Potbelly in the City

DAY 15

of the 30-Day Blog Challenge, 2011

My favorite Chicago-bred sandwich shop is here!

If warm, freshly-made sandwiches are your thing, then you'll love this place as much as I do. Here's the backstory:

"Potbelly Sandwich Shop began in 1977 as a small antique store run by a nice young couple. Despite the fast-paced, never-a-dull-moment world of antique dealing, the couple decided to bolster their business by making sandwiches for their customers. What began as a lark, turned out to be a stroke of genius. Soon, people who couldn't care less about vintage glass doorknobs were stopping by to enjoy special sandwiches and homemade desserts in this unusual atmosphere."

You can read about the rest of the story here.

There are two Potbelly stores in Manhattan: The first one is in Financial District, where I'm rarely ever at (101 Maiden Lane between Pearl and Gold Sts.); and the second, newly opened branch is right in midtown, on 44th St. between Lexington and Third Avenues. I finally went today to get dinner (and tomorrow's lunch).
When you enter the store, the "instructions" are very straightforward; they're plastered on the floor.

Come on down!

First, you choose your sandwich and bread—regular or multigrain, with the "thin-cut" option for 1/3 less bread. For some reason, in the Chicago store's menu, the latter falls under "Skinnys." Maybe some New York copy editor didn't like this, so don't go in there asking for a "Skinny Tuna" or "Skinny Mushroom" because both aren't listed. And, since there's no Skinny menu, there's no Mushroom Melt, so if you want that, you'll have to say "Thin-cut Vegetarian." Same banana.

Second, you move down the counter and wait for your temporarily open-faced sandwich to come out of the revolving toaster. Then, you choose any or all of the following toppings: mayo, mustard, hot peppers, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle, oil, or Italian Seasoning. At this point, you simply must say "hot peppers," because it just completes the Potbelly experience. If you don't like spicy food, then just go with the onions to get some of that fiery kick.

Third, you pay! Or, grab a small bag of chips. Or, pick up a same-day baked chocolate chip cookie. Or, place a last-minute order of strawberry milkshake. Don't worry, they're nice peeps over at Potbelly. Their tagline, after all, is "Good vibes. Great sandwiches."

Check out their website and Facebook page. Major like! Make that, love!