You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

This may tip off another round of an ongoing debate here at You Say Sandwich , but I am throwing my endorsement behind this plate of heaven as the Best Sandwich of 2010. It may not even qualify as a sandwich for some, but put together Dauphin cheese, sun-dried strawberry jam and jowl bacon on a wee crostini and the arguing of semantics will cease. This bacon comes from a locally-raised pig's cheek and is then fried to perfection. Unlike other favourite bits of pork, jowl bacon melts like chocolate on the tongue, hitting the soft creamy cheese with a little salty depth. The chef at http://www.farm-restaurant.com/ even dished us up another plate of the sublime little piggy bites after the last course of 2010 was done and the kitchen was in cleanup mode. Have bacon for dessert and an extra walk around the block. New Year's resolutions start tomorrow anyways. -Young Elvis

Lord help me with my love for breakfast sandwiches. I was rushing off to a morning meeting, but I needed to eat a breakfast sandwich from Stella's before the day ran away from me. Ordering it to go, and just packing up the potatoes, I sat on Osborne St. wolfing down their delicious breakie sammie. A freshly fried egg, on ham or bacon, with cheese, on perfect sourdough. This sandwich was not pressed, but assembled, which is rare in the land of good breakfast sandwiches, that often reheat pre-made eggs, which is possibly the worst idea ever. Oh, Stella's, until we meet again.

I was dining across the street at Sergovia tapas bar when I was discussing with a foodie friend the possibilities of sandwiches nearby. We were feasting on Iberico de Bellota and so we had a lot to chew and muse upon. We asked our server what her favorite sandwich was and she said it was the roast chicken sandwich right across the street at Stella's. How convenient. A roast chicken sandwich is nothing to sneeze about, but when done right, it is nourishing and comforting all at once. Now there is a difference between a rotisserie and a roast chicken sandwich, the former is juicier, but the latter has a home cooking feeling. You decide. With a dab of homemade cranberry on homemade bread, paired with a nutty ceasar salad, this chicken sandwich was pretty damn tasty. And cheap! Oh, Winnipeg, how you steal my heart. Stella's Cafe and Bakery

I was running between a conference at the Fort and a screening a few blocks away, and knackered, I tucked into the bar and tucked into a lox sandwich and salad. I was recommended to try their sandwiches, but only after the fact, was I informed that the lox sandwich was actually the worst of the bunch. Subpar at best, as you can see, the bread was pretty boring white bread and filled you up in lieu of anything substantial in between. Washing it all down with a small bottle of prosecco, I realized the meal was very unsatisfying after I felt pretty tipsy on two glasses. It also doesn't help that the bartender was an asshole, but that is really neither here nor there. Definitely a shameful experience all around.

I've been to Winnipeg twice and I've stopped into the White Star Diner twice. Nestled within the Exchange District, White Star Diner serves up a pulled pork sandwich that satisfies. The key to their success may be in their coleslaw, that goes RIGHT INTO THE SANDWICH, which as both texture, temperature, and flavour, provides a great balance to the meaty bites of pulled pork heaped onto a fresh bun. Going for the double oink, the slices of thick cut bacon on the mounds of sweet and savoury pork was absolutely heavenly. I thought it would be too much, but of course excess has never stopped me, and yet, it wasn't too much. Scaling back the pork for the other pork, the double oink gets my vote! The nice couple next to me, who I actually knew from another town, were mauwing down the hamburgers, which is something I will have to try next time, because their recommendation, or rather, their insistence that I visit the Manitoba Museum was solid gold, and if the museum is even a frac...

Of all the sandwiches on their extensive menu , why did I pick the Roasted Vegetables? Walking past Reggie's on King St just before noon, I popped my head in to see what was on the chalk board. I wasn't even really that hungry, but I knew I had a long day ahead of me and I still haven't met a sandwich I can say 'No' to. The table in front of me was devouring a selection of sandwiches, and so after ordering and turning down a free sample of their inhouse carrot cake, I sat down awaiting my own basket of roasted veggies. The sandwich was a mouthful of perfectly grilled zucchini and red peppers, a bit heavy on the eggplant, but the real gold here was the tomato pesto against the good crisp bread. If I had only know the bread was this good, I would have gone for the grilled cheese filled with aged cheddar. Alas, by the time I finished this beast, the place was crawling with suits, and I'm not really sure if this place was really my sort of digs. I must confess: I on...

