Jimmy John's

Sometimes you just want a sandwich. If you're burned out from fancy 3-course Restaurant Week meals and just want to fill your stomach fast, Jimmy John's is waiting for you. Jimmy John's has been serving sandwiches to the Midwest since 1983 and is beginning to expand into the DC area with locations in Alexandria, College Park, and Crystal City. Having fond memories of a Jimmy John's sandwich from a visit to Chicago, we decided to drop in to the new Crystal City location.

Their motto is "subs so fast, you'll freak!" While I don't think I freaked, I was impressed with the speed of both the cashier and the sandwich maker. By the time I put my wallet away, my sandwich was handed to me. With such speed, you might worry that the ingredients are sub-par or the quality suffers, but Jimmy John's promises to bake its bread fresh every day and slice their meats in the store.

The subs are a generous 8 inches and the menu runs the gamut from the Big John (pictured below) with medium rare shaved roast beef, mayo, lettuce, and tomato, to the Gourmet Veggie Club with a slew of veggies and twice the provolone. If you're still clinging to that low carb craze, you could skip the bread and get your sandwich wrapped in lettuce, but that would be a mistake. Jimmy John's shines because of its bread, so don't miss out.

This isn't Taylor Gourmet or the Italian Store, but it is speedy and convenient and a big step above Subway. So, when you just need a sandwich, Jimmy John is your man.

Second Thoughts From B

When J told me this morning that we'd be writing about Jimmy John's, I have to admit that I was at a loss. I just don't have much to say. It is just a sandwich, after all.

I'd love to tell you that I have this extra special affinity for Chicago from the summer I spent there, but that would be J. I'd love to tell you about being blown away by this incredible culinary gold mine. I'd even settle for a disaster story. But the fact of the matter is that none of that is true. Jimmy John's is just a sandwich. It won't blow you away, but it will deliver exactly what it is meant to do. Fill you up, and fast.

And maybe that is the storyline here. I doubt Jimmy John himself would tell you that this is the greatest sandwich you'll ever taste. Sure, the bread is notably soft and buttery, but this won't be appearing on the Food Network any time soon. Rather, it is a good sandwich, no more and no less. Like the caricature of someone named Jimmy John, what you lose in sophistication, you gain in reliability. You know what you're going to get and in a life that sometimes can resemble a box of chocolates, reliable isn't such a bad thing.