Roasted turkey with basil pesto on artisan bread. Chicken salad wrap with pecans, grapes and apples. Mesquite-smoked brisket with melted cheddar and barbecue sauce. Chipotle grilled chicken on toasted sourdough.
   They sound like sandwiches you might find at a nice cafe. But you can get such sandwiches -- and some without even getting out of your car -- at local fast-food restaurants and sandwich shops that have been upgrading their offerings.
   At Wendy's locations (www. wendys.com), customers craving something other than a single, double or triple can choose from the chain's Frescata line of deli sandwiches like the aforementioned turkey and pesto with ingredients like basil pesto, black forest ham, Swiss cheese and romaine lettuce.
   Most of us know Arby's (www.arbys.com) for its roast beef sandwiches, but the chain also offers an expanded line of Market Fresh sandwiches and wraps (the aforementioned chicken salad included), such as a Southwest Chicken Wrap and Roast Turkey Ranch & Bacon Wrap and Reuben with corned beef or turkey.
   While locations of the quickie Quiznos (www. quiznos.com) sandwich chain (where they make the aforementioned brisket sandwich) don't typically have drive-through windows, they do have an ambitious menu of toasted sandwiches, including everything from the Prime Rib sandwich with mozzarella, sauteed onions and a peppercorn sauce to the Chicken Carbonara of chicken, bacon, mozzarella, mushrooms and alfredo sauce.
   Upscale sandwiches (like the aforementioned chipotle chicken) served on spongy sourdough bread are always just a quick drive-through away at one of the metro area's two Schlotzsky's (www. schlotzskys.com).
   Meaty melts are the specialty at Firehouse Subs (www.firehousesubs.com), where the sandwich names (Engine Company, Hook and Ladder, etc.) and decor are firefighter-fashioned and a huge collection of fiery hot sauces are available to heat up the generously sized and stuffed club, steak and meatball sandwiches.
   There are plenty of cold sandwiches to sample -- turkey, roast beef, tuna salad, etc. -- but it's the Philadelphia-style cheese steaks that separate Lenny's Sub Shop (www. lennyssubshop.com) from its competition.
   On the lighter side of sandwich chains is Subway (www.subway.com) where more than a half-dozen sandwich choices, like roast beef, ham and turkey, contain 6 or fewer fat grams. But for those not wishing to follow in the slimmed-down steps of Jared, the chain's spokesman who shed 235 pounds eating Subway, there are still heartier choices, like meatball.

This story was published Friday, August 04, 2006