I have made frequent visits to DiBella's Subs in the McCandless Crossing shopping plaza, and usually, it has been a good to average experience. Recently though, my expectations were not met; however, this was with a salad - not any particular type of sub. So maybe it is not fair to harp on their salads. 

On the whole, I believe the food is satisfactory but not particularly remarkable. It's not terrible but it also isn't worth its price for the quality you get. Of course, cold deli subs may be their exception that proves the review. I once ordered an Uncle Louie—their signature roast beef, turkey, and ham sandwich—and found it quite enjoyable and satisfying; the same could be said about The Godfather, Genoa salami, capicola, and spicy ham. Those are the sandwiches they do well. 

However, the salad I was served last time left me disappointed. When I asked if they could please make a Philly Cheesesteak as a salad, to my dismay I was told that it's only possible if you order a garden salad and add your choice of protein. Although understandable, what ended up arriving at my table just didn't hit the mark for me.

I was expecting a tasty steaming sloppy pile of velvety cheese, and juicy steak served atop a bed of crisp lettuce. Instead, what I got seemed to be an unimpressive 'garden salad' that had little-to-no cheese and the meat, isolated on a bed of lettuce, underwhelmed. The steak topping they used in this dish tasted similar to a frozen Steak-umm. With few quality ingredients; the salad, as a whole, is comparable to something you'd find at Wendy's. 

All right, I won't criticize them for their salads (but I just did, I know). That's not quite something they specialize in after all. But admittedly, the hot subs I've had there aren't far superior to those you would find at Subway. Regrettably, my next salad might just be from Subway instead. That's not so bad, is it? After all, I like Subway. So if DiBella's is tantamount to Subway what's the big deal? The answer is that Subway is far cheaper. 

Perhaps I have damned DiBella's with praise comparing it to a glorified Subway. Despite all of this, I am well aware of people who swear by DiBella's. As far as I'm concerned though, the only swear words that came out of my mouth that day I ordered a salad were directed at it and not by it.  

Agree? Disagree? Tell Scratch why he is right or wrong. Leave your comments below.