Skip to main content
Beaverton Sub Station isn't much of a secret, judging by the noontime line, which runs out to the street. The back wall is covered in newspaper clippings, including an Oregonian column by Steve Duin dubbing Stationmaster Chuck Wilson âThe Richest Man in Town.â (Spoiler: Wilsonâs wealth is metaphorical.)
You won't find any Willamette Week stories, though. Thanks to our new online archive, I can confirm that during the 33 years this shop has sold 25-cent cups of coffee, delivered to Beaverton's City Hall by bike, and cut springy rolls from mammoth hoagie buns, we've barely taken note of it. That's an oversight, because the Station does the working-class Midwestern sandwich at a level otherwise unknown in this land of broccolini on brioche.
A perfect hoagie can be sublime. Smallwares chef Johanna Ware, a Chicago native, described it recently on our blog: "Thinly sliced turkey, mayo, shredded lettuce and some sort of bread that's gonna work with that…. There has to be crunch, there has to be salt, acid, and a balance between bread and meat."
The Station's #5—the number is scrawled on the masking tape that seals the wrapper—is pretty damned close to that Platonic ideal and only $5 for a 6-incher.
The magic is in the rolls, which are baked a block away at Beaverton Bakery. They've got a golden shell and a sweet, soft center, and are remarkably springy with loads of yeasty character. Shaved lettuce, a creamy slice of provolone and an admirably even layer of mayo complete the basic package.
Things get even better when you step up to the deluxe models, organized by the number of meats, with extra meats bumping up the price by a quarter. Try the #17, which turns the bread a little pink thanks to the seepage from layered-up salami, cotto salami, pepperoni and pastrami. I've been dreaming about it ever since, and Lardo's porkstrami did nothing to help.
Since not everyone wants three or four processed pork products for lunch, the Sub Station does have offerings like the Clancy ($5.75), with avocado, provolone, cheddar, sandwich veggies and your choice of turkey, ham or roast beef. The turkey Clancy is damned good, too—great spices, wonderful bread and every ingredient in every bite. Maybe you already knew that, maybe you didn't. Now you do.
- Order this: The #17.
EAT: Beaverton Sub Station, 12448 SW Broadway St., 641-7827, beavertonsubstation.com. 9 am-6 pm Mon.-Fri., 10 am-3 pm Sat.
WWeek 2015