Popchips

Update Review, December 2020

Yes, I keep trying Popchips products, even though I don't ever really like them, as you know from my past reviews (and update review).  

This time, another new product, and, yup, not a winner.

Puffs

I had no idea Popchips had a "Puffs" product line, until after I discovered the Bamba Peanut Snacks at Trader Joe's (so good!), got #addicted, but found myself in rural New Hampshire with no Trader Joe's nearby.  What *is* a girl to do?  Seek out more common brands at grocery stories, like, Popchips.

"Popchips has gone nuts. peanuts. we’ve taken everything you love about peanut butter and packed it into one perfectly snackable puff. peanut butter nutter puffs are a symphony of salty-sweet memories born from our shared love for this seductive spread. now that’s #peanutbetter."

It turns out, Popchips also makes a puffed peanut snack, dubbed "Puffs", available in two varieties.  I was hopeful.

They are a different product, no question, the Trader Joe's version is made with just corn grits (salt, oil) and peanut paste, the Popchips version is yellow corn, peanut flour, and peanut butter (peanuts, sugar, salt), sweetened, etc, but, I was still eager to try.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate.

"Puffed snack with real peanut butter."

The chocolate variety called out to me, which, in addition to the aforementioned ingredients, adds in, um, "chocolate seasoning", a mix of sugar, cocoa, whey, cream, milk, salt, and of course "natural flavors".

I ... liked these, but didn't love them.

The puffy form factor was right, very munchable.

They were very peanut buttery, moreso than the Trader Joe's ones actually, but in a way that made them not very craveable - they felt too heavy, left your mouth too coated in peanut butter.  A good thing in some ways, and I did want them to be peanut buttery, but, it was actually just too much.  I guess I liked the lighter peanut paste way that the Trader Joe's manufacturer picked.

I also really wanted to taste chocolate, and these did not deliver in the chocolate department at all.  They were brown, you could see the cocoa powder dusting, but, chocolate taste they did not have.  They left me just wanting more chocolate.

So overall, they were good, they were immensely peanut buttery, but I certainly wouldn't buy them again, and never found myself really reaching for the bag impulsively.

**+.

Update Review, January 2020

I haven't ever really liked Popchips, as you've read in my past reviews.  Like many "healthy" chips, they just aren't actually tasty to me.  Strange textures, always.

But when I was in the UK, I saw a new form factor (ridges!) and an exciting flavor (smoky bacon!), so, I gave them a try.

Verdict?  Yup, I still don't want Popchips.

Smoky Bacon Ridges.

"Sizzling, smoky, sinless - these chips aren’t right off the grill, but they taste like they are. Popped to maximum crunch for ultimate satisfaction, with no greasy finger tips."

These sound fun.  Bacon.  Smoky.  And, ridges are far more exciting than regular potato chips.  But ... I still approached with apprehension, as they clock in at <100 calories a bag, and that isn't because the bag is poorly filled.

I tried one, and forgot that they were supposed to be smoky bacon.  They tasted like "Sweet BBQ", nothing I could really call "bacon" at all.  But far sweeter than a normal BBQ chip.  An interesting, bold flavor, not bad, just not bacon.

But for me, the problem was the texture.  The ridges helped perhaps a little, but not much.  They were still a strange mush base.  Not for me.

Original Review, January 2013

I've been craving salty snacks like crazy lately.  I have no idea why.  In attempts to at least have something slightly healthier, I decided to try out Popchips, a local San Francisco snack company, rather than standard chips.  You can find their products in many stores, and they sponsor tons of events around town.  The have two major product lines, potato chips and tortilla chips.  Their entire premise is that they make healthier chips using some crazy method to pop the chips, rather than fry (unhealthy! oils!) or bake (loses flavor).

I liked the idea behind their products, and I'm all for local brands, but I just can't get past the consistency of their chips.  No matter how great the flavors are, they are just totally and completely off-putting to me.  Blech.

