Eastern Progress, Richmond, KY
Best local sandwich: Penn Station
Issue date: 4/16/09
Even though Quizno's and Subway offer $5 foot-long subs, and the Whopper apparently became angry and covered in delicious jalapeņos, Penn Station is the number-one sandwich joint in town for the second year in a row.
While they may not have a full $5 menu like their direct competitors, they make up for it with East Coast-style submarine sandwiches, fresh-cut fries made from hand-selected potatoes, and lemonade made from scratch every day from hand-squeezed lemons. The bread they use is hearth-baked, something else that sets them apart from other sandwich places in town.
"Penn Station's subs are perfectly toasted, just the right size, and full of flavor," said Mary Rose Durkin, a junior communications disorders major at Eastern.
When founder Jeff Osterfeld opened up the first Penn Station in Cincinnati 1987, the original menu only had four sandwiches, its specialty being the grilled cheesesteak.
The grilled cheesesteak is in a way responsible for Penn Station's existence: When Osterfeld was researching East Coast-style subs, he was particularly attracted to the popularity of the Philly cheesesteak. It proved an instant hit with customers of his original restaurant, Jeffrey's Delicatessen, and remains a popular choice today.
Today the little sandwich shop has grown to 205 stores, including one right here in Richmond.
Penn Station is located on the Bypass in the University Shopping Center across from Keene Hall and open seven days a week -- Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
