Yesterday, my husband and I were in the mood to get a sandwich for lunch, and didn't want to go downtown. I looked on Google, and a place called Ready Made Dinners looked like it had potential... but what was up with the name?
Well, as it turns out, the place is actually called Ollin Cafe. Reading the menu, it's the baby of Chef Alex from Ready Made Dinners and the founders of Ollin Coffee. (I'm just explaining the confusion was with the name on Yelp. I hate it when reviews sound like a paid advertisement (I immediately ignore those), but I wanted to clarify that this is the same place as RMD.)
The Cafe is in an unassuming strip mall on Tudor and Lake Otis, with a clean interior, plenty of tables to eat it, a good sound system playing music, and a TV over a fireplace in the corner with couches to lounge by. The girl at the counter was friendly and attentive, and helped us with our order. I decided to try the Super BLT, and my husband got the Cuban. We ordered and sat at a table by the window. There was a drink refrigerator nearby, and we were happy to see that they had aloe juice, so we got a bottle of that, as well.
When our sandwiches arrived, I was happy to see that not only were the sandwiches grilled, but also brushed with butter - what?! On the side of both sandwiches were some chips drizzled with a sauce. My husband immediately commented on how AK Alchemist can't be bothered to add any sauce on their fish tacos, yet this place took the time to create a sauce for their chips. The chips and sauce were quite good, by the way.
My Super BLT - the French bread was soft, light, and fresh, Toasted/grilled with brushed on butter - wow! The interior - fresh lettuce, tomator and red onion, with perfectly cooked bacon, plus homemade dressing and mayo. Incredible. This was the BEST BLT I've ever had. Period.
My husband's Cuban - carnitas perfectly cooked on banana leaves, ham, bacon, jalapenos, provolone, avocado, special sauce, and dijon mustard. Also on grilled french bread, nicely brushed with butter. Wow, so good! To quote my husband, "This is the first place in Anchorage we've been to that I would give 5 stars!"
The chef came out to check on us and ask us how everything was. I didn't hesitate to say, "Excellent!", and he knew I meant it.
Forget Brown Bag, forget Urban Greens. This is the best sandwich place in Anchorage. Incredible. We will definitely be back, and I will be using them to cater at work. Go. Now!