• Tortilla Chips, made with stone ground masa.
• Salsa: These had a strange mouthfeel, like all popchips, that takes some getting used to.  It is very obvious that these are a healthy chip, without any oil.  But the flavor was good, zesty, from tomato, garlic, onion, cayenne.  I probably wouldn't buy these again, but they weren't bad.
• Potato Chips, made with potato starch, potato flakes, and rice flour.  All have a very strange consistency.
• Original: Super boring.  No flavor whatsoever.
• Barbecue: Pretty decent bbq flavor. [ I can't stand the consistency of these.  Flavors don't matter, they are just gross, gross gross. ]
• Cheddar: Meh, not that cheddary, popchip consistency wierd [ Popchip consistency is just horrible, can't really stand these. ]
• Thai Sweet Chili: These tasted like styrofoam.  With some slight flavor, that wasn't distinguishable as sweet chili, perhaps just a mild bbq.  But I couldn't get past the horrible airy styrofoam nature of them.  Eww.

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David's Cookies / Annie's Euro American Bakery / Fairfield Gourmet Foods

Update Review: Annie's Euro American Bakery 

"Annie's Euro American Bakery (acquired by Fairfield Gourmet Foods in 2010) is located in Longwood, FL. This 26,000 sq. ft. facility produces top quality elegant desserts including Premier Cakes and a wide variety of individual desserts." 

Today I learned ... that Annie's Euro American Bakery is owned by Fairfield Gourmet Foods, the same parent company as David's Cookies.  I've long been a fan of David's Cookies ... not the more common mail order cookies (review), but, for the "biscones" (review) they make for  food service distribution.

It turns out, the same parent company also acquired a bakery, for their little individual desserts, also wholesale items.

I only tried a few, to mixed results.

Princess Pineapple Coconut Cake.

"Three layers of white cake filled with Annie's signature sweet cream cheese, fresh pineapple and finished with a sweet pineapple-coconut glaze and ivory white chocolate sauce." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

"Thin layers of white cake are filled with pineapple white chocolate mousse, pineapple marmalade, our signature sweetened cream cheese and finished with a sweet pineapple coconut glaze and ivory white chocolate curl." -- David's Cookies

I didn't expect to like this.  I don't care for cakes.  I think pineapple and coconut are ... fine.  But this really was quite good, although extremely pineapple and coconut flavored, so you must be in the mood for a fruity, island experience!

The cake layers were very thin, moist, and barely noticeable with all the other layers.  For a non-cake person, I found them extremely non-offensive.

The cream cheese layers were delicious, thick, rich, sweet, and slightly tangy.  You could definitely taste the cream cheese, which helped compliment the sweet layers.

And sweet layers there were!  The pineapple-coconut glaze on top was sweet, pineapple forward, coconut forward, and immediately made me think I was drinking a fruity cocktail at a resort in the tropics.   I think you can tell where I wanted to be!  The inside pineapple layer was even more intense, fresh pineapple, juicy and flavorful.

This was fruity and quite delicious.

Individual Lil' Red Velvet.

"The perfect serving of rich red velvet cake, layered with sweet cream cheese filling, finished with a dark chocolate feather garnish."

Meh.

These were fine, but generic as can be.  The cake wasn't dry, but it wasn't actually flavorful.  The cream cheese frosting was sweetened, but thick in an unpleasant way, and too cream cheese-y, if that makes sense.  It was a bit cloying.

The chocolate on top was fine?

Overall, this was highly mediocre, nothing wrong with it, but nothing good either.

Update Review: 2018 - 2020 Tastings

Remember the blueberry "biscones" from David's Cookies I raved about.  Yeah, I loved them.  I've since had a chance to try other varieties, and they were even better.

These are a food service distribution item, designed for wholesale/catering, so they arrive frozen and unbaked, but you can also find them on Amazon or other specialty online grocers occasionally, fully baked and frozen.  I highly recommend.

Butterscotch Pecan. 2018.

"Made with butterscotch chips, crunchy pecans, heavy cream, butter and sugar."

Last time, I tried the large 4 ounce scones, and found them just a bit too big (well, for one sitting.  Part for breakfast, part with whipped cream for dessert was fine with me!).  This time, they were portioned differently, into mini scones, likely 2 ounces.  Baked fresh from frozen.  The size was absolutely perfect.  Not bite sized like a Starbucks petite scone, not too big to feel like you shouldn't finish it, but large enough to be absolutely satisfying.  Although, uh, of course I took two.

