Repeat Offenders

Rock Lobster is hilariously bad in a way that I recognized all of the 90s music playing and wondered if they bought their decor at a Hard Rock Cafe closing out auction. Still, one night a group of loosely assembled friends and strangers wandered into one of Toronto's Rock Lobsters for a drink, and I ordered a lobster roll. A mess of cold mayonnaise and colder lobster meat, I was hoping for something more warm and buttery. I can't believe the guest of the evening agreed to come here as she doesn't even like seafood, but maybe she knew that this place wasn't about the seafood.

Banh Mi Boys is continually disappointing for its bread. If they had even a little bit better of a bun, these concoctions would be ace. But here you can see the bread can't even hold up to it five spice pork belly, and that is a shame. I have yet to try their baos, but I may have to go into burgerland along Queen Street West as I am feeling dismayed.

Le Gourmand's savoury treats are hit and miss. Thinking I had found a solid in the ham and cheese, another go at the simple sandwich made me sick to my stomach. Literally.

And while I will continue to return to Avenue Diner, I am sad to report this toasted tuna on white will not be a repeat order anytime soon. As a side, I ordered the mashed potatoes, which reminded me too much of a hospital cafeteria.

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Bill Cosby, Shopsy's Deli, Toronto

I did not know Shopsy's was such a thing, but getting there around 11am before the financial district regulars came in for a hot lunch and protips, I sat down to the Bill Cosby sandwich (hot corned beef AND hot pastrami with swiss cheese) and hot damn if it wasn't one of the best damn (and hilarious) sandwiches I have ever eaten. Very moist, possibly improvised, and incredibly flavourful pastrami and corned beef, both of which are hard to find out West, the double decker treatment makes me wonder why it's not always this way. The usual smoked meat stack a la Montreal style is sometimes obscene, or simply not enough, but here, it's the right combination of meat slope to rye bread softness that made me wonder if I should work in the financial district, because if I did, I would certainly order this sandwich again with an extra pickle.

Hen's Deli, Milwaukee

My mini midwest tour continued to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a place known more for breweries and deep fried cheese curds, but my timing was fortuitously aligned with the recent opening of Hen's Deli . Located in the neigbhorhood of Walker's Point, in a former hole in the wall soup shop, Hen's began at the local farmer's market under the name Clark Street Sausage Co. Establishing a fan base with unusual items (for Milwaukee) such as ramen and a pork pastrami sandwich, their brick and mortar location offered a small, but mighty menu of established favorites along with some new offerings on rotation. I was on my way out of town as I learned about Hen's, which is unfortunate timing for me. Stopping in with some locals in the morning, we got several breakfast bagel sandwiches to go on the everything bagel with sausage. Without a doubt, their house made sausage patties served as the foundation that held it all together. Tucked on top was a slippery little muffin tin egg (...

Marché Hung Phat, Montréal,

I was suspicious when a vegetarian friend told me that Montréal did Vietnamese food better, and not just because she was vegetarian. I had tried first hand for myself years ago, and what I remember tasting was bland, watery, and a cruel joke. However, time moves on, and I am willing to try again, and I am glad I did. Taken a stroll up to Saint Denis, there was no shortage of banh mi options, but Carla B led me directly to Hung Phat, and being ravenous and greedy, we each ordered a tofu banh mi AND an order of salad rolls. Normally that combination should be no problem, but I was unfamiliar with the heft of Hung Phat's servings, which had a weight and density that did not compromise its deliciousness. A substantial sandwich if I ever saw one, I could barely finish the salad rolls, but of course I did. Carla B saved the rest of her sandwich for later and passed on the rolls, and I hope she does not mind me saying this publicly. Our early friendship may have been fo...

You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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