Jersey Mike's

Sub time! Subs are pretty solid meals, usually not too greasy and solidly filling. Sadly, Subway isn't super tasty, Capriotti's is far away, and Primo's may contain nuts. Jersey Mikes seems pretty sweet just based on their website, because they have a comprehensive allergy menu (and that menu says that basically all the sandies are nut-free, too). Plus they have an enigmatic numbering system, which makes me want to be a completionist and try them all. We'll just have to get the boyf on board because there isn't one by me (yet?)!

#7 Turkey and Provolone: I got this on white bread because I panicked and didn't know if the wheat bread was safe. I also got it "Mike's way" which is LTO and oil and vinegar. The only perhaps odd thing is that usually I get turkey with mayo and not oil, but to be honest it's probably healthier and it ended up tasting pretty good. The turkey was nice and fresh, and the cheese was cut really thin which I liked. Tomato was juicy, the lettuce and onion was whatever (maybe too much lettuce). I got a regular size and it was plenty of food, and cut in half too. I think I'd get "mini" next time! 6/10

#16 Chicken Philly Cheese Steak: This was good! They didn't even offer a wheat roll or any customization (the guy who took my order kinda rubbed me the wrong way TBH) but it was tasty as it came, with pepper, onion, and white American cheese only. I had to cut it in half myself, but it was still a great size (regular size) for a filling meal and didn't make me sick. The cheese was great and the rest tasted good too. Noice. 8/10

Grilled Veggie Wrap: This was OK - I got it with a wheat wrap, which itself was good, very fresh/thick. The inside had ranch, which was OK for me taste-wise but my boyf hates the smell so it wasn't really worth it. There's only cheese, peppers, tomato, lettuce, and possibly onion inside. It was definitely good for a veggie wrap, but not really full of much veggie, and not very healthy or better tasting than the other things, so this wasn't my favorite random pick. Would try it without ranch if I get it again. 5/10

#31 California Chicken Cheese Steak: This was a chicken cheese steak with mayo, yet it was not bad! I liked the chicken a lot and the mayo didn't really stand out to me. The cheese was good and the flavor overall was good, although maybe not as good as #16. Not bad though. 7/10

#11 Stickball Special: This was fine; it was basically the same as an italian sub. Maybe a bit too much dressing on this though. 6/10

#55 Big Kahuna Chicken Cheese Steak: I got this at the airport, and I was so grateful to have normal food! Even if it was 10 dollars. I got the only size they had, regular, on wheat bread, and it was only 720 cals which is totally manageable for a cheesesteak! I think it was really good, cheesy and warm, and spicy because of the jalepenos. The mushroomy cheesey chicken bits that fell out were great. 8/10

#2 Jersey Shore's Favorite: Jersey Shore's Favorite is...Italian. Ham, cheese, and circle meat. I got mine without oil, which turned out to be a great choice -- it was fresh and filling and made me feel happy. It even made two meals. Good stuff. 7/10

#42 Chipotle Chicken Cheese Steak: Got this delivered in the quarantine times. They also did not do contactless delivery even though it said they would online. Maybe in a few weeks people will be better at this! Anyway, the sub was delicious as ever. I love Jersey Mike's and the peppers and the cheese and the bread (wheat!) and whatever else they got going on. Actually, this is a chicken cheesesteak much like 55 and 31 and 16, but I don't really like the Chipotle sauce they put on. It's not terrible, but it doesn't add anything and feels too oily or strong or something. Still a delicious sub but I prefer the other chicken sub options that don't have the sauce. 7/10

#13 The Original Italian: Got this delivered in the quarantine times. They AGAIN did not do contactless delivery even though it said they would online and it's been about 3 weeks! I think I probably shouldn't get Jersey Mike's anymore. :( But this was great as always, I got wheat bread and no oil, which is the best and makes it a little healthier too. I think they cut the cold ones in half, which is great. I only ate half and it was nice and filling, lots of classic italian meats and peppery lettuce. Just a few onions and a tiny bit of tasty, thin cheese. 7/10 