The texture was just like the blueberry ones, totally fascinating.  A bit fluffy and cakey, but also layered, like a biscuit, but also kinda firm like a scone (hence, the "biscone" name some distributors give them).  Not crumbly like an american scone, and very easy to eat.

Butterscotch Pecan: Inside.

They were loaded up with little bits of crunchy pecan, and full of totally caramelized butterscotch chips.  I loved how the butterscotch created caramely bits jutting out from the edges.

These were even better than the blueberry, and I'll gladly have more.  I'm certain I could easily take down the monster 4 ounce version of these with no problem!

Butterscotch Pecan Scones. Full Size. June 2019.

I ordered these again the next year, remembering how awesome they were.  And I ordered them for dessert, even though I know they are sorta intended to be breakfast items.

The catering team baked them for us, and made them full size again, big monsters of scones, that none of us had *any* trouble finishing.  I failed to take a photo of the unwrapped scone, as I was too eager to dive into it.

And ... they were just as amazing as I remembered.  The texture, the scone-biscuit quality, is just so fascinating.  The pops of sweetness from butterscotch and the crunch from pecan kept you wanting for more.  Best warmed, and best with some whipped cream.

Everyone in the group raved about them, and I assure you, there were none left behind.

Cinnamon Chip. 

"This batter can make the kitchen smell amazing with warm spices and cinnamon chips throughout. "

It was hard to make myself order a flavor other than the butterscotch pean after such success, but, I finally did it and went for cinnamon chip.

The cinnamon chip were my least favorite, this time again baked off in the very large format.  Others all commented that they were simply too large, and either opted not to take one, or break it in half.  The smaller size was definitely more popular.

Cinnamon Chip: Inside.

The texture was still the fascinating "biscone", kinda biscuit, kinda scone, and this time, studded with little cinnamon chips.  Everyone who had never had a biscone before loved them, commenting on the very unique flaky texture.

On top was cinnamon sugar crisp.

This was my least favorite variety only because it was a bit more plain, just cinnamon, rather then the caramelized goodness of the butterscotch, or the juicy blueberries.  But once I added whipped cream, and had it for dessert, it was still plenty good.

Update Review, August 2017

I've reviewed David's Cookies before, when my mom received a mail order assortment of cookies and brownies, and I was quasi-impressed with the quality.

This time, I've had the opportunity to try several of the baked goods, available to foodservice vendors. And they are good. I was even more surprised.

Scones

"Butter and cream ensure a rich flavor and tender texture. 100% trans fat free. Sweet and savory varieties. Two formats available."

David's Cookies makes scones of several varieties (cinnamon chip, chocolate chip, raisin, cranberry orange, blueberry, butterscotch pecan, savory cheddar chive) in multiple frozen formats for food service distribution: thaw & serve, or individually frozen and ready-to-bake. My office occasionally offers the later for morning catering events, when they aren't able to bake fresh made items in-house.

The scones are a particular style. They are not the hard, crumbly style I tend to think of as "scones". Rather, they are soft and cakey, more like shortcake or biscuits. They are also very large, monster sized triangles, bigger than I really want as part of a balanced breakfast. They remind me a bit of Panera scones.

"The richness of a scone. The flakiness of a biscuit. The deliciousness of David's. It's all combined into one scrumptious biscone."

Amusingly, when I was trying to find out more about these, I saw one site labelled them "Biscones". I first thought it was a type-o, but I realize what they were getting at. Biscones = biscuit + scones. Cute. And more fitting.

Blueberry Scone.

"Incredible, delicious combination of blueberries, heavy cream, butter and sugar."

I liked these scones.  While I generally go for the more crumbly style of scones in the morning, I liked the tang to them, and the plentiful large blueberries inside.

It was also larger than I wanted, although I just saved some to have later in the day with whipped cream on top, and called it dessert.

So while too big, and not the style I prefer for breakfast, I think these are good, and, in particular, with some whipped cream, they make an excellent dessert, more like a shortcake.

Crumb Cake

"A true crumb cake, rich and buttery, with a 50:50 ratio of crumb topping to cake. Fully baked, pre-portioned, 100% trans fat free. 48/6 oz portions per case. Simply thaw and serve."

