The hungry people who stood behind me in line grumbled as I debated over the extensive menu at the Roly Poly on Tchoupitoulas Street. I didn’t think it was possible, but the little sandwich shop has more options than a Starbucks.
The franchise has to offer a lot of options to live up to their motto, “Whatever your taste … we’ve got your number.” As the chefs create new sandwich recipes they give each “roly” a number and a fun name like #9 Thanksgiving, #47 Nut & Honey and #24 Porky’s Nightmare. Roly Poly offers 50 unique, healthy sandwiches according to its Web site, www.rolypolyusa.com.
The menu is organized into six categories: Chicken, Turkey, Veggie & Cheese, Steak & Roast Beef, Baked Ham & Roast Pork and Seafood. Each submenu lists the sandwiches with a complete description of the ingredients and dressings. It is a good idea to read the list of ingredients, because some of the sandwiches listed under the Chicken, Turkey and Seafood menus have bacon.
The Grilled Golden Brown Rolys are written in red and the Classic Cold Rolys are written in blue.
For indecisive people like me who need someone to tell them what is good, the To-Go menu has a quick pick menu that highlights the best-selling Cold Classics and Grilled Golden Brown rolys as well as the lower fat and lower carb rolys. You can also roll your own sandwich. Well, not really – you choose your favorite ingredients and Roly Poly employees roll it up for you.
Put the menu aside, though, and the restaurant is bare essentials. The building resembles a tin-roof shanty and the only decorations are photographs of the Roly Poly specialty: sandwich wraps.
So the next time I am in the mood for some quick food, what will have me going to the little shack for sandwich fixings rolled in a tortilla? According to their Web site, the fresh ingredients that Roly Poly serves are what make the rolys taste so good.
Unlike Subway, where your journey down the assembly line is reminiscent of your elementary school cafeteria, Roly Poly offers more choices than white or yellow cheese – if that’s what you call those triangles – and warmed up mystery meat.
Pick from gourmet ingredients such as Brie and Provolone cheese and sliced steak and salmon. Vegetables include artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and sliced avocado. The sandwiches can also be decked out with original dressings and spreads such as Russian and horseradish dressings and basil mayonnaise. The list of unique ingredients goes on: pineapple chunks, cashews, capers, cornbread stuffing (for the Thanksgiving roly) and red pepper hummus.
After letting several people cut in front of me while I studied the menu I decided on #48, the Oriental chicken roly. The ingredients were sliced chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, carrot, green pepper, mango chutney and sesame dressing. They could have been a little more generous with the fillings, and the white flour tortilla could have been a little softer. I think that the warm tortillas in the Grilled Golden Brown rolys would taste better.
The 6-inch half roly was $3.50 before tax, and I opted to make it a combo for an extra $1.75. I got to choose my side item from a variety of Frito Lay chips, pasta salad, potato salad, cole slaw or cookies. The drink fountain had Coca-Cola products and iced tea, and I was excited to even find cut lemons for the tea. There is patio dining,but I sat indoors where I was safe from the cold.
Roly Poly is the solution for college students on a budget, on a schedule and on a diet. And the Tchoupitoulas location is not far from Loyola’s campus – just go toward the river on Jefferson Avenue and you’ll find it on your right, across from the Winn Dixie in the Riverside Marketplace. There’s also Roly Poly downtown located at 701 Poydras St.
Or, if it’s more convenient, you can have the sandwiches delivered. Call (504) 561 9800 or print the order form off of the Web site and fax your order to (504) 561 8300.
Gigi Alford can be reached at [email protected].
