First Bite on the Sandwich Trail: Jersey Mike's in Bonney Lake

Here is another dispatch from the land of sandwiches. I've been exploring new sandwich shops in Tacoma and Bonney Lake. This is day two of my four-day sandwich inquest. Have a new sandwich shop you want me to scope for you? E-mail tntdiner@thenewstribune.com.

The sched:

Sept. 25: Jimmy John's in Tacoma

Today: Jersey Mike's in Bonney Lake

Tuesday: Puccini's Venetian Subs in Bonney Lake

Thursday: Midtown Deli & Espresso in Tacoma

Now for today's offering: Jersey Mike's Subs

The scoop: Clean, friendly chain sandwich shop. It doesn't appear they are trying too hard, but you get the sense that, yes, indeed, uh huh, you've wandered into a chain restaurant. Still, a friendly, clean place is a large improvement over sad and dirty.

Bread choices: White, wheat or wrap it.

MEAT! Man. They love to pile on meat. More meat than I could stomach in one sandwich. If you're looking for meat value, this is your sandwich spot.

We ate: We ordered a Jersey Mike's Famous Philly ($6.49; giant is $9.49) sans grilled onions and peppers and a double dose of meat.  Note: you don't need to order double meat, even if you believe you need double meat.

The  Grilled Reuben ($6.29; giant is $9.29) also came with a fair share of meat. Clearly, this place is doing an admirable job at artery clogging. Swiss cheese, sauerkruat and Thousand Island dressing made it a typical trip down Reuben lane.

The verdict: This is the place to go if you're a confirmed meatavore. Also, for the ratio of meat to bread, I'd say this sandwich shop is a great bargain. A regular sandwich for around $6 is a big lunch. I stretched my Reuben into lunch the next day.

Menu highlights: Cold subs, hot subs and wraps and a few soups and salads.

Next time: I'd try the Meatball and Cheese ($6.29/$9.29) or the Jersey Shore's Favorite ($4.19/$5.49/$8.49) with provolone, ham and cappacuolo.

Jersey Mike's Subs

Where: 21180 SR 410, Bonney Lake; 253-862-5111

Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published September 28, 2008 at 9:18 PM with the headline "First Bite on the Sandwich Trail: Jersey Mike's in Bonney Lake."