#3 The All-American: This is actually "The Ham and Cheese", but whatever you call it, it's a solid not-too-exciting sub. Just overall decent (with no oil), tastes fresh, filling, good ratio of meat+bread, not too unhealthy. And they actually succeeded in the no-contact delivery this time! 7/10

#43 Chipotle Cheese Steak: This is great, just like all the other cheese-steak varieties (chicken and steak). The chipotle sauce really adds nothing for me though; it's still tasty but I think it'd be equally (or even more!) tasty without the chipotle sauce. 7/10

#17 Jersey Mike's Famous Philly Cheese Steak: Feels like I've had this before, but I guess I've only had variations on the theme! Anyway, this is great. I guess the Kahunas are better because they have mushrooms, but I still like the "plain" cheese steaks a lot, and they taste pretty darn similar to each other anyway! Good with wheat bread too. 7/10

#9 Club Supreme: Roast beef and bacon (and turkey) at Jersey Mike's?! This is different! Unfortunately, I was a fool and got this without the mayo (and oil), so it was way too dry. They give you a lot of turkey and RB! It was still good though -- I like the taste of the bacon a lot, and the cheese and beef. But it needs mayo. Added mustard but that wasn't quite right. 6/10 for now.

#56 Big Kahuna Cheese Steak: Much like the chicken version, this was very good. A little unhealthy, maybe, but the taste can't be beat. I also currently have a stomachache for Gordon/Pat's related reasons, so I'm blinded by that, but JM's is always solid. 8/10

 

#5 The Super Sub: I got this because I guess the number 4 isn't on their menu by me. This seems similar to the 4 that I wanted though -- basically it tasted like slightly spicy ham, a little provolone, tasty and fresh. I got it with white bread and no oil, and I enjoyed it! 7/10

 

#12 Cancro Special: It occurs to me now that I probably should have ranked these by number and not by recency. Oh well! This was really solid, especially with vinegar only. Very nice. 8/10

 

#66 Portabella Cheese Steak: Surely this is the devil's sub, as it took me two tries at ordering it and I'm still not convinced I've had it properly. The first time it had no mushrooms at all, and the second time, I think there were maybe 2-3 tiny mushroom pieces. I can't imagine what the meatless version is like if this is actually right. It was still tasty because the cheesesteak is tasty, especially the cheese, but I don't think it's worth the extra price/stress of trying to add mushrooms! 7/10

#26 Bacon Ranch Chicken Cheese Steak: I'm not really a fan of ranch dressing or ranch sauces, but this was not bad. Better than the chipotle mayo that JM has, I think. The sub I got has wrapped kinda messily, but it tasted decent, and was more refreshing than the other hot subs just because of the lettuce and tomato. I think it'd taste way better with mayo (or no sauce even) but I'd still eat it again. 6/10

#4 The Number Four: This was off-menu, but they made it with no trouble! For once I didn't tip though because it took a long time for someone to help me and it made me feel like a loser. Anyway the sub was fine, basically ham and cheese and maybe 1-2 Italian meat. Like a peppery ham and cheese. Solid. 7/10

#1 BLT: Hard to mess up a BLT, right? Although the bacon was your premade cold hard stuff, not the fresh chewy warm baco of my youth. And the mayo was mayo and not miracle whip. But that's to be expected, and they didn't skimp on the cold baco, at least! I thought it was decently tasty and BLT-ish, even if not perfect. 7/10

 

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (20$ for two people)
Taste: 7/10

