Place: Arby's
Item: Market Fresh Turkey Ranch and Bacon sandwich
Price: $4.79

Arby's is still trying to shake its old motto, “America's Roast Beef, Yes Sir.” (Trivia tidbit: The name is actually based on the initials of “Raffel Brothers,” the 1964 founders.) Yeah, the 3,000 Arby's do serve mounds of beef between two buns, but they've diversified into salads, subs and chicken.

The latest menu change is the most promising yet: the Market Fresh line of deli-style sandwiches. We passed on the beef to try the Roast Turkey Ranch and Bacon offering and see if Arby's now stands for “Awesome Real Beautiful Yowza Sandwiches.”

Tom: When I make a sandwich, I cut two thick slices of hearty bread and heap on too much turkey. Then I lay on thin slices of red onions, a full leaf of romaine lettuce, a juicy tomato and maybe a couple strips of crispy bacon. If I'm feeling decadent, I top it off with a little mayonnaise or ranch dressing. The resulting masterpiece should be so thick that your hands have to stretch a little just to hold it.

touch this. The 1/4-inch thick nutty oat has a fresh- baked softness. And that 3/4 inches of turkey makes good on Arby's promise of “Oven Fresh, Oven Good.” I've eaten the processed turkey-flavored tissue paper at Subway far too long. These were substantial slices cut right from the breast. Overall, this ranked as the fifth best sandwich I've had anywhere on this earth.

Tom: Fifth best? That might be a stretch. Fifth most fattening, certainly. This thing has the calories and fat of two Quarter Pounders! The upside is a half-sandwich fills you up.

Chris: The ranch dressing and bacon may cost me plenty in cellulite, but I'm going to run the table on the Market Fresh line (the Turkey Swiss is just as good). If that means I have to have a Slim Fast shake for dinner every night and keep my Speedo in the closet, so be it.

Ratings: 5 sporks (out of 5)

E-mail The Lunch Guys:
tomandchris@thelunchguys.com

Arby's must have read my mind -- and my stomach -- when they created these Market Fresh sandwiches. While the Turkey Ranch is no diet plate, it redefines not only what the Arby's kitchen can produce, but what all national chains should be capable of. What amazed me was the quality of each ingredient. The two hunks of honey wheat bread was subtly hearty. Turkey -- at least a 1/4 pound of it -- tasted like the day after Thanks-giving. The peppery bacon would make Porky Pig weep with envy. Add in the full leaf lettuce and onions, and this is as good a sandwich as I make at home, if not better.

Chris: Let me first admit I go to my dentist more often than I go to Arby's. When I think of Arby's, I see lukewarm beef slices and cheese goo. Then I unwrapped this picture-perfect turkey sandwich that unbelievably looks better in person than it does in the ads. Arby's, I'm a believer.