First impressions can be misleading. When Shu texted me our lunch spot for the week, I thought "sub sand" had to be an abbreviation for the restaurant's full name. Then, when I arrived, I was a little weirded out by the tubs of cooked meats all lined at the ordering counter.
Sub Sand is a tiny Asian-style Subway-inspired sandwich shop in the ID with more variations on the banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) than I could ever imagined. Just like Subways (or Chipotle), they make your sandwich upon your order, in front of you. You can choose toppings for your sandwich- no thanks to the cilantro and jalepenos. And I rarely mention the service at restaurants, but Sub Sand's owner and staff were very friendly!
Shu and I both ordered the Lemongrass Chicken Sandwich per raving Yelp reviews. Toasted, fresh baguette buns? Check. Crisp veggies? Check. Perfectly seasoned white radish/carrot mixture? Check. Sub Sand makes a delectable sandwich, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The price is slightly higher than your typical to-go Vietnamese pork sandwich- but in this case, I would be willing to pay a dollar more for the fresh ingredients. The only detraction: Both Shu and I noticed that the lemongrass chicken did not quite live-up to the "lemongrass" billing. Don't get me wrong, the chicken still tasted yummy, but the lemongrass was very... subtle. I'll try another sandwich next time... why not, when there's so many (more than 15) options?
The final word: Sub sand is a place you should try if you're ever in the ID-area, but I would not go out of my way and drive down to the ID just for this little hidden-away restaurant. It definitely hits the spot for a quickie and cheap lunch.
Ratings: 4 out of 5 stars
No cilantro?!? Isn't that part of the taste of Vietnamese sandwiches?
ReplyDeleteInteresting name for a shop - thanks for the rating!