You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

  My go to fat man sandwich has been squarely placed onto the shoulders of Tony and Nick's Place .  I have worked my way down their meat-only menu from steak, veal, meatball, and now, sausage (I see now that there's a chicken option, a choice that I somehow never really seem to see or remember). A split sausage in a solid bun with marinara, I prefer my sausage sandwiches with a sauteed bitter green like a broccolini or turnip greens. Alas, the veal and meatball options remain tops, and I will try that chicken one day. Following a meeting in the vicinity one morning, I haven't visited Nonna's Place in over a year, and while I wasn't even that hungry, I had to order their veal. The first real breaded veal cutlet sandwich I have ever tried was at Nonna's, and while my loyalty has waned for some extensive field research, I return with a new found appreciation for what Nonna does right.  First, the marinara at Nonna's is the best. Hands down. Swee...

  Art Imitates Life Imitates Art   I was very rude and brought this sandwich into a meeting and did not share. How could I share? It was so messy and hot and delicious I could not share for lots of reasons. Here below is me trying to candidly take a photo of said sandwich during the meeting under the table. The heavy scent of marinara and fried meat was a lot to take, and I took it. Oh man, I can't wait until the next meeting!

1. Nick and Tony's Meatball Sandwich I ate two of these meatball sandwiches in one week it was so good.  I want to try them all. And I will. 2. Veal Sandwich, California Sandwich I wish I had put a pencil next to this sandwich to give a better sense of the size of this monster.  Each half was a two hander and I went through a stack of napkins the size of this loaf. It was so spicy and I had immediate heart burn and I liked it.  3. Veal Sandwich, San Francesco Foods I was less impressed with San Francesco.  Over sauced soggy bread. This was not finished. 

Wandering down to St. Lawrence Market Antique Market for the first time as I had only visited the farmer's market in the past, I didn't know what sort of food options would be available. I had come with expectations of a peameal or one of those crazy thick cut bacon sandwiches, but instead I went to the corner food vendor that resembles most kiosks of skating rinks and community centres, and ordered a veal on a bun with cheese. Made fresh to order, this sandwich was good. Real good. A juicy crisp slab of veal on a lightly toasted bun with the cheese still melting, it was an amazing snack to have as you wandered the aisles, which was not the most appetizing environment, but that clearly did not stop me.

This was my first time in St. Lawrence Market, and an echo in my mind told me there had good hot veal sandwiches up in that place. I walked around and around, and I am guessing I should have gone for the Carousel Bakery's tried and true pea meal bacon sandwich, but I'm not that Toronto yet. This hot veal sandwich came with more hot peppers than veal, but it had heat and I needed it after a boring art talk. The bun had a nice crust to it, but not as soft as I would have liked as the spice and crust burn ratio was high. Eating it outside on a shared picnic table, the East side is a foreign city compared to the West in conversation and dress, and in sandwich, too.

I don't know why I keep finding myself on Ossington, but I do, and passing through I stopped in at Venezia Bakery for a snack during my wander. At first just perusing, I saw that they offered a hot veal sandwich, with the veal not breaded and in a mixture of roasted peppers and onions. I ordered one up, along with a petite custard tart, and waited. The sandwich was finished off in the microwave, which is not a good sign, but it came on a fresh crusty bun, and I am a sucker for a fresh crusty bun. The flavour of the sandwich itself was more peppers than anything else. Moist and not too salty, I don't think I would get this number again, but I will gladly stop in to Venezia for one of the baked goods and enjoy the view.

Oh, Nonna's , I have been scheming my way to get back here, and fortuitously, I had a work meeting nearby, and suggested we meet at Nonna's before or after said meeting. Lucky for me, we just met at Nonna's first, and while I wanted what I knew before , I went with L'Originale, a veal cutlet with greens and balsamic vinegar. It was damn tasty, but a bit dry, especially compared to the ones served with marinara sauce. One of my peers was mawing down the meatball in marinara sauce, and if we were better acquainted, I would have dipped my sandwich into the pools of marinara left behind.

A stray photograph was found in my downloads folders as some necessary Fall clean up was underway, and lo and behold, a random shot of a half assorted deli from Spolumbo' s and a plate of pickles! This was sent in from my friend Sarah, who I shared this sandwich with, and who I gave all the extra pickles to, as I believe I ate my half in the car on the way to the airport. Another Spolumbo's sandwich was eaten, the hot veal parmigiana, on the same trip to Calgary, but that photo along with other delicious sandwich photos was lost when my phone got soaked in Barton Springs this summer. Thanks, Sarah!

 It was during my last trip to Toronto where I noticed deli signs glowing the mysterious and alluring siren call of a "Hot Veal Sandwich." I was a passenger in a car when I first noticed this, and the driver suggested the markets, which I take it to the St. Lawrence Markets, but that sounded high end, and I wanted the real deal. This last time out, I was wandering the long way towards a studio visit near the chocolate factory, and came across Nonna's Place on Bloor. Mildly starving and sleep deprived, I walked in to a pretty good vibe of a table full of construction workers mawing down their sandwiches. Ordering the hot veal sandwich with mushrooms and onions, I sat down with my San Pellegrino aranciata and waited.   I did not know that I was about to eat the sandwich of my dreams right here, right now. A perfectly tender and juicy hot breaded veal cutlet slathered in marinara sauce with the requested mushrooms and onions sat between a perfect crusty bun. This i...