Stanlieo's Sub Villa (Huntsville, Al)

Home of the Kitchen Sink

In May of 1971,  Glenn Watson opened what would be Huntsville, Alabama's first sub shop. Taking over a tiny ice cream shop on Jordan Lane before out growing and moving next door. Glenn wanted to bring a little taste of Boston to the city in the heart of Dixie and put his own spin on things. He decided that cubing the vegetation that tops the subs was a good idea. It turned out to be a bit of a signature for his sandwiches.

Over 40 years later, Stanlieo's Sub Villa in Huntsville is still going strong. They now have 2 locations and have caught the eye of Al.com, as well as the local TV stations, magazines  and newspapers. 
The whole operation is now run by his daughter, Connie Ward who literally grew up in the store. Recounting, "Cobblers' kids have no shoes, so we didn't have food in the house. If they'd make a mistake (on a sandwich), that would be my lunch."
They now offer catering as well for all your party and gathering needs.

The restaurant shown is the Governors Dr location. Originally located on Whitesburg it's settled here and is a little nicer than the Jordan Ln location but both have a homey feel to them.
I've not noticed any quality disparity between the two places. Always good to be consistent.

It’s pretty much a fast food ordering system. You walk in, place your order and wait in the dining room. The shop is quite friendly and efficient. The family atmosphere of the restaurant is a product of the family atmosphere of the company. Many employees have been with Stanlieo's for years.
They're also using technology well to their advantage. You can text stanlieos to 55469 and receive updates and specials right to your phone.

So all that is fine but how are the subs you're probably wondering. Well, they're terrific. I will point out somethings first though. All their subs come with cubed onions, pickles, and tomatoes. While this is a great combination I've found that for the most part, the pickles don't belong on some of the subs I've tried. Your mileage may differ but I'll ask for them to be excluded if I don't think they'll work. If possible. BTW, the pickles are really quite good themselves. They just, at times, seem foreign to me.
As well, they bake their own bread daily. Uncooked loaves are purchased and cooked as needed making for a nicer bread than normal.

The Kitchen Sink sub, (shown) number 12 on this list is really, really good. I love Genoa salami and it had a very prominent taste here. Since this is pretty much an "Everything" sub I didn't mind the pickles here. 7 meats, 3 cheeses and over a pound of deliciousness. You can't go wrong.
The Steak and Cheese is quite nice. A good beef flavour but maybe needing a bit more cheese. The topping would be good without the pickles but was fine with them. People put pickles on cheeseburgers after all.
The Pizza sub is terrific but here is where the pickles are just way out of place. I made it through half just to see if I liked it. I didn't. Didn't hate it though. I picked as many off the second half and was good to go. Again, a good presence from the Genoa was very welcomed.
 
There are some options for dessert and one of them is a really nice selection of Otis Spunkmeyer  cookies. Resist the temptation these present and grab a bag of the Zapp's Voodoo potato chips. These are awesome. For the life of me though, I couldn't figure out what the flavour of them actually is. There's a good reason for that. According to their website the flavour was created when an employee knocked over some spice boxes. The resulting amalgum was tasted and thought to be "Great." Not the first time a shop accident has been the genesis of discovery.

So there you have it folks. Fine submarine sandwiches that are a definite cut above the chains in a nice friendly place.
 
You can find Stanlieo's Sub Villa at 605 Jordan Ln and 602 Governors Dr in Huntsville, Al.
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You can also find them on the web, facebook and Twitter.

 
Well that's all for now folks. I'll see you next time in the food court.

Fusion Fun

It can be a little bit like winning the lottery. You have an idea for a restaurant, open the doors and are instantly inundated with customers. Or can it? Too much too soon can kill a place. Service, quality and ultimately reputation suffer.
In December of 2011, Banh Mi Boys opened up and were, lets face it, overwhelmed. Far too popular for them to keep up they shut their doors and regrouped. A complete overhaul of service and space occurred. They reopened a couple months later and were off to the races. As popular again they’ve tidied up the store and tightened up their chops.

The brainchild of David, Peter and Phillip Chau, the brothers come by their abilities honestly. Their parents opened the very successful Nguyen Huong Food Co. back in 1986 and now have multiple locations in the GTA as well as their own bakery. The boys plan was to, for all intents and purposes, serve food truck foods out of a store. Popular mobile kitchen goodies like Korean Tacos and nouveau Vietnamese Subs are selling like hot cakes from curbside vendors south of the boarder. They wanted to bring that same food flair to the Big Smoke. From their little sandwich shop on Queen St. W they’re doing banh mi, tacos and bao along with fries and salad. All with their unique spin on things.

The renovation has given the boys a spiffy, east meets west, old meets new interior. Barn board, mixed with Formica meets Oriental lanterns and technology. Splashy paint on some walls, reclaimend wood on others. Menus on flat screens are there too but the best thing they got out of the reno was tables. Once a grab n go place it now has seating for 20 or so. There’s a main kitchen in the back and an open kitchen/prep station at the back of the long, thin dining room.

