwich, but let's find out just how much of a fan I am:

• Quantity/Value: 3/5 - Unlike some of the other sandwiches I've already talked about, the Turkey & Bacon doesn't come with any extras when you order it. So, when you order your cheese fries to go with it, you're going to have to pay extra for those bad boys. Now it's still totally worth it, but the fact that the $5.99 sandwich comes with nothing and is not overtly huge results in it's average rating in this category.
• Originality: 5/5 - A perfect rating for this sandwich may seem a little strange. I mean, the ingredients aren't exotic in the least, and the pairing of turkey and bacon is not that unusual either. But the fact is, I can't get a sandwich like this anywhere else that I've discovered yet. The perfect combination of turkey, bacon, Swiss and ranch on the somewhat unusual bread choice is unique to Training Table.
• Appearance: 9/10 - This is a good lookin' sandwich. I mean that picture up above looks like the picture that most places would put on their billboard to represent their sandwich. The lettuce, tomato and bacon all add a great punch of color to contrast the relative blandly colored turkey and Swiss. And the fact that the sandwich looks like it's ready to topple over makes you hungry just looking at it.
• Quality/Freshness: 8/10 - The thing that lets you know this sandwich is fresh is, much like the extinct McDLT (bonus points if you can remember that thing), the cool ingredients are still cold and the hot ingredients are still hot. The swiss is still gooey and melty, the bacon is still crisp and hot and the lettuce and tomato are still cool. I have noticed the vegetables to be a little less than completely fresh at times, and that's what brings the freshness rating down a tad.
• Taste: 19/20 - I've touched on this already, but this is one of the tastiest sandwiches I've had the pleasure of eating on a regular basis. I love turkey, I love Swiss cheese, and I really love bacon. It's almost like this sandwich was made for me. The thing that really sets the sandwich off, though, is the ranch sauce. It provides the perfect cool creaminess to contrast the greasy deliciousness of the cheese and meats. The bacon and lettuce provide a nice crunchy texture, and even the hamburger bun is great - it's not your run of the mill white bread bun. It's got some kind of cracked wheat or something going on with it that makes it a little more robust and tasty. I wish I could describe it a little more accurately, but that's the best I can do.

So taken all together, that gives The Turkey & Bacon from Training Table a very respectable 44/50 . Maybe one of these days, I'll get around to trying some other sandwiches that this place has to offer, but then again, as long as they keep serving this one up, maybe I won't.

Pulled Pork Sandwich from Texas Roadhouse

When you think of eating barbecue, there are several things that could come to mind first. Ribs perhaps? Brisket? Chicken? Any of those possibilities and others more than likely come flying into your brain, but I'd wager that the first thing you think of is more than likely not a sandwich. Thankfully, however, as barbecue becomes less a regional specialty food and more a ubiquitous form of meaty goodness, that may soon change (if it hasn't already). I speak of course of the pulled pork sandwich. It seems hard to believe now, but just over a decade ago, I hadn't even heard of a pulled pork sandwich, let alone eaten one. In fact, I can still remember the first time I heard of such a thing as a pulled pork sandwich. I was dating the woman who is now my wife and we were eating with a bunch of her friends at the now defunct Hard Rock Cafe in Salt Lake City and one of the guys there ordered a pulled pork sandwich. I remember being slightly surprised at the name and wondering what on earth made this sandwich "pulled" and what it would look like. I soon found out, and before long was ordering these things any chance I got.

I now know that the reason these sandwiches are referred to as "pulled pork" has to do with the method of preparation. Pork (usually shoulder cut) is cooked over low heat for an extended period of time which results in the meat becoming tender enough that it can simply be pulled apart by hand. Although this form of barbecue seems to have originated in Mexico, where it is known as carnitas, it has been adopted and modified by many other cultures and several regions of the US. Pulled pork can be eaten in a variety of ways (in tacos or burritos, over rice, etc), but in the US, the pulled pork sandwich has become the preferred mode of distribution.

Although the ingredients are few, there are subtle regional variations that can be made in a pulled pork sandwich that often relate to the cuts of meat used and the sauce served with or over the pork itself. For example, in areas such as Tennessee, the sauce is tomato-based whereas in Carolina barbecue, the sauce is vinegar-based or completely absent.

