Mr. Sandwich, Mrs. Muffin make a happy couple

When I heard a new sandwich place called Mr. Sandwich and Mrs. Muffin was opening in Portland, I knew I'd have to check it out. How could I not, with a name like that?

Honestly, I thought the new restaurant would be a bit too cutesy in decor, but it was not at all. Situated on Bramhall Square in the West End, just downhill from Maine Medical Center, Mr. Sandwich and Mrs. Muffin catches your attention, because the exterior of the restaurant is painted bright orange. The interior is much more toned down, with creams, wood tones and (here's the color exception) bright blue.

The restaurant has a homey feel, with a sink-into-the-cushions settee to sit on if you're waiting for an order and soft black chair drapes covering the chairs in the dining area. There is art of various types -- photographs, jewelry, stained glass hangings and more -- throughout the restaurant, which doubles as an artist's consignment shop.

When I got to Mr. Sandwich and Mrs. Muffin well after the lunch hour, there was only one person ahead of me waiting for an order. A couple of people came in after me, but everyone took their orders to go.

I wanted to stay to get a feel for the atmosphere of the place, so I selected a table for three in the dining area after I placed my order.

The restaurant's menu hangs above the kitchen/ordering counter. A selection of baked goods -- cookies and muffins, mostly -- were on and under the counter.

I ordered a Spicy Slammer Hammer sandwich, which was described on the menu as a ham baguette with pepper jack cheese, jalapeno and mayo dressing, lettuce and tomato for $6.95. Sandwiches come with chips and a pickle.

When I think of a baguette, I think of a crusty French bread, but the Slammer Hammer's bread was more of the type of roll you'd expect with a ham Italian (maybe they had run out of baguettes?). I thought the roll was fresh and tasted fine, but I was disappointed not to have the crunchy baguette. I also couldn't tell if there was jalapeno and mayo dressing (it seemed to be just mayo), but that may have been because of the strong taste of the pepperjack cheese. I really liked the kick of the cheese, because it jazzed up what amounted to a standard ham sandwich. I got chips, but no pickle.

I selected a homemade chocolate-chip cookie for dessert, which was fine. I almost ordered a slice of caramel cheesecake ($2.95), but didn't want to overeat. Other cheesecake options are blueberry, strawberry and chocolate drizzle.

Mr. Sandwich and Mrs. Muffin serves homemade breakfast items such as muffins and scones ($1.50), yogurt parfait ($1.50) and quiche by the slice ($1.50).

The lunch menu includes a soup of the day ($3.50 for a cup, $6.50 for a bowl; chowders are $5.50), a variety of salads ($3.50 to $5.50) and sandwiches.

You can build your own sub-roll sandwich or order from the named sandwiches on the menu. A build-your-own sandwich is $6.95.

Among the named sandwich selections on the menu are a grilled Southwest club with jalapeno and mayo dressing, whole grain bread, turkey, pepperjack cheese, red onion, avocado and alfalfa sprouts for $6.95; the Portlander with horseradish ranch dressing, red onion, roast beef, American cheese, tomato, cucumber and lettuce on a sub roll for $6.95; and the Greek sandwich with hummus, red peppers, cucumber, red onion, tomato, feta cheese, lettuce and olives on French bread for $5.95.

The Features staff of The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram anonymously samples meals for about $7.

Mr Sandwich and Mrs Muffin