My Friday Treat

This is my regular Friday treat to myself.

It’s just a couple of blocks from my office to Jimmy John’s, and with their typically speedy service I can usually get over there and back — and buy weekend lottery tickets on the way — in 15 minutes or so.

Every good sandwich starts with the bread, of course, and Jimmy John’s got it right. They have two options; a sub-type white bread, or seven-grain wheat. I’ve never tried the white, and don’t expect to. The seven-grain is packed with flavor and texture, and frankly I’d probably buy the sandwich if it were just bread, if I had to.

But this sandwich — the Gourmet Veggie Club, #13 on the menu — has so much more than the bread.

Working down through it from the top slice, first there’s mayonnaise, and then alfalfa sprouts. Then comes the shredded lettuce, and my only complaint about the sandwich: they always seem to put on a bit too much lettuce, which comes close to overwhelming the rest of the ingredients, not to mention making the sandwich a little unstable as it sits, waiting to be eaten. But the lettuce and the cucumbers (which come in a little further down) do add some crunch to the dining experience, a nice counterpoint to the soft-and-delicious bread.

OK, one more complaint — it’s iceberg lettuce. I’d happily pay a few cents more for greener, tastier lettuce, but, sigh, there’s not that choice yet.

Below the lettuce: the cheese. A double helping of provolone, the perfect flavor for this sandwich.

Nestled between the slices of provolone is a generous daub of guacamole: this sandwich is loaded with great flavors! It adds to the messy factor — by now you can see that this thing requires you to keep several napkins on standby when you’re eating it — but it adds even more to the taste factor.

Continuing our descent through the sandwich, we find the aforementioned cucumbers, and then a couple of slices of tomato, my favorite vegetable-that-isn’t-a-vegetable. And then, just before we hit the bottom slice of that luscious bread, a bonus helping of mayonnaise! Perfect!

Delicious and healthful. This sandwich (or their almost-as-good Club Tuna –#15 on your menu card — which I sometimes have instead of the veggie if, say, I’m trying to change my luck in Lotto) gives me something to look forward to all week long.