Sandwich and A Sweet

This is an interesting franchise combination following a current trend of blending more than one business as one--Brick House Subs and Nestle Toll House Café. Hot, toasty sandwiches are made to order (you can even watch them being made right in front of you) from Brick House and then you can slide over just a bit to experience "dessert" from the Nestle Toll House Café counter.

Opened in late autumn by Sandy Kinion, it's a unique enough concept to stand out even among the car-flooded corner of 71st and Mingo. The atmosphere is light and lively, clean and inviting.

I popped in one afternoon to collect a few items for an early dinner. Brick House Subs' menu includes a respectable variety of sandwiches: The Brick, Turkey, Smoked Ham Roast Beef, Italian, Vegetarian, Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad, Meatball Sub, Pizza Pie, Peanut Butter & Jelly--all are $3.99 and made to order on fresh toasted bread, regular or wheat (which is a bit sweet I later discovered). Chips, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, Chili and Soup of the Day are optional sides.

Each sandwich can be prepared as you like it: it can be dressed up with as many condiments and accessories as you like: mustard, mayo, oil & vinegar, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, hot peppers and black olives, or it can be naked, with simply bread and meat or bread a cheese.

I had fun selecting the dressings. I ordered The Brick which comes with ham, turkey, roast beef, salami and Swiss cheese and then I requested to have lettuce, tomato, mustard, onions, pickles and hot peppers.

The wheat bread was layered with the cheese, placed on a conveyor belt through a toasting oven, then was assembled on the other side.

Each of the other three sandwiches I ordered went through the same process, except the Peanut Butter & Jelly, which was simply just that: white bread with a large squirt of PB on one half of the bread and the J covering the other half.

The other three sandwiches I ordered were Chicken Salad with Provolone cheese, Meatball Sub with marinara sauce and Provolone cheese and Italian with a classic variety of Italian meats--Capicola, Mortadella, pepperoni, salami and Provolone cheese.

The Brick sandwich was simply a well built sandwich, as the name implies. I especially enjoyed the toasted bread. The meats blended well, with no one meat taking the center stage of taste.

The Italian Sub was layered fully with the four meats, the pepperoni being the most prominently tasted. With a little oil and vinegar, lettuce and tomato, this was a substantial sandwich.

The Meatball sub, while good, was difficult to eat (as these generally are--small round balls of beef have difficulty staying put on flat bread). The marinara sauce was mild, and lacked a depth to it. The cheese was a nice feature for this sandwich. The fingers get messy!

For the Chicken Salad, I dressed it up with lettuce and tomato and a little mayo. The chicken was light and tender, but overall this sandwich was a bit dry and lacked any distinct flavor. A few additional ingredients (those packed with flavor) to the chicken salad might have helped this sandwich.

The BP&J--how can you go wrong. A great classic sandwich for children and adults alike.

Not wanting a sandwich? Another "store" is only a few steps away. A large variety of desserts are available at the Nestle Toll House Café by Chip. Ice cream (Edy's), Sundaes & Shakes, Fruit Smoothies, Fruit Chillers, Cookies, Baked Goods (Brownie Bars, Muffins, Croissants, Cinnamon Rolls, Frosted Cookie Bars), Gourmet Coffees, Espresso Drinks, Frozen Cappuccino, Hot Specialties, Frozen Specialties and Iced Specialties. Also, cookie cake orders are taken for a special occasion (it's quicker than getting one at the Mall!).

I sampled a Chocolate Chip Mocha from the Frozen Specialties section. A blender churned a full chocolate chip cookie into this mocha-flavored ice drink. Finished with Nestle's chocolate drizzled along the inside of the cup and topped with whipped cream, this was an excellently rich frozen treat.

The location is convenient on a busy south Tulsa corner and designed to get a quick meal and sweet. Brick House Subs and Nestle Toll House Café yet another example of the imagination and efficiency that fuels the growing fast food industry.

Brick House Subs and Nestle Toll House Café

71st & Mingo

250-2550

Hours:

Sun. 10am-7pm

Mon.-Thurs. 10am-8pm

Fri.-Sat. 10am-9pm

Rating:

Atmosphere ***

Food ***

Service *****