Those kitchens are where all the magic happens. Everything is made in house. All sauces, breads, condiments and proteins are made on site. Heck they even have their own little smoker. Slightly bigger than a mini fridge it’s perfect for a college dorm room.

So lets get a look at these goodies.

Perhaps my least favourite thing first on menu is the Jicima/Papaya salad. It’s very good but for me, nothing all that mind blowing. I actually think it would be amazing as a sandwich condiment. It has a lot more going on than do chua. It comes with an Asian salad dressing and I think I probably used too much of it. I really kinda drowned it. I’d order it again but as I said, it’s not my favourite thing here.

The Kimchi Fries were simply fantastic. Fries covered in mayo, pulled pork and kimchi. Garnished with green onion. The whole dish was great and really did scream drunk food. Broken down I found that pulled pork to be among the best smoked pork shoulder anywhere. Also, the fries on their own are some of the best I've had in the city. If not anywhere. They held up very well (both in terms of flavour and crispiness) to the components above and had a great potato taste. The kimchi tasted pretty much exactly like what my friend's Korean wife's family makes. I have 2 small complaints though. First off, the kimchi was cold. By the time I got half way through it had warmed to room temp and I much preferred it then. Perhaps that was because I was there right after they opened it was fresh out of the fridge. Also, I'd like to have seen a touch more pulled pork on them. Not a whole lot more would be needed but the smoky, porky flavour could've used just a bit more punch.

The 5 Spice Pork Belly Banh Mi was nicely packed with all the requisite goodies. Cucumber, cilantro, and do chua. They add sliced pickled radish and a nice helping of the pig tummy. I told the girl to make it (spice level) like she'd have it since she likes hot stuff. She gave me "Hot" and it was perfect. I could handle hotter but this was the right heat level. Enough to light up the taste buds without drowning anything out. On it's own the pig tummy was fabulous. Tender, tasty and not overwhelmed with the 5 Spice. Complimented and allowed the porky goodness to shine. 

The Squid Taco is worthy of it’s praise. A friend and fellow food nut is totally in love with this and it’s easy to see why. The squid rings are perfectly cooked. Breaded with panko they’re deep fried to the point of golden brown but not so much that the meat turns into tires. Topped with do chua, cabbage and cilantro, then add some minced Thai chilies it’s incredible. Don’t let the picture fool you. There’s squid rings under that there vegetation. Plenty of it too.

The Grilled Chicken Taco is, so far, definitely my favourtie thing on the menu. Grilled and sauced chicken that’s totally tasty. I think the tortilla was flavourful enough but very nicely grilled and somewhat hearty. The meat was saucy (some say too saucy) which, as I've said before, is right in my wheelhouse. The vegetation on it was a good compliment of taste, temps and textures. I could eat a hundred of these.

The Fried Chicken Bao is often cited as a favourite of people and there’s good reason. It’s awesome. While bao isn’t exactly my favourite bread it’s okay but what they stuff inside is what makes this sandwich. It’s dressed much like the banh mi so you know that’s a huge plus. The big thing is, one of the best pieces of fried chicken stars. A thin piece of breast meat in a fabulous breading is deep fried to perfection. The chicken is nice and juicy while the breading gets a golden brown, crunchiness. Simply fantastic.

So there you have it folks. A great little sandwich shop churning out some cool twists on traditional favourites.

You can find Banh Mi Boys Sandwich Shop at 392 Queen St. W. in Toronto.

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You can also find them on the web, facebook and Twitter.


Well that’s all for now folks. See ya next time in the food court.

Davwud

 

Nawlin’s Style

Call it a submarine, a hoagie or a grinder. A sandwich on a long bun loaded with everything from meats, to cheeses to vegetables. In New Orleans they call it a “Po’ Boy.” Served on a French style baguette these sandwiches are filled with either fried seafood, roast beef or sausage. They are “dressed” with tomato, lettuce and mayo with pickle and onion being optional. Mustard, usually creole, is smeared on when the sandwich isn’t of the seafood variety.
Po’ boys are rumoured to have been invented in 1929 by one time trolley conductor, Clovis Martin at the family restaurant during a streetcar strike. Martin served his former colleagues, known to restaurant workers as “Poor boys” free sandwiches during the 4 month strike. The sandwich would earn the nickname  and with the “Nawlin’s” drawl being what it is, is forever known as the “Po’ Boy.”

For Slidel, Louisiana native Donnie Thigpen the restaurant business was not his game. He was a builder. Settled in Huntsville, Alabama with his wife Marie (yes Donnie and Marie) they decided that the restaurant scene was lacking in the food on which Donnie grew up. With only a dream in their hearts, they opened a small New Orleans style café in an old house that would serve the staple food, po’ boys. Initially the only two employees, Donnie manned the grill and the effervescent Marie undertook the rest of the operation. Slowly, steadily the word got out. Business improved. And improved. So much so that an addition to the main building would follow. A second building next door was purchased to handle over flow on weekends and a large full time staff is now employed.

