Cheba Hut "Toasted Subs" is silly. Cheech and Chong posters on the wall, big paper mache blunts hanging from the ceiling that say "order here," and a menu that reads like an honor roll of marijuana varietals over the years.
Most of the sandwiches have been named after strains of marijuana such as the Panama Red (Grilled chicken breast smothered in marinara, then topped with parmesan and provolone cheese) and the Kush (a BLT).
Either that or, they are named after regions or slang associated with marijuana usage such as the Humbolt - why is this misspelled on their menu? (Guacamole, sprouts, lettuce, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers, pickles & your choice of cheese) or The Kind (Turkey, Swiss, bacon, and mushroom)
For the sake of full disclosure I should tell you that once upon a time two Arizona State University students named me "Sativa". Yes ladies and gentlemen that would be my mom and dad. For those of you who don't know, my name comes from cannabis sativa, the Latin word for marijuana.
I could go into what that little social experiment has been like, but I'll save that for another day. Suffice it to say that with a name like Sativa, it is with trepidation that I enter the "Cheba Hut".
Frankly - part of the curse of the name, I guess - I find drug culture a little embarrassing, especially when it's being used to sell me a sandwich. But I've got to say my Afghani (spicy turkey) really hit the spot while I chowed amidst the friendly stoner decor.
The dude behind the register very generously kept asking customers -- were they sure they didn't want a cup of water to go with their sandwich orders? Which was pretty conscientious of him I thought.
Also, I like that all the subs come in three sizes 4", 8" and 12" even if the names for these (nugs, pinners and blunts) are a bit dorky. Still the sandwich was fresh and came with choice of bread.
Of course I scanned the menu on the wall to see if my name was up there. It wasn't. When I asked the friendly cashier, "Hey why isn't there a sativa sandwich on the menu"? The server answered quite earnestly, "It's not a specific variety. It's more of a general, uh, broad ..." (then he made a hand gesture). Seriously he never finished the sentence.
So, not that anyone is asking, but if Cheba Hut did want to put a Sativa sandwich on the menu I'd go with: avocado, sprouts, cherry poppers, turkey breast, honey mustard, and pepper jack cheese -- toasted of course.