With the recent (relatively speaking) proliferation of barbecue establishments to all parts of the country, you can probably find a number of places to get a pulled pork sandwich. On this occasion, we went to Texas Roadhouse, a national barbecue chain that recently opened several locations here in Utah. As expected, the list of ingredients for this sandwich is sparse:

• Type of bread: Toasted Bun
• Dressing(s)/Condiment(s): Barbecue Sauce
• Toppings: Pulled Pork

Now obviously, a lack of ingredients does not necessarily correlate with the quality or tastiness of a sandwich. So with that caveat in mind, here are the official ratings for the Pulled Pork Sandwich from Texas Roadhouse:

• Quantity/Value: 4/5 - The picture above probably doesn't do justice to the amount of food you get when you order this sandwich for $6.99. That price includes the pickle spear (pictured), but also a big ol' pile of steak fries which I hoover'd out of the way before snapping the shot so as not to obscure the view of the sandwich in any way. The sandwich is a nice normal bun size and thankfully the amount of pulled pork is generous.
• Originality: 3/5 - An average rating for originality here and maybe even the three is generous. Texas Roadhouse is definitely not the first establishment to come up with a pulled pork sandwich and their version does absolutely nothing outside of what you would expect. Not bad, just not original.
• Appearance: 7/10 - This sandwich definitely didn't look bad, but my main gripe is this - the amount of barbecue used on the sandwich is such that it barely coats the pork, sort of like a glaze and then I can't say for sure, but it looks like in order to toast the bun, they might just toast the whole sandwich with the meat already on. The problem with that is it leaves the pork looking (and tasting) a little drier and tougher than you would expect.
• Quality/Freshness: 8/10 - Despite what I just said about the meat looking a little dry which I assume is due to some sort of toasting process, if that what it takes to toast the bun, it's worth it because that was key. The softness of the bun made it clear it was fresh, but the toasting gave it a little crunch to offer some contrast in texture to the chewy pork. This was good pork, too. As it should, the slow and low cooking process left the meat incredibly tender and in addition, I didn't have to pull out any huge globs of fat or gristle or any other nonsense which was great.

• Taste: 18/20 - I may be biased, but I think it would be difficult to really screw up a pulled pork sandwich once you get the pulled pork right. This pulled pork was right, and Texas Roadhouse has made the decision to let the pork stand on its own, which by and large is a good one. The flavors complimenting the pork are very subtle. However, I think they may be just a tad too subtle. The barbecue sauce, as mentioned above, was applied in such a minor quantity that it does little more than glaze the meat. I honestly can't remember how it tasted because there wasn't enough of it there to tell. Obviously you don't want to mask and overpower the taste of the meat, but there is a reason sauce is used in barbecue and I don't think this sandwich took advantage of that quite enough. A very minor quibble, though.
  

All in all this was a mighty fine sandwich with a final score of 40/50 and another reason why the pulled pork, completely unknown to me a decade ago, is rapidly becoming one of my sandwiches of choice.

Regular Roast Beef from Arby's

As I stated previously, I am determined not to limit the subjects of my posts to only those sandwiches found in deli's and other places that might be considered more "high-brow" as far as sandwiches go. The subject of today's post should drive that point home with authority - much like Albert Pujols would do to a Brad Lidge slider up in the zone circa 2005 NLCS. After all, sandwiches can be found everywhere - even in ubiquitous fast food joints. Whether they are good or not, well, that is a job for The Task Force, my friends. And so it was a few nights ago that when I found myself with an empty belly and a hankerin' for a quick remedy to that problem, I found myself echoing the immortal words of David Puddy. Indeed, it felt like an Arby's night.

If you've been in an Arby's lately, you'll notice a fairly wide variety of sandwiches, from the roast beef which is their staple to fancy new "gourmet" sandwiches with actual bread instead of sesame seed buns. As I tend to do when faced with menu decisions such as these, I decided to start at the very beginning. That meant ordering the Regular Roast Beef that, along with chips and iced tea was the only thing on the menu when Arby's opened it's first store in Youngstown, OH back in 1964.

