Dining out: Jo to Go

TOOELE — Two major things are good about Jo to Go — the managers of this amiable Tooele eatery aren't trying to do too much, and they're doing a good job at what they do.

On our way out to a rodeo in Rush Valley, we stopped at Jo to Go for lunch to go for a whole crowd of people.

I wouldn't mind going back sometime and hanging out for a little longer, however; this is a nice place to relax, with latte-colored walls hung with coffee-related art (and even a couple of coffee-bean burlap bags), a stack of board games for customers and just about every permutation of coffee or frozen-smoothie drink you can imagine.

We got a bunch of sandwiches, ordering from the "make-your-own" side of the menu rather than the ready-made side, which offers such classics as Philly cheesesteaks and Reubens. As at many deli-type restaurants, the overstuffed whole sandwich at Jo to Go is enough for two people, unless one of them is very, very hungry.

When faced with a long list of sandwich possibilities, I tend to freeze up when ordering for myself, but in keeping with my know-it-all personality, I always know just what other people would like. So I had a good time mixing and matching toppings when placing my order at Jo to Go.

For my mom, I got tuna and Swiss on a fragrant, if slightly dry, marble rye with mayo, red onions, sprouts, avocado and lettuce. The tuna wasn't albacore or anything fancy; just regular canned tuna lightly dressed and generously spread on the sandwich. Every veggie tasted fresh. The sandwich was big enough for my mom and brother to share.

For my husband, whose tastes run along different lines, I ordered turkey and ham on a nice, chewy sourdough bread with provolone cheese, bacon, mayo and lettuce. The meats and cheese were thickly sliced and flavorful, and the bacon was thick-cut and crisp.

As for me, I enjoyed a half-sandwich of roast beef (again, juicy and sliced thick) with aged cheddar cheese, pickles, mustard and tomatoes on wheat bread.

With our meals we had chicken-tortilla soup with strong hints of smoky cumin, a serviceable (if bland) macaroni salad, green salad with Italian dressing and simple fruit salad that was a particular hit with the younger members of our party.

Speaking of the kids, they had grilled-cheese, grilled-ham-and-cheese, and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches on Texas toast-type bread. Even here, Jo to Go took a little extra trouble, grilling the ham before putting it on the sandwich for that little bit of extra flavor.

For dessert, we all shared generous slices of carrot cake with drippy cream-cheese icing, mellow red-velvet cake and (my favorite) German chocolate cake, plus delicious, crumbly triangle-shaped lemon-and-cranberry sugar cookies, and big, sweet and chewy chocolate-chip cookies.

Breakfast 50 cents-$3.25, soups and salads $1.50-$4, sandwiches $4.50-$6.95, dessert $1-$3.25.

Jo to Go

Rating: ** 1/2

Where: 1183 N. Main, Tooele

Hours: Monday-Friday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.

Saturday 5 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

Payment: Major credit cards accepted

Phone: 435-843-8585

Wheelchair access: Easy

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Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret Morning News. E-mail: skratz@desnews.com