David's makes crumb cakes in 4 flavors: original butter, raspberry, chocolate swirl, and caramel apple.  You can also purchase them fresh in regular sizes, but the ones I tried came through their foodservice distribution, a huge tray which arrived frozen, ready to serve upon thawing.

Original Butter.

"The American classic made with real butter cake base and cinnamon streusel topping dusted with powdered sugar."

"Our Original Crumb Cake is the perfect addition to a brunch or other gathering. Made with fresh butter, brown sugar and cinnamon streusel topping and gently dusted with powdered sugar, this pairs well with morning coffee or as a light dessert!"

"An American classic with a 60:40 ratio of cake to crumb topping. A dense & moist cake topped with a thick layer of scrumptious cinnamon streusel dusted with powdered sugar on top."

The website had 3 different descriptions of the product, so I give you them all.  The gist though?  Yeah, lots of butter, lots of streusel (which is either 60:40 or 50:50, depending on which part of the website you read ...)

The cake layer was moist, extremely buttery, and kinda plain otherwise.  It did not eat like a breakfast item, as it was too sweet, and too buttery, more like a rich pound cake.

OMG, the streusel.

The topping was delicious.  A very thick layer, as promised.  This first slice I had was more like 30/70, but I found later slices that were 70/30.  Soooo much topping.  Soft, sweet, cinnamony, buttery streusel.  The topping was a serious winner.

It was funny watching which slices different people went for.  Some clearly wanted more cake, less topping, and me?  I was all about the topping.

I think this coffee cake would make an excellent trifle layered with cream.

This is not a light item.  1/2 a piece has 430 calories, 29 grams of fat, and 29 grams of sugar.  Yes, half a slice.  It is made with palm oil, vegetable oil blend, corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, invert sugar, etc, etc.  You get the point.  Not a wholesome item.  But delicious.

Individual Desserts

"Offering a wide selection of single serve cakes, cheesecakes and mousse desserts, these miniature masterpieces have flavor combinations such as raspberry with lemon, pineapple with coconut, and elegant dark chocolate mousse with edible gold pieces. Appealing to all types of foodservice segments, these pre-portioned desserts can shine in high-end establishments, catering services or small boutique stores. Every individual dessert is hand decorated and one of a kind!"

David's also sells some individual desserts to food service distributors, marketed as "Annie's Euro American Bakery", a variety of individual little cakes.

Cheesecake

Mango Guava Cheesecake.

"Refreshing contrast of both mango and guava cheesecake. Topped with a light mango puree mousse. Finished with toasted almonds."

This wasn't bad.

The base was classic graham cracker crust.  Decent texture, soft but firm, but it tasted like ... sawdust.

Next up is the mango cheesecake, fruity, good consistency.  Same with the guava cheesecake.  Good consistency, although I cared less for the flavor.

The "light mango puree mousse" layer I didn't like though.  It tasted like seriously fake mango.  And it was strange to have a fluffy layer on top like that.  Speaking of on top, why the almonds?

Overall, good texture to the cheesecake, but not flavors I really liked.

It also was not light, but, what should you expect from cheesecake? 520 calories each!

Original Review, May 2015

Just to mix it up a bit, I'm going to stretch my "bakery" review day theme a bit to include ... mail order baked goods.  Hey, they still count as baked goods, and these are ones accessible to you anywhere in the US.  Expanding my review horizons!

David's is a large commercial "gourmet" baked goods manufacturer.  Given the name, you can guess what the signature product is: cookies.  They also make other baked goods such as brownies, scones, crumb cakes, and ruggalach.  Plus layer cakes, cheesecakes, chocolate truffle cakes, a slew of French tarts, and, randomly, chocolate covered strawberries.

I believe online is their largest market, although they seem to also have a large fundraising business, and have been around since 1979, so obviously their distribution channels have changed over time.  Corporate gifts and gift baskets seem to be the target market.

Cookie Brownie Party Tin, 5 lbs. $59.95.

When I was visiting my family, my mother received a lovely gift of a huge 5 pound party tin full of cookies and brownies from David's Cookies.  Ever curious, I had to try them.  All of them.  Even though you know I don't really like cookies.  I'd say it was for the benefit of the blog, but really, who am I kidding?  I can't resist trying a dessert, even if the chances of me liking it are low, as seemed the case with not even fresh cookies and brownies.