Carla B first introduced me to Coco Rico's on St. Laurent. When I returned by myself this last time out, I went plain and simple for the rotisserie chicken sandwich, spiced and sauced in a crusty Portuguese bun. There's something about sitting at the counter staring into the mirror and watching yourself eat a chicken sandwich. It's like you get to enjoy the sandwich twice, and it is surprising how filling one of those sandwiches really are. If I ever learn French, I will learn to ask for "extra sauce".

Home made grilled cheese sandwiches are the best. A meeting between J.D. and Young Elvis resulted in some gourmet grilled cheeses loaded with homemade sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, feta, gouda, and all sorts of other good things. Keeping some good sandwich buns, sort of a cross between a Portuguese water bread and a foccacia loaf, Young E cut it up vertically into crostini fingerlinks and fried them up good in butter before loading 'er up. Two different types of sandwiches were presented, and I personally liked the one with feta and sundried tomatoes the most, as the salty sharpness fried up is nothing short of brilliance and a fine substitute for haloumi, which makes the best cheese sandwiches ever and a favorite between us for sure. Served with a side of spicy olives and homemade pickles, and a cup of homemade carrot soup, it was the perfect meal after a long day of travel as the fog rolled in all around us.

When my friend said we were going to a sandwich place inspired by Wilco, I didn't quite expect this. A very homey down to earth shop, they were playing Wilco (of course), and a long list of sandwiches named after Wilco songs were available plain or grilled. My companion had been craving the One Wing sandwich, which is basically turkey, cranberry, and stuffing between cranberry bread. I had a bite, and the stuffing was pretty damn good. I went for the How To Fight Loneliness sandwich, which was mostly just bacon and apple, with a custom replacement of turkey instead of chicken. It also had a hint of dijon, which was not entirely necessary, but it's kitschy gourmet stylings was a nice touch. The most surprising part was how simple it all was. Get your sandwich grilled, otherwise the bread may be disappointing. Definitely nothing special going on here, but the concept seems to be working for them. It wasn't busy when we stopped by, and the guy behind the counter was more tha...

A sucker for rotisserie chicken sandwiches, I wandered into the original George's Deli and BBQ on Bathurst, just a block up from Honest Ed's, and had one helluva chicken sandwich and fries. Perfectly roasted chicken overflowing a real good sandwich bun, this is the real deal served with a wing tip and the tastiest fries and home made gravy I've had in recent memory. Thanks, George!

Airport food is always questionable. Going for the fresh deli approach, Upper Crust offered an array of fresh looking sandwiches on full display, certainly a different strategy than the nearby Swiss Chalet and Pizza Pizza. Choosing an egg salad sandwich on a whole wheat baguette, the sandwich looked promising with a nice bed of leafy greens rippling through and a fresh looking batch of creamy egg salad. Too bad it was completely bland. In its strive to be fresh, they forget to season it. A little salt and pepper would have gone the distance in making this sandwich fantastic, as the bread was fresh and the veggies crisp. Nothing sinks an egg salad sandwich faster than flavourless eggs, as let's face it, it's already sort of gross on its own. Season your sandwiches!

I am one of maybe three Canadians who doesn't share in the love of Tim Horton's. But finding myself at the airport one very early morning, the prospect of an airplane sandwich made me lineup with the rest of the Timmy Ho zombies for a breakfast sandwich. Cultivating a life long love of the Egg McMuffin, I was skeptical of the introduction of the new english muffin option at Tim's. A basic egg and cheese was nice and greasy, not as greasy as the beloved McMuffin, but sticks to your gut just the same. But there's no challenge to the original. If it came down to this one or that one, the McMuffin would still win, hands down.

