GrubGrade

In the short 5 month life of GrubGrade, never has there been a post more talked about and popular than the Quiznos Toasty Torpedo.  A big reason would have to be the controversial “Scott and the Oven” commercials that were out there.  While getting mixed reviews on the Torpedo, one thing is for sure…it was on everyone’s mind this past Spring.  While the controversy may have died down, the Torpedo is still going strong and now has a pesky little brother coming into the picture to try to steal it’s thunder.  Over a footlong of a sandwich too big for you?  Quiznos has the answer for you with the introduction of the $3.00, roughly 7 inch, New Toasty Bullets.

There really isn’t anything  too new and exciting about the new Toasty Bullets other than the fact that you’re getting a smaller and cheaper Toasty Torpedo with a new name.  The 5 original choices of Torpedo are carried over to the new Bullets.  Your choices are the Italian, Big Kahuna Tuna, Pesto Turkey, Turkey Club and the Beef, Bacon and Cheddar.  It would’ve been nice to have a couple of new sandwich candidates in the mix with the new Bullets, but things are pretty customizable over at Quiznos, so maybe if you ask nicely you can get something comparable on the ciabatta bread.

Let’s start the reviews:

• Italian: Pepperoni, spicy capicola, ham, mozzarella cheese and red wine vinaigrette topped with crisp lettuce and chopped tomatoes.  The Italian worked on a couple of different levels.  This was one of the easier “on the go” sandwiches because it’s contents were contained pretty reasonably.  The toasty crunch of the ciabatta mixed with the salty Italian meats proved to be a worthy match.  The spice of the meats overwhelmed the mozzarella, but that was to be expected.  The red wine vinaigrette provided some decent moisture, but struggled to make an impact taste-wise.  Lettuce and diced tomato seemed fresh, although, the lettuce had almost zero impact other than making a mess at the bottom of my bullet wrapper.  GrubGrade: 7.00/10  (Decent)

Italian

• Big Kahuna Tuna: Tuna salad, cheddar cheese, sliced banana peppers topped with crisp lettuce and chopped tomatoes.  I wasn’t too shocked that the banana peppers were missing from my Big Kahuna Bullet.  There always seems to be something that goes wrong with an order larger than one item.  I’ve got to say, I make pretty good tuna salad at home and albacore is my go-to (tuna snob).  I’m not really into the pureed paste of tuna found in most sub shops and this was no different.  Nothing more taste-wise than a fishy paste.  Definitely edible, but nothing more than mediocre (plus it was messy if you are grubbing on the go).  This is the highest calories/fat of all the Bullets (cheddar and mayo infused tuna concoction).  I liked the toasted ciabatta with this Bullet, but that’s where the positives end.  If I could just borrow the toasty ciabatta and provide my own tuna creation, we may have had a winner.  GrubGrade: 5.25/10  (Mediocre)

Big Kahuna Tuna

• Pesto Turkey:  Thinly-sliced oven-roasted turkey, red wine vinaigrette, mozzarella cheese and basil pesto topped with crisp lettuce and chopped tomatoes.  This was a OK sandwich that didn’t really wow me in any way, but it didn’t have me disappointed either.  Kind of a middle-of-the-road offering that only stands out from the basil pesto spread (hence the name).  This was one of the more generously packed Bullets of the five.  The oven-roasted turkey slices weren’t skimped on and that provided for one of the more filling options.  I have a feeling that will definitely vary from place to place but I just had to point it out.  The red wine vinaigrette seemed uninspired with the Pesto Turkey…I mean, you already have the basil pesto spread for that extra recognizable flavor addition and then you try to drown it in a vinaigrette?  So much for the mozzarella on this one too as it’s just way too mild to stand out between pesto spread and vinaigrette.  Nothing special, but once again…just kind of average.  GrubGrade:  6.25/10  (Average)

