For me, lunch is a humble meal. Often with more importance placed on convenience than elegance or panache.

This does not mean that I do not seek to enjoy my lunches. It just means that sometimes all I require is a salad, or a soup, or a sandwich.

Deli-style accompaniments have become synonymous with the mid-day meal we know as lunch.

For me, the crown jewel of a blue-collar lunch is the humble, but rarely disappointing, sandwich.

Oh, it is amazing what two slices of bread can do to elevate the ingredients in between them.

Recently, I visited a place that encapsulates what it means to be a good lunch stop: Annie’s Lunch Counter in Federal Way. A small kitchen paired with, and almost hidden within, the new Twin Lakes location of Jump Start Espresso.

When I first arrived at what appeared to be a drive-thru coffee shop, I wondered if the venue would have adequate sandwich-making facilities. I learned that not only did they make the sandwiches there, they were very quick at it.

The menu includes a variety of classic hot and cold sandwiches including BLTs, French dip sandwiches, Reubens, an avocado and cucumber veggie sandwich, and rotating specials.

They also have soups such as Tuscan white bean, split pea with ham, chicken noodle, creamy turkey and mushroom beef stroganoff.

The day I went they were also offering avocado toast with various optional toppings from onions to hard-boiled eggs.

I ordered a half of the turkey cranberry sandwich, which includes cream cheese and cranberry sauce, reminiscent of a sandwich one might make using Thanksgiving leftovers on Black Friday. I also got a cup of the creamy turkey soup as part of a lunch special deal.

The food was fresh, the employees were extremely nice and helpful, and I look forward to my next lunch on-the-go there.

Two locations for Annie’s Lunch Counter in Federal Way are open select days and hours at 27404 Pacific Highway South and at 3440 SW 320th Street in Twin Lakes.