Boardwalk Subs

We all make them. We all like them. We can get them anywhere. No big deal.

So why do Americans spend tens of billions of dollars on sandwiches each year? I’ll tell you why. Because taking two pieces of bread and putting the right variety of meat, cheese, vegetables and condiments between them makes for a freaking good idea as old as the Earl of Sandwich circa mid-18th century. Over the past few centuries, sandwich-making has evolved into a bona fide culinary art. Boardwalk Sub Shop, downtown Monterey’s newest sandwich shop, takes the tradition seriously.

I popped in for lunch. The young guy taking orders enthusiastically described the choices and talked about some of his favorites, one being the eggplant Parmesan sub with marinara and provolone ($9.99). The other non-meat choice on the menu is the classic veggie ($9.99), with grilled mushrooms, peppers, onion, zucchini and provolone, with housemade marinara.

On the meatier side of things, a selection of 13 different hot subs and seven cold ones made choosing a daunting task.

First question: hot or cold? No contest. Cool day. Gotta be hot.

Of the hot subs, I pondered the northeast Philly ($10.99), with steak, onion and peppers topped with provolone. The other two cheesesteak options are the Jersey ($10.99, with steak, melted provolone raw or fried onions) and the traditional Philly ($10.99, with steak, housemade “cheese whiz,” fried onions). But I also had my eye on the meatball sub ($9.99), given that the balls are made in-house daily from an old family recipe. A few others had some allure, and hit close to my Italian roots, like the chicken cacciatore sub ($10.59), the chicken Parmesan ($10.59) and the Italian sausage ($9.99) with peppers, onions and marinara sauce.

Lots of goodies to choose from, but the counter guy thought, since I was a newbie, I should try one of the classic steak subs. Like the ones owner and award-winning chef Terry Teplitzky (Wild Thyme Deli, Michael’s Catering) and his brother Johnny “J.T.” Teplitzky used to live on. Much of the inspiration hails from their nostalgic memory munching subs as young boys walking the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

I finally opted for the northeast Philly ($10.99). The meat was tender and juicy – no pulling the sandwich away from your mouth like a dog trying to rip meat from a bone. Grilled onions and peppers slightly caramelized, just what I was hoping for. The bread had a very nice mouthfeel too – soft and easy to bite into but firm enough to stand up to the juicy meat and veggies. I was planning to eat half and save the rest, but it was just too good so I ate it all.

Their soup of day ($5 “big,” $6 “bigger”), made in-house, was cream of mushroom. I enjoyed a dark, rich, savory bowl of it while I waited for my sandwich. Gluten-free tomato bisque and dairy-free/gluten-free chicken vegetable were on the board another day I poked my head in. Three salad choices provide another way to round out your meal: antipasto ($10.59), Caesar ($10.59), house salad ($7.59). For a few extra bucks, add some grilled chicken or a scoop of tuna.

French fries are hand-cut daily from Kennebec potatoes and cooked in rice bran oil, with no trans fats. They do it six different ways, from plain fries with sea salt ($3.75), garlic fries ($4.75) all the way up to the loaded fries topped with Philly cheesesteak ($10.99).

As mentioned, there are seven cold sandwiches. Sustainably caught white albacore is used for the tuna and cheese sub ($9.99). A meatier choice is the the Jersey Italian ($10.99) – salami, capicola, mortadella, ham and provolone. Get the same sandwich with extra meat and cheese and it’s called the Boardwalk special ($14.99). Turkey is roasted daily for the turkey-cheese sub ($10.59).

Authentic Vic’s lemon pies ($3.50) anchor the dessert menu. Beverage choices feature small-batch sodas, assorted fountain drinks, homemade lemonade and iced tea (all $2.50). An ever-changing selection of four craft beers on draft ($5-$8) and wine ($6-$9) provides some other pairing options.

I couldn’t get the meatball and eggplant subs out of my head so I went back. I don’t have enough thumbs to express how much I enjoyed them. Four big, tender, moist, 2-inch-diameter meatballs, who shout “homemade!” because they are. As for the eggplant parm, perfect texture. Not mushy and not underdone.

If sandwich fatigue sets in, there are calzones: the classic ($10.59, meatball, sausage, pepperoni, cheese); the vegetarian ($10.59, roasted veggies, cheese); the chicken ($10.59, roasted chicken in a garlic cream sauce with onion, peppers, mushrooms, smoked mozzarella).

There are plenty of establishments in downtown Monterey where you can get a good sandwich. But every self-respecting town should have a place on its main street that makes it the star of the show. Boardwalk does that with quality ingredients, attention to detail and down-home preparation, taking local sandwich culture to new heights.

BOARDWALK SUB SHOP 470 Alvarado St., Monterey • 10:30am-11pm Mon-Thu, 10:30am-1am Fri-Sat •264-1171, www.boardwalksubshop.com