Mystery Diner in La Salle: Obee’s offers tempting variety of sandwich options

It’s no secret that news people like food.

On any given day, there’s a chance you’ll see someone from the local newspapers in La Salle or Ottawa stopping in Obee’s sub shoppe. The newsroom favorite moved from its location around the corner from The Times in downtown Ottawa to its location just footsteps away from the NewsTribune in downtown La Salle.

On this particular day, my colleagues and I followed the aroma of fresh bread to the eatery.

Obee’s is a great stop for diners on deadlines looking for a quick bite. The handcrafted sandwiches are made quickly, and wrapped up to eat on the go or at the office.

The restaurant also has a dining room and outside patio area for anyone who would like to dine in, and take it easy.

What’s always made Obee’s an experience for me are the made-to-order sandwiches prepared with freshly sliced deli meat. The menu goes beyond turkey, ham and salami – diners can order prosciutto, capicola and mortadella.

I opted to try something new, and ordered an 8-inch applewood smoked turkey toasted with cheddar cheese and bacon on white bread. Four kinds of bread are baked in the store – white, wheat, Italian Parmesan and four cheese (with choices of 5-inch, 8-inch or 16-inch sandwiches). There’s also an option to get wraps or sandwiches on a pretzel bun. The smoky flavor of the turkey complemented the cheddar cheese and bacon well.

I usually go for the spicy bird, which is turkey, capicola and pepperoni, giving that classic turkey a good kick.

One of my colleagues ordered a Malibu chicken sandwich, which consists of a chicken breast, bacon, pepper Jack cheese, Buffalo sauce and ranch. It’s one of her go-to sandwiches, because it’s got a little bit of spiciness, a nice crunch of bacon and the full taste of chicken.

She also ordered a cup of chicken tortilla soup, which is made of chicken and sweet corn with colorful strips of tortilla chips. The restaurant also offers broccoli, potato with cream, chicken with rice, stuffed green pepper, chicken noodle and tomato basil soups.

The chicken with rice, which has a cream-based consistency, is my favorite, thanks to hearty bites of chicken and carrots.

Another colleague picked the roast beef and cheese. He complimented Obee’s sandwiches by saying he likes the balance of meat to bread ratio. The bread isn’t too thick, so it doesn’t overwhelm the sandwich. On the flip side, the sandwiches aren’t overstuffed, so they are easy to eat. And the perfect complement to his sandwich was a bowl of homemade chili with a cheddar cheese topping. He admitted he can’t pass up the chili.

Along with having a variety of meats to mix and match sandwiches, Obee’s also has provolone, American, Swiss, pepper Jack, mild cheddar, habanero Jack and ghost peppers cheeses, along with numerous sauces, mayos and mustards.

Obee’s has catering, delivery and online ordering options.

With the variety of handmade sandwiches and soup choices, Obee’s menu can be left up to the imagination of the patron, which also makes it an easy place to return over and over again.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at Shaw Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a different restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Obee’s sub shoppe

WHERE: 113 Wright St., La Salle

PHONE: 815-220-5120

INFORMATION: www.obeessub.com