Mike Dailey brings in local acts to entertain the crowd at Jack's Subs on East Main Street in Radford.

- Photos by Charlie Whitescarver, special to The Burgs

Mike Dailey went out on a limb last year and opened a sub shop in Radford amidst all the competition from chains and franchises. He is proud that Jack's, which is named after his dog, is privately owned and operated. We knew he loved that dog when we saw large photos of the cute Jack Russell Terrier adorning the walls.

We felt comfortable entering the narrow restaurant on East Main Street in Radford in spite of the fact that it was packed with people. An acoustic jam session with a half-dozen spirited musicians entertained the house during our visit. The place is clean and bright with more than 70 photos of Radford sports figures from past and present lining the wall. Dailey goes all out to let you know this is a local place.

With just 10 subs ($4.99) and two salads (chef and grilled chicken, $5.49) on the menu, we thought it might be easy to pick a meal. But the tempting choices caused us to read the menu carefully. Customers can order subs on white bread, honey wheat bread, or wrapped in a lettuce leaf. The bread is baked in the shop, and sandwiches are made to order -just peek over the counter and watch.

If you don't choose your toppings, you will just get lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. So speak up if you want onions, olives, cucumbers, green peppers, banana peppers, mustard, oil and vinegar, or any of the other accoutrements. Your sub can also be toasted.

We have eaten many subs from a variety of places, so we know the first bite sets the tone for the rest of the sandwich. It was with great joy that we found our first bites revealed soft, fresh bread. The sub rolls are about 8 inches long, and each sub we tasted over the course of our visits had fresh, delicious bread from stem to stern. The honey wheat is particularly special with that hint of sweetness setting the sandwich apart from the pack.

The turkey sub features "Thanksgiving-quality" turkey. It is really deli-style, but good quality. The Virginia ham sub features a truly good ham that pairs well with the honey wheat bread.

The price of $4.99 makes the Italian explosion a real bargain. Salami, capicola, peppercorn ham with Swiss or provolone cheese, and all the toppings, make this a gourmand's delight.

Jack's makes their chicken salad and tuna salad in house. The tuna salad, which is Dailey's grandmother's recipe, has a sweet character. His grandmother knew a thing or two about tuna salad. The chicken salad is infused with cranberries and is also worth a try.

If you have a few days before your next cholesterol screening, you can go for the bacon, a little more bacon, and some more bacon sub. This is essentially a big BLT.

New to the menu, and added by popular demand, are a meatball marinara sub and a Philly cheesesteak sub. At Jack's, the menu may change based on customer opinion and demand.

If a sub is not quite enough, you can add a bag of chips or the soup of the day, and kids can order half-subs, including bologna or peanut butter, with a small drink for $3.99.

For a quick sub, you couldn't ask for a better place than Jack's. Radford should be proud.