As for ingredients, it doesn't get much simpler than the Regular Roast Beef which meets the bare minimum for number of ingredients required to actually be a sandwich: two. Namely, bread and something in between it:

• Type of Bread: Sesame Seed Bun
• Dressing(s)/Condiment(s): N/A
• Toppings: Thinly Sliced Roast Beef

That's really it, basically. A hamburger bun and some roast beef. And, in the interest of fairness, that is how I judged the sandwich. Although, it should be noted that like most people, I tend to dress mine up a little bit. Sauces that Arby's has available to augment your roast beef include Arby's sauce (a bar-b-q sauce variant) and the sinus-tingling Horsey sauce. I usually opt for the latter with some cracked black pepper thrown on as well. With that brief disclaimer out of the way, the scoring for Arby's Regular Roast Beef was as follows:

• Quantity/Value: 4/5 - Gone it seems are the glory days of my youth when the Arby's "5 for 5" promotion (5 regular roast beefs for five dollars) would set off a feeding frenzy that, despite the savings my college student budget appreciated, could only be described as unhealthy. The current promotion du jour is a $5.01 combo meal which includes the sandwich, some curly fries and a drink. I understand that whoever came up with the $5.01 idea probably thought it was clever, but I find it annoying and lame - especially if I was paying with cash. Nevertheless, it's still a decent deal for a decent amount of food.
• Originality: 5/5 - What?!? A FIVE for originality?? While it would seem that fast food is just about the most unoriginal thing out there, what you have to keep in mind is that although they certainly weren't the first to make a roast beef sandwich, Arby's was definitely the first to take the concept of a roast beef sandwich and turn it into something huge. And even after all that, where else can you get a sandwich like this? I can think of plenty of places where I can buy a McDonald's style hamburger or a Taco Bell style taco, but few if any where I can get a sandwich like this one.
• Appearance: 5/10 - Now here is where the fact that this is a fast food sandwich really shines through. One of my favorite things to do is to look at a sandwich or burger on a fast food advertisement and then compare it to what it actually looks like when ordered. It's not only a commentary on fast food, but on advertising in our society as a whole. Too often you're sold an image of an ideal something that is so beautiful, so unbelievably perfect that when actually seen with the naked eye it can't possibly measure up. And then not only does it not measure up, but falls woefully, often times comically short of the image that you were sold. So with that in mind, the picture at the top of this post is what Arby's would have you believe their Regular Roast Beef sandwich looks like: a perfectly symmetrical thing of beauty with a heaping pile of roast beef that is at least as thick as the bun it sits on. Here is what I got in my cute little paper sack:
  

Not quite the same, is it. Kind of a sad little thing with a little bit of roast beef peeking out of a bun that it looks like Han just got done sitting on.

• Quality/Freshness: 7/10 - This is kind of a tricky thing to judge with fast food as well. I mean, for all I know this thing could have been made 3 hours before I bought it. But, I have to say, it seemed pretty fresh. The bun was soft without being soggy from the juices of the roast beef. I'm not a roast beef expert, either, so it might be hard for me to speak to the quality of what they used here. While I'm sure it's not the same stuff you'd find at a high-end restaurant, at the very least upon close inspection it didn't have that weirdly disgusting shine that sandwich meat can get if it isn't used right away.
• Taste: 16/20 - As I said earlier, I judged the taste of the Regular Roast Beef based on how the sandwich was served to me - with none of the aforementioned added ingredients. And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. There really is nothing quite like a big (even if it's not nearly as big as advertised) pile of super thinly sliced meat in between some bread. The roast beef's juices were enough to moisten the sandwich and keep it from being too dry while at the same time not too much as to result in any detrimental sogginess.

Those scores added up give the Regular Roast Beef from Arby's a total score of 37/50. That number probably goes up another point once I thrown on some Horsey sauce and pepper, too. Is this sandwich the Cadillac of roast beef out there? Of course not. But I don't think it has any illusions of being such. It is what it is. A solid, relatively cheap sandwich that, at least for me, has held up over time and continues to be one I revisit with some frequency. And, fyi, in addition to the Regular size, it can be ordered in Junior, Medium and Large sizes. I'm not sure if the "Large" is the same size as the "Big Montana" version that Arby's peddled for awhile, but that thing was so enormous that the one time I tried it, it killed Arby's for me for a good year. Yeesh.

