Since the day that I first hear of Quizno's, I refused to go and try it out. There wasn't really a good reason for this. It was just that those Don Cherry ads got on my nerves. And it's not that I don't like Don Cherry, but sometimes, he's just downright annoying. Besides, I was loyal to Mr. Sub. I only deviated to Subway because there wasn't a Mr. Sub near school. And when they finally did open a Mr. Sub in the area, it was inconvenient to trek down there from Engineering. But I digress.

Today, I was kicking around the Y&E area doing homework (started at Tim Hortons, then moved to the library). Around 6ish, I realized food had gone from optional to necessity. I ventured out from the library in search of sustenance. I wasn't in the mood for more Tim Horton's (although I must say, I love the Chicken Stew in a Breadbowl), and I certainly did not feel like dining alone in a restaurant. Besides, I splurged the night before with dinner at Le Saint Tropez with a friend, so I needed to be more frugal today. I did my artery-clogging-McDonald's run on Sunday with my family, so it was easy to walk past BK and McD's on my search for food.

When I reached the corner of Redpath and Eglinton, I saw Mr. Sub. Directly across the street from it is Quizno's. I was planning to go to Mr. Sub, but the sterile white decor and harsh lighting looked much less inviting than the warm, cozy look of Quizno's. Since I knew I'd be tehre for a while (doing homework while eating), I decided to give Quizon's a try. I worked really hard to push Don Cherry's voice out of my head.

After surveying the menu, I settled on the Mesquite Chicken. It boasts all white meat with bacon. sounds good to me.

At $4.99, I thought to myself, "This 5-inch sub had better be good." I sat down to my meal and looked out the window at Mr. Sub. The harsh sign glared at me as if I was a traitor. The guilt, however, did not last past the first bite.

I unwrapped my sandwich and was greeted by the smell of warm bread, and fresh peppers. The smell was great, but I caught myself thinking about all the great smelling lychee martinis that ended up tasting like bleach. Don't get all excited over the smell.

The sub looked pretty good. It was nicely toasted and didn't spill all over the place like a sub from Mr. Sub or Subway. I picked it up and thought, "Well, it's the moment of truth." I took a bite, and what a bite it was.

I must say, a sandwich is only as good as the ingredients you use. And a sandwich is so much more than just a sum of its parts. The bread was crispy and fragrant. The whole wheat flavour is so good when the bread is warm. There were large, juciy pieces of chicken coated in the mesquite sauce. Amazingly, it wasn't dry and gamey lick much of the white meat you get at sandwich places.

And how could I possibly leave out the best part. Any place that puts fresh yellow bell peppers in my sandwich gets super bonus points from me. Nothing tastes better than fresh vegetables. The lettuce was crisp and light, but not loaded on like other sub places (this is good). It also wasn't limp and soggy (thank goodness). Red onions and good quality tomtaoes are also not to be dismissed.

All in all, despite the slightly higher price tag, I must say there is nothing to complain about. But even with the slight increased expense, I would definitely choose Quizno's over everyone else. They charge you a little more but use better quality ingredients. Much better. The atmosphere is warma nd inviting and the service isnt' bad. I guess Don really is right. Toasted tastes better.

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Their webpage is www.quiznos.com.