Robin Garr's LOUISVILLE Restaurant Reviews

CLOSED: We thought it was great, but this property apparently served at the time for "concept testing." At the time of its closing, it was reported that some of the Benny B sandwiches would be available on the menu at the nearby Tony Boombozz on Frankfort Avenue near Cannon's lane. In the good news department, the next generation of the Kayrouz family has opened a small but excellent sit-down restaurant in this location, featuring many of the familiar favorites from their father's long familiar spot, Kayrouz's in St. Matthews.

92	Benny B's 3801 Willis Ave. (502) 896-8383

According to legend, the British nobleman John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, created the culinary confection that bears his name in 1765 when he decided to save time by popping his lunch between two slices of toast.

Montagu may have invented the sandwich, but let's all hail Benny B's for perfecting the thing. This new little spot in St. Matthews is the latest in a string of experimental restaurant "concepts" on the premises that began with the original Tony Boombozz, followed by Thatsa Wrapp and then Baja Grill with its fish tacos.

Now it's Benny B's. Quick and casual, designed primarily for takeout (although you'll find a half-dozen eat-in tables plus a few more under patio umbrellas out front), management promises "high-quality ingredients and preparation." It carries through on this pledge with truly excellent sandwiches that earn my four-star rating, at a price that makes it an attractive alternative to corporate fast food.

They haven't changed the simple, bright decor much since the fish-taco place moved out to larger quarters: There's still a bright blue serving bar with a corrugated-metal front. The walls are a pretty lemon-ice color now, with ultramarine blue and glossy bright-red trim. They've made a little more floor space by taking out the salsa bar and soft-drink server, so now the tiny room holds maybe six black tables with surprisingly comfortable, if hard, blue plastic chairs.

Large menus are posted overhead behind the bar, an aspect of fast-food-style dining that I'm not crazy about ... the servers are so eager to move the line along that their entreaties to order make me feel hurried when I really want a little time to look over the goodies. But you can pick up a paper menu, too, and stand aside while you study. And this menu deserves close attention, as it's packed with interesting and sometimes innovative sandwich options.

There are 15 sandwiches, to be precise: eight "Benny's Classics" ($3.99) including the sandwich basics - BLT, roast beef, smoked turkey, ham and swiss, even the basic PB&J, plus a half-dozen more inventive "signature sandwiches," named after familiar urban neighborhoods around the U.S., from New York City's SoHo (ham, cheddar, sauteed green peppers and onion) to Seattle's Queen Anne (smoked turkey breast, cream cheese and avocado) and my favorite, San Francisco's Pacific Heights, about which more anon. The "Big Benny," a classic dressed sub featuring five deli meats and provolone, is $6.29. Add cheese to any sandwich for a quarter; pile on bacon, avocado or extra meat for 50 cents more. Local delivery is also available, with a reasonable surcharge of 40 cents per sandwich for the service.

We've gone back repeatedly and have yet to be disappointed. Some favorites:

The South Street ($4.89) features a good portion of tender, thin-sliced roast beef topped with tender sauteed green peppers and onions, a slice of slightly melted mild provolone and a schmear of gently spicy honey-chipotle mustard on the house "Benny bun," a quality sandwich loaf shaped like a small hero bun in the style of an Italian panini. (Signature sandwiches may be ordered on country wheat bread if you prefer).

The aforementioned Pacific Heights ($4.89) may be my new favorite as the best quick vegetarian meal in town. A tasty Benny bun is loaded with a good-size ration of tender artichoke hearts, chopped roast peppers and sliced crunchy mild banana peppers, chopped red onions, juicy tomato and earthy black olives, all held on the bun with creamy mayo. It's just juicy enough that it drips onto your plate, and flavorful enough that you're tempted to use the last of your Benny bun to swab up the drippings.

The Queen Anne ($4.89) is another good example of sandwich invention, featuring the unexpected but appealing combination of sliced deli turkey with chunks of avocado, on a Benny bun spread with cream cheese and dressed with sliced cucumbers, leaf lettuce, red onion and a thin slice of tomato.

From the "classics" side of the menu, a Veggie sandwich ($3.99) passed muster, and mustard, too. Fresh avocado slices and crisp cucumber are piled on a bun with a slice of mild provolone cheese, dressed with red onion, lettuce, tomato and a taste of Italian dressing.

A side order of potato salad (99 cents) was first-rate, made from fresh new red-skinned potatoes in a creamy dressing with bits of smoky bacon. The jalapeño version of Tim's Cascade Kettle Chips ($1.25) was crunchy and addictive, plenty spicy enough to get my attention; the Sweet Maui Onion-flavor chips were milder and did a better job of working and playing with its lunch companions. A whole pickle (60 cents) was almost as big as a flashlight but much more crisp and garlicky.

Drinks are limited to what's in the cooler box: Mass-market soft drinks, bottled water and upscale gourmet teas. I wish they had fresh-brewed iced tea, but we generally spring for a single bottle of water and beg a couple of paper cups so we can share it.

A short dessert selection advertises, among other things, "the best chocolate brownie you've ever tasted," and we put this bold claim to the test. Well ... maybe. It's not a bad brownie, thin, dense, dark and gooey, studded on the top with white-chocolate chips. But it tastes more factory-made than homemade, and we give it a friendly six, at best, on a 10-point scale.

Still, the sandwiches are invariably fine, and we've never been able to build our bill up to more than $15 for two. This place has earned a spot on my regular lunch agenda, even when I'm not reviewing. $

(June 2003)