The tin had a selection of 6 types each of cookies and brownies.  The cookies were fine, but the brownies were far better.  Maybe next time someone will send her the decadent sounding cheesecakes ...

Cookies 

Cookies are obviously David's specialty, specifically chocolate chip cookies, although they make about 20 varieties.  Cookies come in tins, ranging from 1 to 5 pounds, or mixed with brownies or other items in gift baskets.  You can also buy the chocolate chip in mini form, or as frozen dough to bake off yourself.

Our tin had six varieties in it, and I obvious tried them all.  Sadly, our tin contained just the basics, not any of the fun ones like Butterscotch Pecan, Coconut Pecan, Red Velvet, Mint Chip or Smores, that David's also makes.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin.

"They are made with cinnamon, thick molasses, sweet brown sugar, and vanilla for a taste that will bring you back to the good ol days."

The oatmeal raisin was the first cookie I tried.  A fairly standard oatmeal raisin cookie.  Decent heartiness from the oats.  Good distribution of not-too-hard raisins.  Soft enough style.

A classic cookie, and Ojan liked it too.  My second favorite of our batch.  I am curious what was "old fashioned" about it though ... what do new age oatmeal raisin cookies look like?

They also make a orange oatmeal cranberry, which sounds like a fun seasonal selection around the holidays.

Macadamia White Chunk.

"What do you get when you combine delicious white chocolate with succulent macadamia nuts into one cookie?"

Next I moved on to the macadamia white chunk.

It was another softish cookie, although a bit overcooked and crispy.  However, there was only one macadamia in the entire cookie.  The distribution of raisins in the oatmeal raisin was totally acceptable, but this was not.  There were also a few fairly boring white chocolate chunks.  I did at least appreciate the use of chunks rather than chips, as they provided more sweetness.

Overall, there was nothing interesting here, it was just inoffensive.  My 4th pick overall.

Cherry with White Chips.

"Silky smooth butter, sweet sugar, creamy milk, and powdery flour are paired with the perfect balance of tart dried cherries and sweet white chocolate for the ideal cookie flavor."

Next, cherry white chip.  It was very similar to the macadamia white chip, just with dried cherries replacing the macadamias.

It also was a bit overcooked and crispy.  The base cookie was pretty boring.  The white chocolate chips were generic.  The cherries were large, but rock solid.

My sister, Ojan, and I all did not care for this, and we ended up throwing out the extras.  Our least favorite, by far.

Chocolate Chunk.

"David’s has perfected the art of the chocolate chip cookie by using only the best ingredients. Our recipe calls for fresh eggs, milk, velvety butter, and loads of big Hershey’s Chocolate chunks to create the most irresistible cookies on this planet. "

Next, the one Ojan was most looking forward to: chocolate chunk.

It had another slightly sweet standard cookie base.  It was a nice soft style, not overcooked like the white chip varieties.  Although I doubted them for using Hershey, since I don't exactly endorse the the quality of Hershey chocolate, the milk chocolate really wasn't bad.  And chocolate chunks are obviously better than little chips.

Like the oatmeal raisin, this was a pretty standard chocolate chunk cookie, no more, no less.  My 3rd pick.

Double Chocolate Chunk.

"They have gigantic chunks of Hershey's chocolate mixed into smooth and sweet chocolate cookie dough. It's a soft chocolatey cookie stuffed with delicious chunks of milk chocolate."

Like with the chocolate chunk, I appreciated the large chocolate chunks, and again I didn't actually mind the Hershey chocolate.  But the base cookie wasn't very chocolatey, so flavor-wise, it didn't offer much over the standard chocolate chip.  This was Ojan's favorite flavor, since he does love chocolate the most, but my second to last pick.

[ No Photo ]

Peanut Butter with Peanut Butter Chips

"Our original cookie dough made with fresh butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and milk is swirled with peanut butter and Peanut Butter Chips for one of our most divine cookies ever."

This was, hands down, the winner of the bunch, and I didn't get a photo of it.

The base was the winning component, full of peanut butter flavor.  It was accented with further peanut butter in the chips throughout.  The style was more like the macadamia and cherry cookies however, crispier than I would prefer.

My favorite, but still, not something I needed more of.

