Grub Scout: Variety abounds at Alcoa's Subs & Such

From what I hear tell from my Blount County peeps, Subs & Such in Alcoa has quite a following. They've been slingin' sammies since 1983, and now that they've moved into new digs at Midland Plaza, they've got a lot more room to accommodate all the folks who call themselves fans.

Sandwich fiends can go with one of a couple dozen specialty subs or follow the build-your-own route. The former group offers sub staples like an Italian, hoagie, French dip, meatball, gyro and meatless veggie sandwich. There's also a Chicago-style hot dog made with Angus beef and the usual Windy City toppings.

Sandwiches are steamed hot unless you specify that yours be served cold. You can make any sandwich Philly style by ordering it cold with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and oil and vinegar.

If you go freelance with your sandwich construction, you pick up to two meats and one cheese, choosing from the likes of ham, bacon, pastrami, roast beef and several varieties of turkey and chicken in the meat department as well as nine different cheeses and nine kinds of breads, pitas and wraps.

Finally, you can garnish your creation with toppings like bell and banana peppers, mushrooms, olives, sauerkraut, cucumbers and the usual spreadable condiments.

One thing I like about Subs & Such is that they make sandwiches in 4-, 6-, 8- and 12-inch sizes, accommodating virtually any hunger level. But if a sandwich isn't in your cards, you could try their homemade soups or made-to-order salads, some of which feature homemade tuna and chicken salad.

I went with an eight-inch corned beef-based Reuben, although they make turkey and pastrami Reubens as well. Served on a rye sub roll, the sandwich otherwise bears the usual Reuben hallmarks — Swiss cheese with kraut and Thousand Island dressing.

The Spouse ordered an eight-inch cheese steak sandwich — shredded sirloin and provolone — with The Spouse's addition of mustard, onion, tomato and lettuce on whole wheat bread. Note that this is not strictly a Philly-style cheese steak made with grilled onions and peppers.

Since each order is made fresh, the orders don't roll out like clockwork like they do at the Subway factory. We probably waited 10 to 15 minutes before getting our food.

Although I thought both of our selections were fair, I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps I had made poor selections, based on how much friends and acquaintances rave about this restaurant. I allowed for the fact that a steamed Reuben served on a sub roll is not a textbook Reuben, but my main concern was with the meat in both our items. I spotted too much extraneous gristle content, and I was very disappointed in the amount of meat devoted to each sandwich.

On the plus side, the kraut, dressing, bread and cheese on the Reuben played well together, while the cheese steak's veggie toppings seemed crunchily fresh. Also, the fresh, chewy chocolate chip cookie I had afterward won me over to their scratch-made desserts.

But based on the number of sandwich shops I've visited over the years, I left feeling that our two particular orders tilted toward the sub-par side.

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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