Thursday, July 28, 2011

Monkey's Subs

Monkey's Subs, located in Beaverton, Oregon, serves up various sub sandwiches. One of my co-workers, a big fan of Monkey's, recently described the food as an "upscale Subway," which really got me interested.

A very nondescript sign, but this is Monkey's Subs!
Menu
Monkey's Subs has a very nondescript sign: "Sub Shop." It really is one of those hole-in-the-wall places; no fancy signs and a small interior.

Walking inside, I was met by an enthusiastic African American man and another friendly man who could pass off for a biker dude. Both made me feel welcome...good start here.

I found out that Monkey's makes their own bread, their own roast beef, and their own bacon. Normally, I'd probably just get a turkey sandwich from a sub shop and call it a day, but I had to get something unique to Monkey's. I got a half roast beef sandwich for $5.75. Lettuce, tomatoes, provolone cheese, and mayonnaise join the roast beef on your choice of white or wheat bread. I asked for wheat bread and no mayo, but added, at no extra cost, jalapenos, Dijon mustard, and pickles.


Finishing the wrapping of my roast beef sandwich
Monkey's roast beef sandwich (wheat bread)

Monkey's has several different sandwich specialties, and you can customize your order how you want it. Most of the toppings and condiments are free, which is always nice.

The roast beef sandwich was good. I liked that the bread was firm enough to hold all the sandwich components, but the bread was also soft enough so that it's not a life-or-death struggle to eat the damn thing. However, I would have liked the option to toast the bread (Monkey's doesn't let you toast the bread). To me, there's nothing like biting down into a sub sandwich with warm, toasty bread -- especially when you'd have the crunchy outside and the soft inside.

Overall, I liked the roast beef. It was tender, properly cooked, and sliced very thin. I was puzzled as to why I was asked if I wanted more salt and pepper on my roast beef sandwich, but now I see why. I would have liked more flavor on the meat itself. But major kudos for making their own.

Another reason why I wanted the bread toasted (like how a Subway or a Quizno's would): melting the provolone on the roast beef would have been freakin' awesome. Instead, it was just sliced cheese on meat, topped with condiments and vegetables.

Monkey's does hot sandwiches as well, such as a meatball sandwich or a French dip. I would be concerned with how the bread will hold the hot components in place if the bread is not toasted.

I wouldn't say Monkey's makes the greatest sub sandwich that I've ever eaten, but at least it's better than other places I've been to. I'd go with an average rating for the sandwich, with extra points for friendly service and for making their own product (i.e., roast beef and bread). 6.25/10

No comments:

Post a Comment