My First Mr. Submarine Visit: Ferak Column

JOLIET, IL - It's now been more than a year since I returned to the area to oversee coverage at the Joliet Patch after being out of state for nearly 20 years. But some things never change, including some of the Joliet area's great restaurants. Before my grandmother Josephine Vonch passed away in 2012, she and I used to always meet up for lunch at Al's Steakhouse on Jefferson Street whenever I came back to the area to see friends and family.

And when it came to making dinner plans with my parents, piling into the van and heading over to Merichka's on Theodore Street was a must, whether I lived in Indiana, Nebraska or Wisconsin.

It's good to know that Merichka's and Al's are still going strong today.

But I have to admit, after moving back to the Joliet area last summer, part of me felt like actor Michael J. Fox' "Marty McFly" in the first "Back To The Future" movie.

Remember the tense exchange inside the 1950s diner where the manager snaps at Marty?

"Are you going to order something, kid?"

"Yeah, give me a Tab."

"A tab? I can't give you a tab unless you order something."

"All right, give me a Pepsi Free."

"You want a Pepsi, pal, you're going to pay for it."

"Well, just give me something without any sugar."

In some respects, I, too, was stuck in a time warp. While I was away from the area for 20 years, much of the Joliet landscape changed dramatically, especially in the constantly evolving local restaurant scene.

Several months ago, I was listening to WJOL and one of the radio personalities was talking about Mr. Submarine's garlic fries. Garlic fries? That sounds utterly delicious, I said to myself.

Meanwhile, others were telling me about the traffic backlog at certain times of the day on Jefferson Street. It's caused because there are so many people ordering at the Mr. Submarine drive-thru window.

So finally, last week, the stars aligned, and I was able to stop inside Mr. Sub to order my first meal there. I looked at the menu behind the counter, and realized I had too many choices staring back at me. But I needed to make a decision. The cashier was waiting, so I went with a regular steak sandwich, mayo, mustard, barbeque sauce, but no onions. I also ordered a basket of garlic fries.

I sat down at a booth and enjoyed my meal by myself. The food was terrific, and it made me realize that I should have stopped here months sooner.

I also noticed the staff inside Mr. Submarine were upbeat, smiling and having a good time. Music was playing inside the restaurant during the middle of the afternoon. It was a relaxing atmosphere. The restaurant also has an incredibly diverse customer base.

As for the garlic fries, they were a winner. I even brought a few home for my kids, and they loved them, too. When it comes to Mr. Sub, it's now only a matter of time before I'll be back.

But now that I've checked off Mr. Submarine, I'll have to figure what other Joliet restaurant to check out next. Please let me know if you have any great ideas.

A Joliet native and former investigative reporter and editor with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, John Ferak is Patch Editor for Joliet, New Lenox and Bolingbrook and Patch coverage for Shorewood and Channahon-Minooka.

All Images via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor