RESTAURANT REVIEW:

One of my dining faults is that I wait to long to eat, and when I finally do I don’t have a plan.

That leads to indecision, which results in my driving around with no purpose and finally settling on a place that I really didn’t want to go to in the first place.

Sadly, that was the case with J and J Subs. I was hungry and was also reeling after paying $50 for items at Big Lots. See what hunger will do to a human being? As I was driving down Magnolia Street in a somewhat delirious state, I saw the restaurant and pulled in to a parking space.

This is a typical mom-and-pop place that actually has the mom and pop working there. A middle-aged Asian couple toiled behind the counter as they have for the last six years they have owned it.

They are very friendly and apparently are the only employees, working daily from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., only taking off Sundays when the place is closed.

The majority of the menu is submarine sandwiches, with both cold and hot selections, as well as specialty subs.

Cold sandwiches include avocado, cappacola, ham, salami, turkey, pepperoni and tuna.

There are different variations such as tuna and avocado or a meat and cheese. I asked if I could have a mixture of different meats and cheeses on a sandwich, and my request was politely accommodated.

The hot sandwiches are steak, barbecue ham or steak, meatballs, pastrami and sausage.

The specialty sandwiches are interesting and varied. The Monster has avocado, roast beef, ham, turkey and Swiss cheese. The Wow has steak, mushrooms, onions, peppers and cheese.

There are also several different types of omelet sandwiches that come with egg and other ingredients, which are then folded and placed in a large French roll.

A French roll is used in all the submarine sandwiches. The small size is about 7 inches, and the large is 12.

The fixings for the sandwiches are mayonnaise, lettuce, chunks of tomatoes and pickles with sliced onions and bits of pepperoncinis.

Make sure you know what you want in your sandwich otherwise you are getting everything. I wasn’t asked, and my sandwich came with it all, so I spent some time picking out the spicy pepperoncinis.

I ordered the Italian cold cut that had salami, cappacola, mortadella, provolone cheese, and oil and vinegar. I probably would skip the oil and vinegar and get mayo instead. The oil leaked out the back end of the roll as I ate it, and I was soon sopping up oil from the table.

Not that it really mattered. The table was sticky when I got there and this just added to it. With only two people there, wiping down the tables is probably done every hour or so. What did concern me a bit was the water leak I saw on the floor. I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, and they tried to contain it with pseudo sand bags on the floor, but that always is alarming. If that isn’t being taken care of, what else isn’t?

My food was fine, however, and the French fries I ordered with the combination were actually quite good. The combination can be made with either potato chips or fries and a drink for $1.99 more. The combo can be made with hamburgers and cheeseburgers as well.

There were also some unusual dishes on the menu. A teriyaki bowl with rice or a teriyaki beef or chicken sandwich are also available.

There is nothing wrong with this place, per se, but there are better submarine sandwiches out there. If you want a quick lunch, especially if you have children, this place would be acceptable, though not outstanding.

J AND J SUBS

ADDRESS: 18053 Magnolia St., Fountain Valley

PHONE: (714) 964-7175

CUISINE: fast food

SPECIALTY DISH: The King Kong submarine sandwich

ALCOHOL SERVED: none

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $3.75 to 6.99

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: cash only

RATING: ** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews restaurants for the Independent.