Brownies

David's also makes 6 varieties of brownies: Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Swirl, Cheesecake, Pecan, Rocky Road, and Macaroon, plus a Blondie.   Brownies are available alone, or mixed with cookies or crumbcakes in tins or boxes.

The chocolate varieties all use a chocolate chip base, "made with pure melted chocolate and loaded with sweet chocolate chips", Hershey again.   Each brownie is a large 4 ounce "slice".

Unlike the cookies that were loose in the tin, the brownie slices were individually packaged.  Our tin contained all 6 varieties of brownie, but no blondies.  The peanut butter swirl and cheesecake were my first picks based on descriptions, but both looked rather dried out, so I skipped them. 

Pecan.

"A luscious blend of our fudgy chocolate chip brownie with gently toasted buttery pecans."

The pecan brownie was indeed fudgy, fairly rich, and not dried out or stale, which surprised me a bit.  I did enjoy the addition of the chips for an extra chocolate burst, and the nuts for crunch.  For a packaged brownie, it was not bad.

Rocky Road.

"Indulgent black walnuts, rich peanut butter chips and a chocolate swirl on top make this brownie the one to cure any craving."

Next, the fun sounding Rocky Road.

There was a lot of goodness in this one.  Again, a very rich, fudgy chocolate chip base.  I liked the addition of the peanut butter chips and the nuts.  A good mix of textures and flavors.

Again, for a not fresh brownie, it was fairly tasty.

Macaroon.

"Our newest brownie starts with our classic brownie and covers it deep in toasted coconut with a drizzle of chocolate."

This was a very dry brownie.

The base brownie was mild chocolate, fairly dried out.  It had a shredded coconut layer on top of that which was very dry.  Artistically drizzled with chocolate which looked nice, but didn't really add much flavorwise.

Definitely the losing brownie, way too dried out, and with no real flavor.

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Jimmy John's

Jimmy John's.  A sandwich shop.  That I've likely walked by, many times, over the years, without giving a second look.  I'm not a sandwich girl in general, and I didn't grow up anywhere with a Jimmy John's, so, it was entirely off my radar.

That is, until a T-Mobile Tuesdays freebie promotion offered a free sandwich.  You know me and my freebies (yes, just like Subway, which I reviewed in this same way before, although Subway I was far far more familiar with).

As often happens when I start to write a blog post about a place I am not familiar with, I got sucked into the hole that is learning about Jimmy John's.  It was fascinating!  Short story, yes, started by a guy named Jimmy John in 1982. Long one ... he was a horrible student, parents wanted him to go into military, he loved hot dogs, wanted to start a hot dog stand, turned out to be too high cost, so he ... pivoted to sandwiches.  Yadda yadda, did really well, worked a ton, expanded.  Now they are franchised and also corporate owned.

"FREAKY FAST® FREAKY FRESH®"

Jimmy John's entire premise, as I discovered once researching the place, is, *fast*. They have streamlined absolutely everything to be as fast as possible. This means, that compared to other sandwich shops, they have far fewer options. Some would call it an "opinionated" menu. I did kind of appreciate the simplicity.

"We slice our all-natural* meats and fresh veggies in-house every day. Our fresh-baked bread is made right here where you can see it, and our house-made tuna salad is fresh every day. The flavor of a ripe tomato, crisp shredded lettuce, combined with fresh-baked bread, fresh-sliced meat and real Hellmann's® mayo - that's when the magic happens. Made with love every single day since 1983. That's Jimmy Fresh!"  

Their other premise?  Freshness.   They claim to, literally, slice all their meats, every day, in each store. The produce is sourced locally.  The bread all baked at each store, and (the French) is only used within 4 hours of baking. They produce their own brand potato chips (Jimmy Chips, cooked in peanut oil), and have their own branded hot peppers and mustard. They even claim to make their Ranch dip in house every day?

I pulled up the menu to investigate.  The menu contains the "Originals", simply numbered 1-6, basic sandwich offerings, plus "Favorites", numbered 7-17, that are curated combos (e.g. roast beef AND turkey together, for the #14, vs roast beef alone (#2) or plain turkey (#4)).

