3454 Alpine Avenue NWHave you seen these new Hatchimals things yet? Yeah, they’re going to be the popular toy at Christmas this year and we’re already running all over the place trying to find a couple. Fortunately, my mom found one, but we’d like to get at least three so all of the granddaughters can get one. In a perfect world, we’d love to get a couple just for L, but that’s going to be hard.
Last week, I had a pretty easy night at work. There was really nothing going on and I was actually able to take my full hour dinner break. I decided to head out to the Walmart in Alpine Township. I figured I could hit up the Target and Toys R Us as well.
No surprise, I struck out, but I still had time to grab something for dinner. There are quite a few options on Alpine Avenue, but greasy wasn’t really doing it for me that day. I was looking for a sandwich instead.
I chose Jersey Mike’s Subs because…well, I’ve never been there and I like trying new things.
The Walker location is kind of hidden just off Alpine Avenue in a small strip mall facing North Center Drive. It’s a pretty standard sub shop set up with a counter where everything is made to order and a small dining area for those few people that choose to dine in.
Jersey Mike’s has ties back to Point Pleasant, NJ where the original Mike’s Subs opened up in 1956 and a few more local locations were added in the 1970’s. The restaurant didn’t start franchising until the late 1980’s and now has over 1100 stores in 42 states. They just started popping up in West Michigan within the last year or so. There are two in the Grand Rapids area with the second location being on 28th Street in Kentwood near the Centrepointe Mall.
There was a little bit of a line when I stopped in for dinner just before 7:00 on a Sunday night. That gave me a little time to look over the menu. They have a variety of cold subs, hot subs, and wraps all made with meats and cheese that are sliced fresh when you order.
I was kind of in the mood for a hot sub and they had a pastrami on the menu, but the way they had it topped didn’t do much for me. They say you can get any combination of their meats and cheeses, but I didn’t feel like being a pain and going off the menu, so I did a cold sub instead.
I ordered the #13 The Original Italian. There are three sandwich sizes to choose from. I stuck to the Original which is 8″. I was tempted to just go all the way like I would at a Jersey Giant Subs and do The Giant, but I need to cut back on gorging myself for no reason.
The Original Italian comes with Provolone, ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami, and pepperoni. Like I mentioned above, the meats and cheeses are cut after the order is placed. The sandwich is then slid down to a topping station.
The popular way to top the sandwich is “Mike’s Way.” This includes onions, lettuce, tomato, vinegar, oil, and spices. That isn’t really the way I like it so I did something a little different. I did lettuce, banana peppers, vinegar, oil, and spices.
When the sandwich was completed, it was wrapped up, bagged up, and handed to me at the cash register. I passed on drinks and chips. The total for just the sandwich was just under $9.
I took the sandwich back to work with me before biting in. This is kind of a generic thing to say, but the sandwich tasted like a lot of other sub shops. It was delicious….not Jersey Giant delicious, but still really tasty. The red wine vinegar and olive oil mixture always gets me with the zesty and adding in the sweetness of the banana peppers rounds out a truly fresh and crispy sandwich.
There are a lot of sandwich shops out there and it’s easy to get lost in the mix. Jersey Mike’s Subs is a quality shop and one I wouldn’t hesitate to stop in again if the mood struck me. I’m not sure from just one visit that I can say definitively that they do anything that really makes them stand out. A lot of places are adopting the baking their own bread and cutting meat fresh in front of you, so it’s hard to make a dent in a crowded market, but they’re a successful chain that’s been around for over half a century. Don’t write this place off just because you think it’s been done. They’re a good choice to have in the rotation when greasy food just isn’t cutting it for you.
