Sacks

PHX Rail Food

Jul 25

231 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix AZ 85013
https://sackssandwiches.com

There was a time when packing a "sack lunch" was a popular way to send a child to school with a midday meal or for an office worker to be frugal. While people of all ages still sometimes bring food to school or work, it's more often in an artistic bento box or an insulated cooler than in a classic paper bag. Despite those changes in habits and language, the idea of a sack is still sometimes associated with sandwiches, a quintessential lunch food in many cultures. With that in mind, Sacks focuses on all sorts of sandwiches targeted towards a lunchtime clientele.

Symphony

Sacks has three locations in central Phoenix and Tempe, and the one in Midtown Phoenix is just three blocks west of the Thomas/Central light rail station. The sandwich shop occupies a storefront across the street from St. Joseph's Hospital, which provides much of the store's clientele. Midtown office workers are also present in large numbers during the shop's limited business hours, which are only on weekdays during normal work schedules. There is no bike rack per se, but metal fencing around the restaurant's shaded patio provides some options.

O'Keefe

The shop is utilitarian with a large open kitchen behind a counter and plenty of seating for customers eating on the premises. There are a few posters with a fine arts theme that is reflected in the sandwich names but little else in the way of decor. While it is perfectly possible to order just a plain turkey or roast beef sandwich here, the signature approach of Sacks is elaborate sandwiches with multifarious layers of meats, cheesed, vegetables, and spreads.All are listed on large boards overhead with four or five specials noted on nearby whiteboards.

Picasso

An archetypical Sacks sandwich might be the Symphony, an assemblage of sliced turkey breast, smoked bacon, tomato, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, cream cheese, and mayonnaise on twelve grain bread. The cream cheese provides a good level of moisture without being overpowering. Just the right amount of bacon adds a little smoke and crunch. Asking for the bread to be toasted adds a final touch. The Improv is a different sort of turkey sandwich based on a Thanksgiving dinner with traditional sides like herb stuffing and cranberry sauce.

Cheyenne turkey

While all sandwiches can be toasted upon request, hot submarine-style sandwiches at Saks are generally served on eight-inch baguettes. The Picasso contains meatballs with melted provolone cheese, marinara sauce, and parmesan. The O'Keefe combines grilled chicken, sauteed mushrooms, swiss cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard dressing while the Rubens incorporates pastrami, Swiss, coleslaw, and thousand island dressing on grilled marble rye. All sandwiches can be purchased in a combo meal with a drink and chips.

Caruso

Sandwich specials change frequently but typically involve a themed grouping of ingredients. A recent offering known as the Caruso featured smoked turkey with Monterey Jack cheese, chipotle mayonnaise, and roasted red peppers within tomato basil bread. A Cheyenne turkey sandwich a few months before took a similar approach with cheddar. Sandwiches, whether signatures or specials, can be accessorized not only with various chips, but also with accompaniments such as a rotelli pasta salad, potato salad, or small green or Caesar salads.

creamy artichoke soup

Full size salads are also available as entrees, and a rotating selection of soups can include basics like chicken noodle or slightly more ambitious fare like creamy artichoke. Beyond sandwiches, salads, and sides, Sacks offers one more possibility, the immodestly entitled "Pasta Renaissance." This dish is angel hair pasta in marinara sauce, a simple preparation that can be enhanced with meatballs, chicken, or vegetables like peppers and onions. Angel hair can often be a mushy mess, but the Sacks version avoids overcooked noodles and excessive sweetness.

Pasta Renaissance

Each Sacks meal includes a small chocolate chip cookie; however, larger sweets such as brownies and lemon bars are available for purchase at the counter. There are even tubs of cookie dough sold for the benefit of customers who want to re-created the Sacks cookies at home. Drinks are limited to non-alcoholic choices such as sodas and multiple flavors of iced tea. Although the sandwiches at Sacks are served in sacks, their lively combinations of ingredients and flavors can often surpass the austerity associated with a stereotypical sack lunch.