Soup And A Sandwich
Every metro area usually has its share of “local” chain restaurants, multiple-location operations with central management. Recently, I reviewed Yours Truly, which is typical of the type. Our area is blessed with many of these smaller chains, and one of the best is the Grinders Above & Beyond group which these days is largely in Stark County and south.
I really wish they had kept their Stow location open, as Grinders has always been one of my personal favorites. I'm very fond of soup, and often judge how good a food operation is on the quality of their house-made soups. That's one of the things that makes Grinders great, in my opinion. Every day, there are around a half-dozen homemade soups on the menu, ranging from the expected French Onion and Chili through the more unusual Corn Chowder, Stuffed Green Pepper, and White Chicken Chili. On their web site, you can find a list updated daily showing which soups are offered at each of the six current locations.
The next reason for liking this place is that the huge menu has something for everyone. As you might imagine from the name, it gets much of its reputation from the big deli sandwiches. I recently tried the Reuben Grinder, corned beef with Swiss on a rye sub bun, finished with your choice of cole slaw (my choice) or sauerkraut and Russian dressing. I ate half in the restaurant, then brought the other half home and replaced the Russian with Thousand Island. Either way, it was excellent.
Since this is Thanksgiving week, I also tried out the open-face turkey sandwich with garlic mashed potatoes, which was a recent lunch special. This proved to be a real value. The turkey was real roasted turkey breast, not that processed mystery meat that lots of places use. It was piled high and a good thick slice of bread, and the meat and potatoes were covered with real turkey gravy. I thought the seasoning was balanced just right, too; not to salty, not too bland.
Since I love soups, I've recently tried the creamy Tomato Florentine, the Corn Chowder, and a wonderful fall squash soup that was a seasonal special and which may no longer be on the menu. No matter what your soup preference, I don't think you can go wrong at Grinders, and the menu is so big you will find something you want. To see for yourself, and direct you to one of their locations, here's a link to their web site: