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About Me

No-Bull Burger Purist, born and raised in NJ, the heart of the tri-state area and home to the oldest (and best) burger joints in the country. I don't need all the frilly toppings, happy servers or trendy decor, just a good burger...

Monday, August 3, 2015

Jersey Mike's Subs

Where: 
Jersey Mike's Subs (yawn)
557 North Franklin Turnpike Ramsey, NJ 07446

What: 
An "R2" which is a regular #2 or...
the 7" inch sandwich Jersey Shore style & Mike's way*.

Build:
Jersey Shore style: Provolone, ham and cappacuolo (this is the way Mike's spells it) on 7-inch submarine bread. *All cold subs include Mike's Way® with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, vinegar, oil and spices or... any combination gladly accepted. 
Comments:
Here's a propaganda snippet from Mike's website (my comment in italic):

Back in the fifties when Jersey Mike's was one of the only places in the world to get a sub, (um not really) people living at or visiting the Jersey Shore would flock to Jersey Mike's to get our delicious #2. If it's a favorite at the Jersey Shore, we're certain you'll like it too.

It all sounds like a nice romantic success story..."local boy makes good.” But, as with the intimidating number of burger joints popping up, there is an equal number of sandwich joints popping up that to me, are just as scary an endeavor to undertake as the burger chains, if not more.
Why someone would undertake the daunting task of opening this type of franchise is beyond me. Or perhaps I'm just not seeing the salami for the toppings? Perhaps the "sandwich guy" culture is every bit as strong as the burger culture and they are just doing it for the love of sandwiches and sandwich making? Could be. And I certainly hope so.
In any case, some of the rivals in today's sandwich world are:
Jimmy John's
Quizno's
Blimpie
Subway
Firehouse Subs
Charlie's Grilled Subs
Potbelly Sandwich Shop
Togo's Sandwiches
Earl of Sandwich
Penn Station East Coast Subs
Au Bon Pain
Panera
Einstein Bros.
Così
Schlotzsky’s
Wawa

This list represents just a few that come to mind based on my Northeast location although I realize there are many other successful regional sandwich shops across the US.

I would like to think the most successful sandwich shops are using the best quality cold cuts, but I'm not so sure that's the case. I think the winner of this genre is the one who spends the most on advertising. For me, all the cold cuts at any of these places suck. But presentation, ambiance, trendy menu selections and convenience (which is today's food service superpower) all contribute to customers overlooking an obvious lack of quality and scarcity of food in these sandwiches. 
I'll just never see the attraction of these places, especially in New Jersey where there are great Italian delis everywhere. 

With that said, I must admit that for me, there is nothing quite like a Wawa "hoagie"... low quality cold cuts, thrown together, scarcity of meat, yet it still manages to serve as a fantastic snack food.

But if you really want a truly great sub sandwich... 
dis is da joint:
http://billcianciburgerreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/where-white-house-sub-shop-atlantic.html