Fried chicken thigh sandwich, This End Up, Toronto

So this fella here won some award or mention in Toronto for being the best new sandwich in town. As I was headed that way, I thought I'd poke my head in to see what all the fuss was about.

A familiar face stood behind the bar, and the staff and owners were generally very chatty and friendly. We do good food, is what they kept saying, so having just got off a plane and survived an evening nap, I went for the sandwich to go with the lot of bourbon.

The chicken thigh was moist and juicy, and the skin was crunchy, but I guess I was expecting a bit more seasoning. The shredded pickled carrots was a great touch, the roll could have been fresher, but I didn't leave a morsel left for inspection either way. I would be back for another, and I would order bacon to go with it, as that would have been just enough salt content to bring this sucker home. I made the bacon suggestion aloud, too, and hopefully, it was remembered.

Comments

Monty’s Bakehouse wrap, Air Canada

I’d rate this wrap as strange. Its packaging created expectations of a more appetizing experience, which it was not. After a vastly superior egg salad sandwich from London Heathrow, I could not greet this airplane freebie with serious interest, but at least it was hot, and at least I could review it for this blog. Steaming contents were oozy and largely undistinguishable, but suggested some kind of red pepper or sundried tomato origins.

Haloum Grille, Depanneur Le Pick Up, Montreal

A friend and I agreed the personality of the sandwich changes with each person who prepares it, and today we felt something was a little less than parfait with our Haloum Grille. Folks at Le Pick Up seemed stressed . The longest wait ever, and our lunches sat around too long. Temperature of the cheese is important to experiencing haloumi’s firm the texture and the release of its saltiness, and I prefer when it’s grilled directly before entering the sandwich. Creamy spicy slaw of red cabbage, carrot, and kale soothes the major crust burn associated with the crispy multigrain toast. Ideally it’s the bread that should be soft and the haloumi that gets to shine as the crispy grilled champ that it is. Nevertheless, we stayed for hours at the back picnic tables, chatted with the servers, overheard some drama about the evening closing procedure, broke a dish, and spilled a coffee. A good day.

Panini, Piazza Barberini, Rome

Having recently returned to Rome, I was quickly reminded that sometimes the most simple is the most delicious. By the third bite, this panini sandwich picked up from the Piazza Barberini neighbourhood interrupted my thoughts with " Good Lord, this sandwich is awesome !" Taking a photo so that I may remember for possible replication here at home, this sandwich was most straightforward: a very seedy fresh wholegrain bread, Italian salami, oven-roasted yellow bell pepper, soft mozzarella, and arugula. I'm seduced by the mystery of Italy, and how everything tasted so amazing there ... is it the freshness of the olive oil? Absolutely wonderful.

You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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