What makes a good sandwich shop

People often wonder why all sandwiches aren't created equal. They also wonder what makes them love one sandwich place over another. Some people can't even put a finger on why they like Sub A or Sub B. I'm here to clear up that mystery.

A good sandwich shop is defined by 3 things.

1. The quality, freshness , quantity and size of the Bread

2. The quality and quantity of the Meat.

3. Variety of Cheese.

1. The Bread - baked on premises, fresh that day, and size proportion are all important but also is the firmness or softness of the bread and the thickness. Thickiness can be very imporant and too much thickiness can ruin a sandwich.

2. The Meat- Next to the bread this is what divides average sandwich places from great sandwich places. Quality, Quality Quality! You may pay a little extra for a sandwich with good quality meat but it is worth it, I'd rather have a smaller portion of high quality meat than a crappy low quality high processed pile the size of sears tower. So of course size proportion is second here. If I find a sandwich shop that has good quality meat they skimp with it, I'll gladly pay the extra buck or two for double meat.

3. Variety of cheese - now why doesn't quality matter here? Well we typically aren't talking about gourmet cheeses, or freshly made cheeses. Rarely is Momma Italiano in the back making the fresh mozzerela for your meatball sandwich. Cheese at a sandwich shop is typically standard fare. What is important is that they give you a variety to choose from. I'm a firm believer in 5 or more but carrying more cheese hurts their bottom line so 4 or more is adequate.

The four should be. White American, Provolone, Sharp Cheddar and Swiss. With 5 add in Pepper Jack. These five give you a good vareity. American, my least favorite cheese but kids most favorite cheese melts well, provolone is the base of a lot of italian sandwiches and works well on meatballs and philly cheese steaks. Swiss is great for people who want a lower fat cheese and is standard on reuban sandwiches. Sharp Cheddar is not mild and brings a different color to party. Pepper Jack brings the spicy to the table and is great with chipotle style sandwiches or buffalo chicken style sandwiches.

So what about the Produce? Why isn't it listed? Well because Produce is always a variable and is local to each area. Tomatos are the main offenders on this because tomatos are the most expensive produce and they vary from season to season. Just because a restaurant has great looking, tasty tomatoes this week doesn't mean they will have the same next week. It really varies from batch to batch, how well there is quality control and the season.

All other produce is standard and quality depends on the local purveyor and how much the restaurant is willing to pay for good quality produce.

Bag lettuce or fresh shredded lettuce is always a hot topic among sandwich lovers. Of course everyone will say fresh shredded lettuce is better, but it is my experience that in reality they perfer the most visually stunning green. Since the bag lettuce is cut with a large machine and stredded without a lot of imperfection, and then perservatives are added to keep it from browning and wilting quickly most people prefer that over the fresh shredded.

Sauces are pretty standard except specialty sauces such a chipotle mayo, honey mustard and different kinds of BBQ sauce.

So next time you visit your local sandwich resturant take note of all of these details. and remember if you aren't sure about a sauce ask to taste it first. It's worth the hassle because if you don't like it, it's an ever larger pain to remake a sandwich.