simple decor Archives - The Premiere Source for Spicy Foods and Sauces!

After having five consecutive Tex-Mex reviews, especially the last three being breakfast tacos, I decided…hey who’s in the mood for breakfast tacos??!! Okay, that was a lame joke – I am a DAD so therefore, I have to have DAD JOKES! And yes, we all know Dad jokes rhyme with Bad jokes (see, I just made another one!).

Today’s review is a type of cuisine I have not covered before on Heataholic – namely sandwiches, specifically, submarine sandwiches, aka subs! There is something about that long thick (and toasted) bun of oven-baked bread that makes even people as old as me want to scream “Aye, Aye, Cap’n!” at the top of my lungs!

In today’s era of low-carb this and Keto that, the concept of a sub-sandwich is an anathema to some people – everyone wants to associate bread with the Bogeyman. I, on the other hand, am a firm believer that everything in moderation is a good thing – even though I like certain things in more frequent moderation than others (do you really have to ask what that “thing” is?!)!

Hoody’s is a contradiction of sorts – on one hand, it is a small, not-so-well-lit sandwich shop in a tiny strip mall across a high school. “Sandwiched” (see another Dad joke!) between a now-defunct used bookstore and a low profile hair and nail salon, it’s the type of place anyone can easily overlook. On the other hand, it is an establishment that has won awards, like the 2014 Austin A-List “Best Sandwich Shop” and is known far and wide in the Austin and Central Texas area for having one of the best, if not THE BEST Philly Cheesesteak subs around. Even outside of its high-quality food, Hoody’s is also known as an active supporter and advocate in the local Round Rock, Texas community.

As you all know, I’m a vegetarian so I cannot speak to the cheesesteak, but I can speak to their one and only vegetarian option on the menu – their veggie grill sub. Like my last few reviews on restaurants with simple decor, Hoody’s continues that theme. A handful of tables on the inside, along with a single flat-screen TV, several sports pennants (college and professional football, baseball and basketball teams) and plaques showcasing local sports teams, Hoody’s is a great neighborhood hangout for both the across-the-street high school kids and families looking for a quiet, off-the-beaten-path means to enjoy good, simple food at a good price.

So what is so great about the veggie grill? For starters, it is a hot sub. I, for one, have never been a fan of cold sandwiches, for the most part. There are some exceptions – like Jimmy Johns and every now and then, I will try one that is good, but usually, I like my bread warm and/or toasted. Hoody’s warms its bread, after which it stuffs its fresh-off-the-grill ingredients. These ingredients are added in generous quantities, so much so that the subs can barely contain them. But that’s okay! Like an old Rally’s commercial would say “If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face!” – lame joke, I know, but all those extra, over-the-top quantity of ingredients show just how dedicated these folks are to giving you a fresh, homemade sandwich you can feel good about eating, so you will never have to leave the table hungry!

While all those fresh, hot-off-the-grill, overabundance of ingredients make for an awesome sandwich, the key in making sure in meets Heataholic’s standards are the hot peppers! These are not just any hot peppers but B&G San-Del Hot Chopped peppers.

Produced by the giant food magnate, B&G Foods, this is a simple, in a good way (comprised of only peppers, vinegar, water, salt and basic preservatives) condiment that can be added to any sandwich (or meal) for that added spicy kick. And Hoody’s uses these as an added staple in all of their subs, hot and cold. In my case, I asked them to add as much of these hot peppers as possible, and boy did they oblige! In addition to putting these hot peppers directly in my warm sub, they gave me not 1, not 2, not even 3, but a whopping 4 packs of extra hot peppers! As I’d mentioned in one of my earliest posts, if you want people to make your food as spicy as possible (and you know I do), then all you have to do is ask. Ask and thou shalt receive!

I am a firm believer that notwithstanding the boundaries of physics, i.e., mass, volume and shape, there is no limit to how much of a hot condiment you can put on your food – be it liquid (sauces, salsas, dressings) or solid (in this case, hot peppers). Just when someone thinks they cannot add any more peppers to a sandwich, I prove them wrong again!

All in all, Hoody’s provided a great experience – a hot, fresh, spicy and filling sandwich with a bag of Zapp’s potato chips (Voodoo Heat flavor, of course!) sold there.

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