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The Steak & Everything sandwich with fries and a strawberry milkshake available at The Steak & Everything Grill on Center Street in Provo Monday April 19, 2010. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald

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The Fish and Chips at The Steak & Everything Grill on Center Street in Provo Monday April 19, 2010. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald

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As Utah County’s main traffic artery is torn up over the next few years, you may be forced to notice that there is civilization west of Interstate 15.

And we can think of no better reason to be on that side of the freeway than to be visiting the Steak and Everything Grill, or maybe it’s called the Great Steak Sandwich Co. (The restaurant’s outdoor signage and its menu can’t agree on anything.) Whatever the title, this sandwich shop specializes in cheesesteak sandwiches, burgers, fries and the like.

There’s a homey familiarity to the place, as there is to many neighborhood burger joints. There are a couple of rows of tables, perhaps built back when people were smaller, and there’s one teenager taking everyone’s order, bringing it out and ringing them up. (We assume there are more hands on deck during a weekday lunch rush than during our visit one Saturday evening, but it sort of completed the small-time feel.)

You’ll pay about $7 for a combo meal including a sandwich, fries and a drink, but it’s more food than you’d get at, say, Wendy’s, and there’s more character, too. The Big Daddy Burger tops a quarter-pound of beef with grilled mushrooms, bacon, ham(!), American and provolone cheeses, plus a swirl of barbecue sauce for good measure. Creative, yes, and a little overwhelming at first, but everything came together nicely and we had a hard time leaving the Big Daddy alone.

The steak sandwiches are nice, too, being served on big, soft sourdough buns. The peppered steak is sliced thin and is not dripping with grease like on some cheesesteaks. The Steak & Everything sandwich is made with mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes and melted cheese. It’s big enough that, if you finish your fries, you might be able to save half the sandwich for later.

We also tried the Turkey Bacon Avocado Melt, which was a new twist on the familiar turkey-bacon-avocado combination. The sandwich was grilled and had American cheese inside, which we thought didn’t get along so well with the avocado. Maybe provolone or no cheese would be better?

If there are any of “those” people in your group, there’s a “Healthy Sandwiches” portion of the menu, where you can even buy a veggie sandwich. But we suspect the deliciously seasoned fries and the promise of a blackberry shake for the road will be enough to steer you clear.