The Thigpens, are committed to high quality food at reasonable prices. They import as much from Louisiana as possible and make the rest. Making the 12 hour trek to Patton’s in Louisiana for the hot sausage for example. Their own “Hot damn” sauce made the al.com list of Huntsville’s “20 Most Distinctive Dishes” this last summer. We had a short wait at lunch before being seated. The efficient staff keeps things moving at a pretty good pace. The cozy dining room is practically a shrine to all things Louisiana, New Orleans and LSU Football. The non descript building outside is a dress in Mardi Gras style.


So without any further adieu.


We both had the Scruffy’s Special. A sandwich (which comes with fries) and choice of side. You can’t go to the Po’ Boy Factory and not order po’ boys right??


I went with the spicy sausage and gumbo side with Mrs. Sippi selecting the crawfish and ettouffee side. The crawfish is a little milder flavour than I’m used to and was nicely battered. The sandwich came with lettuce, tomato, mayo and was very good. I loved the baguette. Soft enough that the innards didn’t squirt out the back yet still chewy enough.
 
The ettouffee was fantastic. Nice and rich with a good shrimp flavour to it. A touch of Tabasco complemented it perfectly.

The sausage was just plain excellent. Patton’s sausage is almost a staple in southern Louisiana and it’s no wonder why. Not overly hot but very seasoned it just plain tasty. The bread is of course the same and as it was not a seafood po’ boy came with creole mustard. I added some of the hot damn sauce as well.

 
The gumbo was nice and complex with a good amount of chicken and shrimp. It too was complemented nicely by a few shots of Tabasco.

 
I wish I could say the “Hot Damn” sauce was damn hot but alas it’s not. It had a subtle afterbite but Marie assures me that as it ages it gets hotter. The mayo based sauce was made that morning and a batch will last at least a couple days. By the time the next day rolls around she says it’s very potent.

 
We skipped desert but a gorgeous looking chocolate layer cake was on display at the counter. Next time perhaps.


You can find The Po’ Boy Factory at 815 Andrew Jackson Way in Huntsville, Alabama.

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You can also visit them on the web or become a Facebook Friend.
 

Well that's all for now, see you next time in the food court.

Davwud

The Saigon Sub

As I had mentioned before, conquest is good for the food scene. When one nation occupies another, new foods develop. Indigenous ingredients are introduced to old world recipes and old world ingredients are incorporated into local recipes. One of the best results of this fusion is the Banh Mi.
Also knows as a Vietnamese Sub, Hoagie or Po’ Boy the Banh Mi is just about the perfect sandwich. One part French and one part Vietnamese this South Asian offering is a cheap and tasty treat.
In the middle of the 19th century, the French started colonizing South Asia in what would become French Indochina. The local Viet peoples would be introduced to a variety of French delicacies including pate and the baguette. The addition of local ingredients would give birth to a whole new sandwich based loosely on the French “Salad Sandwich.”
The basic recipe consists of the bread with butter or mayo, a smear of pate, fish or soy sauce, cilantro, cucumber and do chua. A pickled salad of shredded carrots and daikon (a type of radish). That said, any of these ingredients can be omitted. (except the bread of course) The addition of grilled chicken, BBQ pork, sausage or a number of other protein are the variables. You can also get breakfast and veggie options as well.
One of the best I’ve had is the deluxe “Thit Nguoi” (assorted cold cuts) from Rose Cafe in Toronto’s East Chinatown.

Rose’s place is a small cafe/grocery store specializing in Vietnamese fast foods and deserts. Sandwiches, spring rolls and banana leaf wrapped delicacies are interspersed with South Asian dry goods and even DVD’s.

Whenever I’m in the Leslieville/Cabbagetown area it’s my go to snack stop.

But enough about that, on to the sandwich.
My order, “Deluxe Spicy” is just about the perfect sandwich. The heat of the chilies balanced with the cooling of the cucumber. The richness of the pate played off against the cilantro. The sweet and sour of the do chua. The tasty, salty meats in harmony with the bread. It’s a masterpiece.

The components are broken down as follows. Starting from the ground up…..
The bread is a light baguette made from rice and wheat flours. The resulting thin, crispy crust can end up making quite the bread crumb mess if even if you’re careful.
Rose uses butter (not mayo) when making hers and then some pate is added.
Next come the meats. To a certain degree it’s mystery meat. Typically though, ham, chicken breast and pork roll are used but some places add head cheese. Rose does not.
If I were to take one thing that I just couldn’t live without it’s the do chua. This slaw like garnish as just about as tasty as it can be. The sweetness of the carrot with the pungent daikon and the tart pickling is fantastic. The balance in this garnish is a microcosm of the sandwich it’s self.
The cucumber adds a nice coolness and a bit of crunch.
Enough hot peppers are added to liven it up before fresh cilantro provides a fresh taste and some more crunch.
As great as all this is, you just can’t beat the price either. Just $2.50 will secure one of these beauties for you and that’s actually expensive. Somewhere in the $2.00 range is usual but the extra cold cuts jack the price up slightly. More than worth the money.
You can find Rose Cafe at 324 Broadview Ave. Toronto, Ontario.


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Well that’s all for today kids. See ya next time in the food court.

Davwud