Hippie garb and great grub warrant return trips to Sub-Culture
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We walked in at noon on a Tuesday and were immediately greeted and given our choice of spots to sit in the empty cafe.

Service: After sliding into a comfy vinyl booth, we were handed folded paper menus and our drink orders were taken. Our server was happy and helpful; she offered up multiple menu suggestions and stopped by to share interesting tidbits (the meatballs have raisins!). During our short stay, our to-go style cups were topped off not once — not twice — but three times.

What we liked: Sub-Culture doesn’t cut corners. They use Boar’s Head meats and cheeses (the only brand that should ever be placed between two slices of bread!), ship in fabulous crusty-but- not-mouth-cuttingly-so sub rolls daily from a Scottsdale baker and make their own potato chips (original, garlic, salt and vinegar or Parmesan). We ordered the server-recommended “The Godfather” (meatball and sauce sandwich) and “Top Gun” (peppered turkey, salami, roast beef, provolone, sautéed spinach and onions). Every stuffed (dough is dug out to make room for ingredients) sub comes either cold or toasted, Quizno’s-style.

Both of our hot sandwiches were fantastic and filling which made it tough to save room for Nana’s Crumbcake, one of my favorite sweets. We managed and I was glad we did because the big, moist square of steaming cake was all I had hoped it would be.

Scene: A hip/hippie hangout with a dreamy, head-in-the-clouds paint job that transforms one corner of the dining room into a trippy mural of cultural icons (Homer Simpson, Larry Bird, Jerry Garcia, etc.). Lose yourself in Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung” while letting your eyes be mesmerized by the ’80s-ish color scheme of dark neon green and blue. The coffee lounge area toward the back is furnished with leather chairs and loveseats as well as a large salt water fish tank. It’s a funky, fun place and if it were walking distance from ASU, I doubt we would have been the only ones there.

Bathroom break: Clean, private men’s and women’s restrooms with “Jetsons”-ish shallow blue sinks and streamlined faucets.
Tab for two: $24 with tip and tax for a basket of potato chips ($2.99), Top Gun sandwich ($5.99), The Godfather sandwich ($5.99), crumbcake ($3) and one iced tea ($0.95).

If work weren’t buying: If we hadn’t closed our Tempe office back in April, I’d be lunching at this new sandwich spot once a week, minimum.

By CHRIS PAGE
Get Out

Wait: We arrived a little after 10 p.m. on a Sunday and were seated immediately in the entirely empty dining room.

Service: Our server was a shy guy in a ballcap who seemed like he was more a friend of the owners than someone with server experience. He didn’t know diddly about the coffee bar side of the café, and it took several minutes to learn the place was out of soy milk (doh!), so our thirst for chai tea would have to go unquenched. The server dude was amiable, though, and made sure to ask us where we heard of the place — good marketing info for the owners. Turns out business has been trickle-slow during Sub-Culture’s first month in business.

What we liked: Ah, the never-fail selection of Boar’s Head Meats. My companion and I ordered cilantro-lime chicken (“Friend of the Devil”) and club (“Culture Club”) sandwiches, both of which were thick with meat and cheeses, accentuated by fresh fixings and stuffed into wheat bread with just a touch of sweet honey. The real champ, though, was our order of the tri-colored tortellini salad — a cup of deli-style cheesy pasta tossed with oil and vinegar. Suffice it to say, with an 11 p.m. closing time during the week that kicks up to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Sub-Culture is primo after hours noshing in Tempe.

Scene: We loved the eclectic, loose vibe of Sub-Culture, what with its alien-green lava lamps and freaky-deeky celebrity theme mishmash: Big Bird, Al Pacino, Homer Simpson and “Star Wars” are part of the place’s eclectic cast. The combined effect may scream stoner, but this subs joint reminded us of The Max restaurant on TV’s “Saved by the Bell.” Looking for a chill post-drinky hangout? Sub-Culture should be it. Looking for a daytime hovel with laptop WiFi access and an overhead soundtrack that’s more Led Zep than Sheryl Crow? Sub-Culture, man. We’re concerned that such a funky joint might have a hard time finding a solid clientele — especially since the owners settled for Baseline Road instead of their original intent, Mill Avenue. Where’s Zack, Screech and Slater when you need them to pull together a big crowd?

Bathroom break: I couldn’t get the men’s room faucet’s motion sensor to trip, so I had to use the one in the women’s bathroom. Both are reasonably neat and clean and well-stocked.

Tab for two: $28 with tax and tip for tri-colored tortellini ($3.99), Friend of the Devil and Culture Club sandwiches (both $5.99), Surfer Squares dessert ($3) and two teas ($1.29 and $1.50).

If work weren’t buying: What are you talking about, dude? We’re so gonna be regulars. We’re crossing our fingers Sub-Culture’s service finds its groove and business picks up.

Sub-Culture Café
227 E. Baseline Road, Tempe

Major cross streets: Baseline Road and College Avenue
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun.-Thu., 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Fri.-Sat.
Reservations accepted: No
Health report: Five major violations on Nov. 15
Kid friendly: Yes
Web site: www.stuffedsubs.com