The Deluxe From Grove Market & Deli

While one of my stated purposes in undertaking this project (and the accompanying blog) was to seek out and discover new sandwiches worthy of inclusion among the all-time greats, another purpose is to give well-deserved praise to those sandwiches that I have already discovered and love. Today's entry is one of those. Grove Market & Deli, thanks in part to its location on a nondescript corner of Main Street in Salt Lake City and it's unassuming outward appearance (if you didn't know any better, you'd never know what was inside) has become one of those "secret" places that attains a near magical quality when you realize the complete and total awesomeness that exists inside the small, plain exterior. I can't believe I'm about to make a Harry Potter reference, but Grove Market is kind of like that portal in the story that takes people to the wizarding world. Myriads of people walk by the place every day, but only a select few enter into the back alley and tap on the bricks to open the door into the wondrous world on the other side. Grove Market is like that. Except instead of entering a pretend wizard world by going inside, you open a portal to Sandwich Nirvana.

I've got a pretty long history with Grove - maybe that's one of the reasons I have such an affinity for the place. I don't remember the first time I went there, but I do remember many times as a student at the University of Utah meeting my dad after class and heading down to Grove for a sandwich. I also remember picking them up before heading a couple blocks up the road to catch a Bees game (what a beautiful coincidence that two of the things I enjoy most - baseball and great food - can be found so close together!) Although my history with Grove Market is long, my first-hand knowledge of their menu is extremely limited - that is because in all the years I've been going there, I've only ever ordered one sandwich - The Deluxe. I fell in love with it from the first bite and have never felt the need to order anything else. I keep telling myself I will, but without fail I always end up back at The Deluxe. Here's what goes into one:

• Type of Bread: Ambassador Roll (essentially an entire loaf of french bread)
• Dressing(s)/Condiment(s): Mustard, Mayonnaise
• Toppings: Ham, Turkey, Avocado, Swiss Cheese, American Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle

Even though I made an analogy of Grove being a secret place that not everyone knows about, I should warn you that this is not actually the case. Plenty of people know about it, so if you think you're going to walk right in at lunch time and saddle up to the counter to place an order, you're wrong. Our approach was always to call ahead so our order was ready when we got there. The store is so small that it can get really crowded real quick. But if you play your cards right, the sandwich will be ready when you get there, you can pick it up, grab a cool refreshing beverage and sit outside at one of the tables as you mount your gastronomical attack. You can probably already guess this sandwich scores well, and you're right. You'll find out how I broke it down after one more photo:


By the way, in this photo, you'll notice I've adopted a new visual aid to help with scale. I figured most people know how big a Star Wars action figure is, so you can use that as a guide for how big this thing really is. I chose Han Solo because it seemed to me he'd be the most likely to join you for a refreshing beverage and a sandwich. Droids just drink oil, Luke and Obi-Wan probably eat sprouts and tofu and all that hippie crap and I lost my Chewbacca figure, so there you go. The Deluxe scores as follows:

• Quantity/Value: 5/5 - This one was never in doubt. This is one of the bigger sandwiches I have ever tried. Half of the sandwich is plenty on most occasions. With a price tag of $8.99, it might seem a little pricey, but when you consider it is essentially two meals, it's a great bargain. In my entire life I've only ever completed an entire Deluxe once - back in my early 20's when I was young and spry. Let me give you just one more picture with The Deluxe and Han in action:
  Man, I'm jealous of Han Solo right now. If I was him, I could eat on that thing until I was tired, then just climb inside it and go to sleep. Then if I was hungry, I could wake up, eat a couple bites and go right back to sleep. What a lucky jerk.
• Originality: 4/5 - A couple things stand out here - first is that roll - or loaf, or whatever you wish to call it. I can't think of another place around that uses anything close to it. The combination of meats and cheeses is fresh, as is the use of the avocado.
• Appearance: 9/10 - So, although The Deluxe's looks wouldn't make it feel at home at some high-brow restaurant, they are enough to send my salivary glands into overdrive. The size is of course appealing, and another thing that looks just great is the healthy amount of black pepper on top of the cheese, avocados and pickles.
  
