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closeWednesday, Sep. 16, 2009
Hero Worship: Three sandwich shops, one hungry critic
Three local sub shops do a lot to differentiate themselves from the big boy franchises.
By Anna Caplan
Let’s face it. As a pregnant lady, I probably won’t be entering a competitive sub-sandwich eating contest in the near future. Sure, there are a plethora of foods out there that I eagerly do (over)indulge in — ask my husband — but to willingly eat deli meats? Umm, you can ask my OB, but it’s best practice to avoid the stuff when expecting. So it was with a rumbling stomach but heavy heart that I approached my latest restaurant assignment: venture to three local old-school sub shops and see what sets them apart. Would I even be able to eat anything on the menu? I wondered. As it turns out, these spots do much to differentiate themselves from the standard fare you can find at the big-boy franchises.
Galligaskin’s Submarines
5817 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817-377-0196; 1112 N. Collins St., Arlington, 817-275-5998
The back story: The first Galligaskin’s was started near SMU in 1972 by three friends who attended school in Boston. In 1973, the Fort Worth location opened. And in 2000, a local family purchased the restaurant from the original owners. Most of the food here is made from scratch, from the ranch dressing to the sub rolls and even the broccoli-cheese soup.
The vibe: Old-school West Fort Worth: Military personnel mixed with ladies who lunch mixed with Arlington Heights High School kids on lunch break.
The food: Galligaskin’s offers the usual — turkey breast, meatball and Italian cold-cut subs — but its menu also runs the gamut from egg salad to cheese steak to the vegetarian sandwich. All are served on the restaurant’s doughy, thick sub rolls and topped with a homemade relish of lettuce, tomato, onions and pickle-peppers. The special garnish distinguishes the sandwiches and is reminiscent of East Coast-style subs. Four-inch, 7-inch and 10-inch options are available. We tried three 4-inchers: the egg salad, chicken salad and vegetarian, all of which were serviceable. The real standout was the fried sampler plate. We chose a mix of onion rings, zucchini and mushrooms and were won over by the well-seasoned battered veggies. Both the zucchini and mushrooms were piping hot, crunchy to the tooth and pillowy on the inside. They were accompanied by some peppy ranch dressing. The onion rings were OK; next time we’ll double down on the zucchini.
Sub-sequently: We’ll be happy to make another visit to Galligaskin’s, if just for the fried sides.
Loafin Joe’s
4608 Bryant Irvin Road, #412, Fort Worth, 817-292-9100
The back story: Loafin’ Joes started in Fayetteville, Ark., in the early 1990s. The company began offering franchises a few years later. A Benbrook family opened the shop in 2000. Fresh, toasted and tasty are the buzzwords here. Sandwiches are made on in-house baked bread (white or wheat) and then warmed through the oven.
The vibe: Clubby, if that term can be applied to a sub shop. Enter the restaurant, wedged between a fitness club and an Academy sports store, and you’ll find dark lighting and dark-wood furnishings. A smattering of booths was occupied by an after-church crowd on the Sunday we visited. The TV was tuned to drag racing.
The food: My companion opted for the Combo, a roast beef and ham sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayo; I ordered the Veggin’ Out, (tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, black olives, American, Swiss, mozzarella and mayo). We shared an order of the store’s homemade chips, with the requisite ranch dressing on the side. But really, there are so many options here, it borders on the ridiculous. We could have spent 20 minutes at the counter just scratching our heads at the choices, from low-carb wraps to salads and pizzas. Chicken soup is also in the offing, but not for us when it’s 96 degrees out.
Sub-sequently: With its toasted subs, Loafin’ Joes invites comparisons to Quiznos and Potbelly. The difference, however, may lie in the restaurant’s use of its oven. Here, sandwiches are only toasted lightly and the warming-through accents the fresh ingredients. If we’re in the area — and we don’t take hanging out in trafficky Cityview lightly — we’ll stop in again.
The Great Outdoors
3204 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817-877-4400; other Metroplex locations in Addison, Dallas, McKinney, Carrollton, Richardson and Frisco
The back story: The Great Outdoors started in the early ’70s in Dallas, and similar to Galligaskin’s, its founder’s intent was to make subs that have East Coast roots. Fresh-baked bread and nonfat turkey breast figure prominently into the mix. With eight Metroplex locations, The Great Outdoors has a devoted following, especially among Westsiders in Fort Worth.
The vibe: Not much different from a Subway or Potbelly. Regulars queue up at the counter and order from the run-of-the-mill menu. In the ambiance department, it’s one notch above fast food.
The food: Seemingly capitalizing on the Jared-from-Subway marketing campaign of years past, The Great Outdoors lets you know that its food is healthy and nutritious. But its nonfat turkey is virtually tasteless, if not a virtuous choice. (I’ve tried it to no avail in the past.) Because the menu is pretty pedestrian (ham and cheese, roast beef and cheese, Italian meatball, etc.), you have to work hard to make a tasty sub here. If you add various dressings and more ingredients, such as veggies, to your order, you might luck out with a tasty creation. Chips and pickles are side options. And for the dessert-minded, there is specialty ice cream made by Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream of Plano.
Sub-sequently: Even with its nondescript environment and food, The Great Outdoors has many devotees, and for this reviewer, that’s the great conundrum.
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