And ... that is the menu.   Ok, not quite, you can have any Original made into a "Little John", a smaller version for only $3.  This applies only to Originals though.  It was a Little John that was offered for T-Mobile Tuesday.

I easily placed an order online, and went to claim my prize.

Storefront.

The SF Jimmy John's is located on Pine Street, and looked reasonably busy, mostly people entering for about 10 seconds to pick up their orders and promptly walk out.  I didn't see anyone order in person, although it was an option.  COVID restrictions required no seating of course.

Little John's

"It may be littler than our 8" Original sandwich but it's just as tasty, and the perfect size for your kid's meal or snack time. You can customize your Little John with any of your favorite Freebies or Add-ons."

Originals and Favorites are available in 8-inch or 16-inch, on one type of sub style bread (French loaf) or one type of sliced bread (thick sliced wheat bread), as an "unwich" - e.g. wrapped in lettuce.  The Little John version came in French bread only, in a smaller 6.5" size.

I could customize as I wanted, free sauces and spices to add are limited to mayo, mustard ("Jimmy Mustard" or grey poupon, they believe *ONLY* in dijon!), oil & vinegar, and a curious sounding oregano-basil mix. The later two, the oil & vinegar and herbs, seemed potentially useful to create a vinaigrette style "dressing"? They at least would accent Italian style sandwiches well.  Regular yellow mustard and mayo are also available as packets on the side.  You can pay for avocado guac as well.

The veggie lineup is equally simple: basic lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles.  Plus sliced cucumbers and the aforementioned branded spicy peppers.  You can add one kind of cheese only: provolone.

They offer 5 kinds of meat: ham, roast beef, turkey, salami, and capicola. Tuna salad. Oh, and bacon.  

Nicely Wrapped!

My order was ready very, very quickly, handed over well wrapped, and sealed.

Little John #2. Sliced in half. Don't scoop. $3.

"The Little John #2 is made with the same hand-sliced roast beef as The Big John® and topped with mayo and fresh-sliced lettuce & tomato."

I opted for the roast beef sandwich, otherwise known as the #2.  But of course I added as many free toppings as I could.  Yes, I added them all, and x-tra of nearly everything.

Interestingly, by default, they actually scoop out and remove some of the top bread, but you can always opt to have this left in (and they dominantly tell you how many calories this adds in - 100 for regular 8", 80 for the Little John).  I asked to have it left in, and for the sandwich to be sliced in half.

The bread was … eh.  Since Jimmy John’s focuses on speed, toasting is not an option.  The bread was soft, fresh-ish … but didn’t have much to it, just white bread, a bit … tangy?  Almost sourdough?  Not my thing really.

But it was inside I cared about, right?

Little John #2: Inside.  Lots of extras.

"Xtra Lettuce, Xtra Tomato, No Mayonnaise, Xtra Cucumber, Xtra Jimmy Peppers®, Xtra Sliced Pickles, EZ Jimmy Mustard®, Xtra Onions, Reg Oregano-Basil"

Yup, I got extra of most things, and added everything.  I removed the mayo that comes on it so it wouldn't get soggy, opting to get mayo packets on the side (you can get mayo or yellow mustard on side).

The sandwich was well constructed.  Every ingredient applied equally, distributed well.  Not much to say there.

The roast beef was good, seemed fresh, it was, well, roast beefy?  Not much of it though, as this was a pretty small sandwich.

As for the veggies, yeah, they seemed fresh enough.  Shredded iceberg lettuce and onions were standard, hot peppers were nice for a bit of kick, and I appreciated all the pickles (sliced, decent tang).  I wasn’t as into the regular cucumbers, thin sliced, a bit mushy.  The out-of-season tomatoes were not tasty, as expected, but they did seem fresh, not mushy. 

Little John #2: More Inside.

I did leave the special mustard on, as only regular yellow french mustard is available in packets on the side.  I was curious about their signature spread.

The “Jimmy mustard” is just a grainy dijon, nice for a little flavor, but I ended up adding a lot more mustard, mayo, and sriracha to mine (sriracha packets I had with me in my bag, of course).

So overall?  Um, yeah, it was a basic roast beef sandwich, with fresh enough ingredients.  No more, no less.  For $3 (or, ok, free), not a bad little thing,  but I don't see any particular reason to have one again.

***.

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