**Submarina is Closed*** Check out some of the other sandwich places in the area!
Urbane Cafe, Aliso Viejo CA
Noonerz Laguna Hills
Moe’s Deli, Lake Forest
So I was shopping for wine at a local BevMo! the other day and I noticed that there was a sandwich shop in the center that I hadn’t been to. So like anyone would do I yelled “WHO FAILED TO INFORM ME OF THIS!” and hopped into my car to go there. After 7 seconds driving across the parking lot (walking is overrated) I ended up at Submarina, a small sandwich shop in Laguna Niguel that seems to have a similar set up to Quizno’s. Â I don’t mind toasted sandwiches, but I’ve always felt that most of the sandwich shops that offer to toast their food never do it properly (it’s never toasted enough) and this place was no different. I ordered their “Santa Fe Sandwich” from the local favorites/special menu & received this rather beastly sandwich
It’s got sliced turkey or chicken (i can’t seem to remember), pepper jack (the cheese of The Lord), avocado, jalapeno bacon, chipotle mayo, and Sprouts (along with the usual Produce). On paper this seemed like it would be a great combination, I mean, What’s not to like? I didn’t even know jalapeno bacon existed until now. No doubt the same creative force that decreed that spicy peppers could penetrate the semi-hard flesh of Monterey Jack cheese also willed this beautiful combination of meat and spice into the universe. Some say that I create unrealistic expectations (I can’t imagine why) & that’s why I’m so easily disappointed. To that I say, I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT DO THAT YOU JERKS.
So I was pretty disappointed by this sandwich. It’s description really set me up for something with some spice & smoke with those familiar Mexican/Central American flavors mixed with some modern American additions. It kind of fell flat of the smoke & spice. When I was in high school I remember Chipotle peppers became really popular with Jack in the Box & that commercial where he kept mispronouncing chipotle (Chippo-top-lay was my favorite). For those of you who don’t know what chipotle is, it’s essentially a smoked & dried Jalapeno pepper that imparts that same smokey mesquite flavor in food and sauces. I feel like most places completely forget about that smokey part when they add term “chipotle” into the names of their sauces, and this really was the case for that point.
I know bacon has been the popular boy in school,  with every restaurant adding it to EVERYTHING on it’s menus a couple years ago but I think people forget that there are different grades of it. In this case (like most sandwich places) it’s the thin & disappointing pre-cooked bacon that is both flaccid in flavor as well as texture. I don’t think I’ve been to a sandwich place (sit down restaurants excluded) that had even decent bacon. I suppose it’s a cost thing, but i never understood the people who think that the bacon you would get in your sandwich at these places could even be compared to even the cheaper market brands.  I don’t know how they got the jalapeno into the bacon but it certainly didn’t have the same impact (or sexual-innuendo worthy description) that I was hoping it would.
Overall, wasn’t a fan of the sandwich, but I think that if you’re looking for something simple and standard you might enjoy Submarina for lunch. The Italian was okay, but I think the name of the game with this place is a big ass sandwich for a decent price.
BTW, if you want to make an easy chipotle sauce at home this is the recipe that I like using:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (canned)
- the juice of 1 lime
- garlic clove
blend all that together in a food processor and drop some of that adobo sauce in there for good measure. Enjoy it Nerds.
-Vy