• Quality/Freshness: 9/10 - The meats and cheeses used aren't top top shelf, but the crucial thing is that they were FRESH. The turkey and especially the ham didn't have any of that gross greenish shiny crud that you'll often find on the ham and meats at some places. In addition, the veggies were also fresh - no wilted lettuce, no withered tomato, and most importantly, no unappealing brown avocado.
• Taste: 19/20 - So here's the kicker. Not only is this an enormous sandwich, it also tastes great. There are quite a few ingredients, but they all come together perfectly without losing their individual flavors. The insane crunch of the bread perfectly complements the creaminess of the cheese, condiments and avocado. And then the bite of the pickles and black pepper really put this one over the top. Simply fantastic.

Those excellent scores all add up to give The Deluxe from Grove Market & Deli an enviable score of 46/50! Trying to come up with a way to improve this sandwich is difficult. That is because the most obvious fault the sandwich has is as also what makes it so fantastic - it's sheer size. The Deluxe is so big that it is quite a challenge to eat. The mayo and mustard are applied liberally (my dad says they put it on with a boat oar) which means when you start pressing the sandwich together to fit it in your face, you encounter definite slippage and sliding apart of the sandwich's elements. The other thing that can pose a problem is the bread - it's crunchiness is phenomenal, but the hard outer crust that gives it that can also do a number on the roof of your mouth. But, in the end, these are minor quibbles that I wouldn't change even if I could. The Deluxe may not be the perfect sandwich, but it's awfully, awfully close.

Turkey Cranberry Melt From Iggy's Sports Grill

One of the things I wanted to try for in undertaking this quest for the best thing between two pieces of bread was to order outside my comfort zone. After all, if I just keep ordering the same thing over and over again, how am I every going to discover anything better, right? Hence my decision to go with the seldom-ordered tuna sandwich (see below). That turned out pretty good! So, when our family paid a visit to Iggy's Sports Grill the other night, I decided to press my luck again. More on that in a second, but first a little background on Iggy's. Iggy's is a local Utah sports bar chain with close to 10 locations along the Wasatch Front from Ogden down to Orem. On this particular day, we were in the area, so we stopped at the Centerville location. I'd been to Iggy's a couple times before and had been impressed (the barbeque chicken pizza was especially good). It's a pretty nice sports bar with a menu I'd say is a little more diverse than usual, and, in addition, it's not at all a place you'd be scared to take your kids to.

As I was saying, insofar as I'm making an effort to expand my sandwich horizons, I decided to go with with the Turkey Cranberry Melt. The first time I saw a sandwich with turkey and cranberries on the menu somewhere, I thought it sounded horrific. I don't know why, though - those two things go together perfectly well every Thanksgiving, so why not on a sandwich? And indeed, the first one I tried (I don't recall where) was fantastic. The Turkey Cranberry Melt at Iggy's is made up of the following:

• Type of Bread: Toasted Rye
• Dressing(s)/Condiment(s): Iggy's Sauce (a variant of Russian Dressing)
• Toppings: Sliced Turkey Grilled with Swiss, Coleslaw, Cranberries

The turkey/cranberry sandwiches I'd had before were always cold, so I was curious to see how this would play on a "melt" type sandwich. I'm sorry to report that, although the idea has some potential, the execution on this sandwich was quite disappointing. Before I get to the actual scoring breakdown, here's one more photo with all the sides out of the way:

And without any further delay, here are the scores:

• Quantity/Value: 2/5 - I paid $7.95 for this sandwich which did include sides of french fries, coleslaw and a pickle, but for crying out loud - this thing was minute. I mean, look at the picture at the top of this post. The french fries and pickle are each clearly dwarfing the entire sandwich. I immediately felt a little ripped off.
• Originality: 4/5 - As I said earlier, the concept for this sandwich was original - I can't remember seeing a grilled melt with turkey and cranberries. Interesting idea.
• Appearance: 5/10 - Aside from being really freaking tiny, there were other problems with the appearance of this sandwich. I don't know if you can tell from the 2nd picture, but the combination of dressing on the sandwich itself, the liquid from the slaw, and the grease from the melting process on the grill all combined to leave this sandwich hemorrhaging a greasy liquid mess. Not appealing, brah.
• Quality/Freshness: 7/10 - Aside from the fact that the sogginess I just mentioned left this sandwich with a distinct feeling of not being fresh, the quality of the ingredients themselves left a little to be desired - the turkey was not of the lovely Thanksgiving variety, but instead your run-of-the-mill pressed turkey loaf cut into slices.
  
