Daren writes in…

Looks open now, tables and umbrellas are out. Guy sweeping up tells me 3[pm].

Terry Michel wrote a similar report on Twitter.

Wow.  That was fast!

A reader writes in…

Some scoop on the “Jimmy Johns” space next to Alexia Gallery on W. Ponce de Leon. There’s a large dumpster outside and they are doing what looks to be electrical work inside. Door is wide open. The workers said it was indeed a Jimmy Johns and it should be open within 2 months.

In case you don’t know what a Jimmy John’s is, here’s the link!

I’ve received two reports in the last forty-eight hours that the little Roly Poly building on the edge of the cemetery at 811 Church Street has finally been vacated.

We’ve been anticipating this since August 2008, when the city purchased the building so it could be razed to increase the width of the cemetery’s Church Street entrance.

The only question remaining is whether Roly Poly will reopen elsewhere.  Lyn Menne reports that last she heard they wouldn’t.  However, a note on the Roly Poly website states “Relocating. Reopening Feb 2010″.

Only time will tell!

I had heard about this new sandwich (and more) shop going in below Eddie’s Attic about a week ago, but was looking for a little more info before posting.

This morning Billy sends in a pic of a sign in the window and that’s good enough for me!  After a closer inspection I can tell you that tomatoes, pickles, olives and lettuce will all make appearances on the menu.

But seriously, I’ve heard that this is a sandwich, salad and smoothie sorta joint.  And heaven knows I’m always up for a sandwich…I mean “sammwich”.  Also, it’s great to see the old Little Shop/Jake’s space back in play, since it’s the only first floor retail on that side of the Square.

I can’t say that I’ve “eaten my way around Atlanta”.  Heck, I can’t even say that I’ve “eaten my way around Decatur”, what with my penchant for frugality and my fine-I’ll-do-it-myself desire to bake my own bread.  But I do eat my fair share of sandwiches.

And with that pointless background, I give you the backstory.  This weekend, for the first time in a few months, my wife and I journeyed to Alon’s (Morningside, not Perimeter) for a sandwich and a fashionable, carbonated beverage (btw, they sell Coke made with sugar there!).  And while I’ve always enjoyed Alon’s sandwiches, this particular one was noticeably lacking.  The roast beef was minimal, fatty, and as rare as a budget deficit.

Having lived within walking distance of this Alon’s for an entire year prior to my Decatur indoctrination, I know they can do better.  But this latest disappointing effort got me comparing this Alon’s sandwich to the many consistently excellent Sawicki’s sandwiches I’ve enjoyed recently; the roast beef, the shrimp po-boy, the turkey with avocado.

And I wondered, where can one purchase the best sandwich in Atlanta?

An elusive question no doubt.  Eliminating every place that doesn’t use freshly baked bread is probably a good start.  Within Decatur, I’ve eaten my personal favorites at Sawicki’s and Duck’s.  But how do these two places stack-up to the rest of Atlanta?