Pesto Turkey

• Turkey Club: Thinly-sliced oven-roasted turkey, crisp bacon, red wine vinaigrette, mozzarella cheese and mayo topped with crisp lettuce and chopped tomatoes.  The Turkey Club was my favorite of the five Bullets. Once again, red wine vinaigrette is in the mix and works well with these ingredients.  It really isn’t needed all that much when you consider it already has mayo but it was a little extra something that might have been missed if it were not included.  The combination of turkey and bacon just works and for that reason, the Turkey Club automatically gets some votes.  I’m sure this combo is one of the more popular sandwich offerings across the country, so it’s really no surprise that it would work in a Quiznos Bullet.  GrubGrade:  7.50/10  (Good)

Turkey Club

• Beef, Bacon and Cheddar: Thinly-sliced roast beef, crisp bacon, mayo, cheddar topped with crispy lettuce and chopped tomatoes.  Unfortunately, the Beef, Bacon and Cheddar is the most forgettable of the five.  I didn’t really get much roast beef on one side of my Bullet and I barely noticed the bacon.  Because of what seemed to be a lack of meat (or poor distribution), the Cheddar, lettuce and tomato stood out more prominently, so in the end, I was still left somewhat disappointed.  Come to think of it, all 5 Bullets seemed to have one end of the sandwich barren for about an inch or two.  What gives?  GrubGrade:  5.75/10  (Mediocre)

Beef, Bacon and Cheddar

So to wrap up, the new Quiznos Bullets are nothing groundbreaking.  If you were keeping score, the average GrubGrade of all five came out to 6.35/10 (Average) As I mentioned before, it’s just a new size and price for the Torpedo.  I have to say, I believe the $3.00 Bullets work better than the Torpedoes.  The Torpedo gets lumped into comparisons with Subway’s 5 Dollar Footlongs and when you see how much thinner the Quiznos sandwich is, you may be turned off.  It’s just not a fair fight.  The Bullet will set you back 3 bucks and you’re getting about 7-8 inches that will meet the needs of smaller appetites or those eating a bit lighter.  It’s hard to argue with $3 for the Bullet alone, but if you consider adding a drink and some chips, you’re already in the $5 range.  The Bullets are firing off… some are hitting, some are missing and none have hit the bulls eye.  This is just one person’s opinion.  You’ve got 5 Bullets to load the chamber with.

• Pros:  Only $3.00.  Five choices.  Toasty crunch of ciabatta.
• Cons:  Not very filling for big appetites.  Just a smaller, cheaper Torpedo.

Quiznos.com

Nutrition Info was not available (as Torpedoes go…The Big Kahuna Tuna was the highest in calories and fat…Turkey Pesto was the lowest)

Quiznos continues it’s weapon-inspired sandwiches with the New Toasty Bullet Sandwich.  Roughly 8 inches for $3.00. It’s basically the Torpedo but about 5 inches smaller and a buck cheaper.

From Quiznos Press Release:

Like its Toasty Torpedo sibling, the Toasty Bullet sub is inspired by the famous Italian and French baguette sandwiches served in Europe. Served on ciabatta bread and wrapped in a paper sleeve that makes it easy to eat, the compact and portable Toasty Bullet sandwich is a great choice for lunch — wherever lunch may be. The survey revealed that the majority of working Americans don’t stray very far or take very long for lunch. 55 percent of respondents usually take 30 minutes or less for lunch, while they eat at their desk (28 percent), in the office cafeteria (22 percent) or even in their car in the parking lot (6 percent).

$3 Toasty Bullet Line-up:

• Italian: Pepperoni, spicy capicola, ham, mozzarella cheese and red wine vinaigrette topped with crisp lettuce and chopped tomatoes
• Big Kahuna Tuna: Tuna salad, cheddar cheese, sliced banana pepper topped with crisp lettuce and chopped tomatoes
• Pesto Turkey: Thinly-sliced oven-roasted turkey, red wine vinaigrette, mozzarella cheese and basil pesto topped with crisp lettuce and chopped tomatoes
• Turkey Club: Thinly-sliced oven-roasted turkey, crisp bacon, red wine vinaigrette, mozzarella cheese and mayo topped with crisp lettuce and chopped tomatoes
• Beef, Bacon & Cheddar: Thinly-sliced roast beef, crisp bacon, mayo, cheddar