• Taste: 14/20 - At this point, I think it's important to remember that the name of this sandwich is the "Turkey Cranberry Melt". This name would imply that the important parts of it were turkey and cranberries, no? Well, go ahead an look back at that picture and tell me how much turkey you can spot. Go ahead, I'll wait........yeah, not much, is there. Now, if you looked hard, you may have noticed one cranberry on each half of the sandwich. Those two little guys are important because they were the only ones present! Seriously, I checked. Two cranberries. On the whole sandwich. Couple the embarrassing lack of headlining ingredients with the saturated sponge-like sogginess already mentioned, and, well, this thing didn't taste great. Imagine a Reuben sandwich with no meat that was left sitting in a sauna for half an hour.
  

In summary, while I will probably still return to Iggy's, it won't be to order their Turkey Cranberry Melt which stumbles in with a final SSTF rating of 32/50. Unless of course they rename it something more appropriate. Might I suggest "The Meatless Reuben Snackwich" or "The Coleslaw Melt".

Albacore Tuna from Paradise Bakery & Cafe

So, you might think that since this a sandwich blog, I'd make my first review one of a sandwich from an amazing little local deli that does nothing but make great sandwiches. Well, don't worry - I'll get there, too. But let's face it - sandwiches can be had almost anywhere and everywhere and I don't plan on being too discriminatory when it comes to where I get sandwiches from. That means everything from the aforementioned deli to bigger chains such as this place - Paradise Bakery & Cafe.

Paradise is a national chain with locations in most of the Western states and a couple others as well. As the name would suggest, they specialize in baked goods, but also serve sandwiches, soups and salads throughout the day. My wife loves this place, so on the first day of 2010, I accompanied her to this location and started this sandwich project with, appropriately enough, the first sandwich I saw at the top of the menu - the Albacore Tuna sandwich, which is composed of the following:

• Type of Bread: Multigrain
• Dressing(s)/Condiment(s): Mayonnaise
• Toppings: Albacore Tuna Salad, Leaf Lettuce, Tomato

Let me start off by saying that I typically don't order tuna sandwiches. I guess the reason for that is that it is a bit more of a gamble ordering tuna than say turkey or roast beef. I mean, a good tuna sandwich is wonderful. However, a bad tuna sandwich is just HORRIBLE. If the tuna-to-mayonnaise ratio is weak, the sandwich can turn south into a soggy, uneatable disaster pretty quickly. Thankfully, that was not the case here. Let's go right to the score-card:

• Quantity/Value: 3/5 - I paid $7.15 for my sandwich, which included a chocolate-chip cookie, but coming on standard size sandwich bread, I thought it was a tad over-priced
  
• Originality: 3/5 - Aside from the pizazz that the multigrain bread provided, nothing out of the ordinary here.
  
• Appearance: 8/10 - I know it doesn't help that my photo is pretty washed out by my flash, but this was a good looking sandwich. The tuna salad had celery and sweet pickle to give it some color and the fresh lettuce and tomato provided great contrast.
• Quality/Freshness: 8/10 - As just mentioned, the tomato and lettuce were fresh and appealing. And, since I watched the guy make my sandwich, I know it was fresh. This was important considering the sog potential of a tuna fish sandwich.
• Taste: 17/20 - As I mentioned earlier, the downfall of a tuna sandwich in my mind is when it is a bland, soggy mess. Paradise Bakery avoided this with the celery and pickle in the tuna itself, the lettuce, and the sunflower seeds baked into the bread all providing some level of crunch to offset the softness of the bread, tuna and tomato.

That means the Albacore Tuna sandwich at Paradise Bakery & Cafe comes in with a final SSTF (Supreme Sandwich Task Force) Rating of 39/50. In summary, I would not hesitate to order this sandwich again. I just wish it were a bit cheaper. Oh yeah - the cookie that came with my sandwich was awesomely chewy and delicious.