We fired up a car that was about to fall apart. We picked up bags, boxes, containers and trays from restaurants across town. We scammed our way into a basement of a friend with HDTV and sat down to the task at hand. We were in search of the greatest sub sandwich in Lincoln.

Most people have a favorite sub shop, so we tried to get as many place on board as possible. Fifteen purveyors of fine subs, hoagies or deli sandwiches participated in this showdown. Both small locl shops and large national chains decided to put forth their best product.

In the name of consistency, we asked each shop to provide their "Italian sub." Then we analyzed the subs using three categories: bread, construction and ingredients.

A sub might have all sorts of great toppings, but if they aren't assembled correctly, the taste can be diminished. If too much oil and vinegar are used, the toppings might slip right out onto that whitish, translucent wrapper in front of you. construction is how a sub shop keeps it all together.