Johnnie’s Subside :: 75 West Main Street, Smithtown

Johnnie’s subside is a small hero shop (just west of Schubert’s Auto Body) that’s been around since 1970. If you’ve driven down Main Street in the past 3+ decades, you’ve certainly passed by, and most likely have eaten at (or at least heard about) Johnnie’s Subside.

Jennifer ate:

Provolone Hero on Whole Wheat ($6.95)

I was reasonably sure there would be few options for a healthy-eating vegetarian at a hard-core sub shop, and my suspicions were verified quickly. While it was somewhat reassuring to see that Johnnie’s now have whole wheat hero rolls, it was dismaying to see only two viable options on the menu. Eggplant parmesan was the obvious choice, but since it was close to 90˚ and 100% humidity today, I opted for provolone and swiss on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, onion, oregano and oil and vinegar.

This is not unlike any sandwich you can get at Blimpie or Subway, and was not as tasty. I’m not sure how a whole wheat roll can be so completely flavorless, as was the iceberg lettuce, onion, and diluted vinegar. The tomato and oregano were the only ingredients with any flavor, but that makes for a pretty boring sandwich.

The garlic pickle, which we shared, was just an average dill pickle. The garlic flavor was nearly non-existent and the pickle itself wasn’t especially crisp or fresh. We didn’t finish it between us. The iced tea that came with Chuck’s sandwich (free with any hot hero) was actually tasty and I believe it is made fresh on premisis.

For the price, the sandwiches are remarkably large (I could barely finish half!). If filling your stomach is the top priority, with flavor and nutrition far below, then by all means, stop by Johnnie’s for a sandwich. Otherwise, you’d do just as well at Subway or Quiznos, and you’ll probably enjoy more flavor less expense.

The bottom line:
Provolone Hero on Whole Wheat – Boring and virtually flavor-free.
Overall rating: You might want to walk on by. There are so many good places to eat in Smithtown. Just read our other posts!

Chuck ate:

Philly Steak w/ Onions & Muenster ($8.45)
Garlic Pickle ($1.35)

I’ve lived in Hauppauge most of my life and have been around Smithtown since my dad took me to get my first haircut at Mr. JP’s (which is still around, BTW). I know of Subside, I’ve eaten there before and it does have it’s good points. My brother swears by it (even makes special trips to Smithtown just to eat there) Price-wise it’s reasonable, especially if you’re hungry since the subs are enormous (seriously, they’re impossibly large) and for the price, it’s good stuff.

I gotta tell you, though, maybe this was just a bad day, but this outing at Subside was unappealing (which I was surprised about). Jennifer and I wanted to make a quick lunch stop today (since we’re quite busy) and decided to get something to go instead of having a sit-down lunch. Subside seemed like a good bet.

I went with the Philly Steak since I’ve had it here before and really enjoyed it (plus I was in the mood for it). I would have assumed that the default cheese for a Philly Steak would be American (since that is what was done the other times I’ve had the sandwich), but it was made with Muenster. The odd thing is that I wasn’t asked what I wanted, but I figured, hey, let’s try something different, right? The hero was hot, but the meat was a bit sinewy and bland and without the bolder flavor of American cheese, the sandwich fell kinda flat for me. The onions were not as caramelized as they should have been and were thus less sweet. The pickle was good, but it’s tough to f’ up a pickle.

The bottom line:
Philly Steak: big sandwich, not much flavor
Overall rating: Certainly a better bet than Subway, with large sandwiches and NY-style attitude. But with its inconsistent quality, it may be a catch-as-catch-can.