Forget everything I’ve ever said about style and ambiance. Sometimes all you need is a very, very good sammich. These guys do one of the best ham and cheese poboys I’ve ever had. The only one I really remember being better than is the one I used to get at Watson Grocery when our base of operations for LeGrange Catering was out on Hwy 16. And that was mainly because they used a par-baked French bread that they would run in the oven that morning before they made sandwiches. Bread is certainly central to a good poboy, but balance is necessary as well. The right amount of lettuce. Tomatoes sliced to just the right thickness. A pro slapping the mayo on both sides of the bun. Serious ham. The right cheese. The only one I can think of right off hand that’s as good as is at Logan Farms on S. Sherwood. Whichever one is closer will do. So Po-Boy Express does everything right. The bread is always soft and chewy. Probably due to the high volume they do. So you never get that bread that turns to dust in your mouth and will choke you if you breathe in at the wrong time. And they have fried okra or fried mushrooms as sides. I love fried okra and the only other place I know to go get it is Elsie’s Plate and Pie on Government. They didn’t have any today, so I went with the fried mushrooms. Very good.
The servers are friendly and don’t get rattled, even though the counter is pretty busy with people trying to order, people picking up their order when their number is called, a hot drive thru business, and Waitr drivers filing in one after the other. You can always tell a pro from a rookie just by the look on their face. Calm, focused like they hear their favorite song in their head as they go about their business as opposed to that total deer in the headlights I need to run to the bathroom and smoke six cigarettes or I’m going to pass out look that rookies always wear. This isn’t the only place around that does poboys, but they do them better than almost everyone else.
