This past Friday night, Sheryl and I went on a date. She wouldn’t tell me where we were going, and had planned the entire evening. All she told me was to wear tennis shoes and jeans. (It’s summer… why am I being asked to wear tennis shoes and jeans?) I get home from work, and she informs me that we are going to have dinner first. That’s fine, I was starving! Since we started this Slim-Fast diet, we only get one true meal a day. I take my food serious!
As we are on our way, I truly have no idea where we are going. We get to Carmel, near where Sheryl works, and I see a few restaurants, but nothing special. As we drive by, I yell out the name of the restaurant in hopes she will tell me where we are eating. Then I see a Panda Express. Oh man, I love Chinese food! Nope, we weren’t going there either.
Right next to Panda Express was Which Wich…
A Little History on Which Wich
Sheryl raves about this place ALL the time. She always talks about the sandwiches she orders, and the ordering process itself. Yes, it’s a process. We will get to that here in a minute. So when I saw that we were going to Which Wich, I could barely control myself.
When we pulled up, I started to check-in on foursquare, a popular location-based social network. Guess what, Sheryl was the mayor. She really does like this place! (On foursquare, the mayor of any one particular location is the person who has checked in at least twice, and has checked in more than anyone else over the previous two months.)
Placing Your Order
When we first walked in, I needed some help. I had NO IDEA what to do. There is a process to ordering here. Don’t take that the wrong way… it’s fun! There is a huge menu on the wall, with several categories of sandwiches. Ten categories to be exact. Then you see, below that, brown paper bags each labeled with the particular category the sandwich falls under. For example, the sandwich I wanted was made with chicken. So I grabbed the bag that was under category 3, the chicken category. (There were several sandwiches in each category including buffalo chicken, chicken pesto, and even teryiaki chicken.)
So you grab the bag and a red marker and start filling in your order. First you pick the exact sandwich you want in the category. Then the bread. They have white or wheat to choose from. I got wheat. (You can also order it without the bread, served as a salad.) Then you go through and pick hot or not, meaning do you want the sandwich toasted. Then the size. They have the following three sizes to choose from:
- Regular 7”
- Large 10.5”
- Super 14”
I had the large. Now I know what you are saying… “Ricky, you are on a diet.” That’s true. But a few of the sandwiches on the wall had a “lite” notation next to them, meaning these sandwiches were under a certain number of calories. The sandwich I picked was a “lite” sandwich. They also have a calorie calculator on their website to help you narrow down your selection if you are counting calories like we are. After that you pick any extras you want on the sandwich, like double meat, double cheese, bacon or avocado. Please note that these selections have an additional charge to them.
After that it’s time to go crazy. Now you can “Work Your Wich!” Add cheese, mustards, spreads and sauces, dressings, onions, veggies and more. This place is perfect for me, as I can never decide what I want. Of course, I stood there for ten minutes placing my order.
Their selection of spreads and sauces include BBQ and A-1 sauce. Their dressings thousand island and spicy ranch. You could choose from sautéed onion, red onions, or even onion strings. Then you get to the veggies where you have a TON of options including olive salad, coleslaw, pickles, bell peppers, lettuce, tomato and more. Don’t even get me started on the oils and spices. By the time I was done, my entire bag was covered in red.
At the very bottom of the bag, you write your name, hand the bag to the cashier, pay (all of the sandwiches are the same price*), and wait for your name to be called. It truly is an easy ordering experience, and while I was overwhelmed during my first visit, I will be a pro the next time in. (I wonder what’s for lunch today?)
So what’s this sandwich taste like?
A few minutes later, my name was called and I grabbed my sandwich. The sandwich is actually placed in the same bag where you scribbled your order on moments before. It didn’t take much time at all to prepare my meal, and I was ready to dig in. Of course, I took a few pictures on my phone while I was there… of the menu and of my bag. Hey, this was my first time, let me enjoy it!
I opened my sandwich, unwrapped it and started digging in. After one bite, I sat the sandwich down and pulled out my phone. I just had to Tweet how good this thing was. And to think… it’s on my diet. I talked to Sheryl during our visit, after our visit, and even now as I write this… what a GREAT meal. It’s nice being able to eat out and still be on such a strict diet as we are on. We only get 1,200 calories a day, so places like Which Wich and Panera (they have a 200 calorie bowl of soup) make eating out plausible.
The thing that impressed me most, besides their selection and their ordering process, was the array of sandwiches that you can order. They have the typical subs like ham, turkey, and roast beef. But they also have sandwiches like the Elvis that has peanut butter and bananas on it. They even have one that has grape jelly on it! It’s called the Montecristo. I can’t wait to go back. (UPDATE: I actually went back again yesterday, and am planning on going again for dinner tonight… so that’s three days in a row for those who are counting.)
Have you ever had Which Wich? What is your favorite sandwich?
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*The prices do vary depending on the size of the sandwich and also double meat, double cheese, bacon and avocado cost extra.