Q says: It was pretty good. I was also hungry though. Slow. 6/10

Firehouse Subs

You can never have enough fast-casual chains with online allergy menus, in my opinion. This place has a fairly small menu, about 15 subs or so, which reminds me of Primos except that all of these subs are hot and firehouse themed. They also generally come with LTO and mustard and mayo, which is a little weird and maybe not what I'd always want, but that's life. And of course you can request variations on that. The smell of this place is not at all your bready subway smell, but more of a hot-oil Jake's Wayback burger smell, which is intriguing but also nice. They take your orders to your table if you want to eat in. Also, they have a 5.55 medium sub of the day, which is great because that's right around what I think is an appropriate sub price, and it also makes my ordering decision much easier. I tried the "Hook and Ladder" which was ham and turkey and those other things mentioned, on wheat bread. It was definitely tasty and filling, but I think next time I would get no mayo and maybe no onion. The mustard is a subtle brown mustard and not your yellow mustard, which I like. They also cut it in half, which I like. They box it in foam, which I don't like, but that's common, I suppose! Anyway, I would definitely go back, although the service is slower than a Subway or Chipotle (I guess because everything is baked).

Cherry Limeade: Don't get this, it's way too sweet and not complex. 2/10

Firehouse Steak and Cheese: I got this on wheat with no mayo/mustard and with mushrooms, and it was really nice and didn't make me feel gross at all. Shockingly one of the least greasy cheese steaks I've ever had (surprising given their general calorie info)! 7/10

Smokehouse BBQ Brisket and Cheddar: I got this on wheat with no mayo and it was OK. The BBQ sauce is good and the cheese sauce is obviously good. The brisket was tasty and fatty, but it made me feel a little like trash (even though I only ate half at a time!) Would eat, but wouldn't be my first choice. 5/10

Engineer: I got this on wheat and it was OK, but hardly had any mushrooms! And the few mushrooms that were there were a little weird, almost chipotle flavored. I probably should have gotten no mayo too. I got a medium but still felt gross! I like the pickle and the meat though. 5/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Q says: My sub was pretty good after I took the mayo I accidentally ordered off. Slow though.

Jimmy John's

Even though all their chips (prepackaged) are made with peanut oil, I'm pretty sure the rest of their food is nut free. However, that doesn't mean you should be excited, because the rest of their food is also pretty mediocre. They have a line of subs "slims" which are literally just meat and bread. Do not get these. The rest are varyingly OK, but none are good. However, they are a little bit cheaper than subway, and very very fast. Often done with the sub right after you order. So that's a plus!

#5 Vito: Don't get this, it's so dry (yet still simultaneously soaked in oil and vinegar) and not satisfying, even though it has everything you'd expect from an italian sub. Somehow it is deficient. 4/10

#4 Turkey Tom: This fares a little better; the flavor is good and normal, though still not great. 6/10


Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Q says: Bad food fast. The delivery driver was reading a book.

Subway

Since I'm apparently in a big breakfast-all-day kick, I would be remiss not to mention Subway, one of the few national chains that offers the glorious all day breakfast (at least at most of their locations). They also offer regular lunch subs, and sometimes soups and pizzas and salads and (new!) wraps, but really it's a sub place. They also have frequent deals which appeal to me (sub of the day, sub of the month, etc) and those special edition Lay's flavors. So there are a lot of good things here. The only nuts are in the cookies, which are kept in a case, so I generally feel pretty safe about it, too. Subway has a very distinctive smell, and to be honest, it doesn't taste that good, but it's filling, fast, highly customizable, and healthy-ish. Whenever I don't know what I want to eat, I get Subway instead.

Turkey Breast: This is "old reliable". Good hot or cold, with wheat or white bread, pickles or cucumber, it's a solid contender.

Subway Club: I love that this has roast beef! The other meats are "whatever" but somehow this is still under 400 calories with delicious roast beef. Pairs with yellow mustard and american cheese (IMO).

Ham, Egg, and Cheese: Good for that breakfast mood, especially with spinach and tomato and mustard. You have to go with flatbread for this one. White and yellow egg are basically the same, so get white!

Overall
Cost: 7/10 (Around 6$ for two meals, although I miss those 5, 5 dollar, 5 dollar footlong days)
Taste: 7/10