Driving through Saskatoon, the stop made on the way was at the soon-t0-be moved Mendel Art Gallery. Nestled in the beautiful river valley, we stopped in at the Gallery Cafe for a bite to eat, and a soup and sandwich combo was really the only option. A tasty tomato cream soup was basic and classic, and I had the Italian panini which unfortunately had a thick spread of tomato paste between the mozza and cold cuts. Otherwise, it would have been perfectly delicious, or maybe a simple replacement of vegetable spread would have done the trick. On our way back, we stopped on Broadway and checked out the Diner. I call it "the" diner because it's the oldest one, with a full on Elvis shrine, which of course is important to this blog. I had the daily special of pulled pork with a salad, which seems like a contradiction, but I couldn't stomach another plate of greasy fries. The sandwich filling was surprisingly good, probably because it was saturated with sugar, and the bread was...

Standing no bigger than a service counter in a storefront, Elm Cafe in downtown Edmonton always feel busy, even if it's just the two people behind the counter. Serving pretty good coffee, the draw has been their extensive sandwich list, from morning to noon specials and even muffulettas . Now they've been boasting that they serve the best sandwich in town, and so naturally I had to check this out. Stopping one bright and early a.m. for a morning sandwich, the special that day was free run organic egg and with brie and herbs. Served on a sizable whole wheat baguette that was a bit dry, there was something missing from each bite that prevented this sandwich from being awesome. Was it seasoning? Perhaps. The egg mixture was a bit bland, and could have really benefited from some colour and flavour from some roasted vegetables or anything not in the white to beige spectrum. My companion had a more colourful salami and pesto sandwich, which was perhaps too early for me to enjoy (desp...

Confession: I just devoured another mouth watering baguette from Finch's in Vancouver. Finch's is one of the top places that came to mind when we started this blog, but I've eaten there twice since we started and have still yet to capture a photo as the second I get that sandwich there is only one thing on my mind, and it's not stopping to snap a shot. Here is a link to their menu . Nothing more needs to be said.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Naturally, breakfast sandwiches are items of lust and intrigue. A sampling of recent breakfast sandwiches are as follows: A ll Day Breakfast Sandwich from Wild Flour , Banff Often the first thing I eat when I arrive and often the last thing consumed before I leave this mountain town again, this breakfast sandwich from Wild Flour haunts me in a similar way to the vivid dreams I dream in Banff. A savory, fluffy frittata with specks of green onion and bell peppers, stacked with a slice of monterey cheddar cheese (If I am recalling correctly), always adding the optional strips of sliced bacon, all this goodness pressed between baked on-site sourdough, and melted into a delectably crispy and oozy and warm bite of morning goodness. There is absolutely nothing more perfect than that first corner bite, as the waiting time for this sandwich can be close to ten of the longest minutes of your life. Italian surprise Breakfast Sandwich, Leva Cafe , Edmonton...

Of love, wonder & old-fashioned weirdness: fuck yeah condiments will brighten your day, and immediately instigate your curiosity. Condiments from all over the world are on display here, and will perhaps have you likewise asking yourself "Hmm, what would those pickle juice popsicles taste like?!" - Carla B.

There was a brief period in my early 20s when I seriously considered and attempted vegetarianism. For someone who grew up eating at least three different types of animal protein on any given day, this was a major feat, and I lasted for almost a month. Only, driving along downtown one afternoon, I had a sudden craving for a Vietnamese sandwich, assorted meats, from Van Loc. The warm crusty French bread, cradling pork liver pate, head cheese and other assorted cold cuts, sliced pickled carrots, fresh cilantro, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and a butter possibly mayonnaise concoction, made me realize I couldn't give up eating meats! I specify that it's not meat, but meats. This sandwich is the embodiment of everything I love about meats. Van Loc (10648 98 Street, Edmonton)

Young Elvis says: careful with this one folks, you know the taller the sandwich the worse the crust burn.

My mother is a champion sandwich maker. Every work night, she begins an assembly line of sandwiches for the other workers in our family, rolling out all the ingredients, putting them all together and packing them up in neat little packages. Many of the fixins, my mother makes from scratch. They used to be peanut butter and homemade jam. The jam came forth in huge batches every summer, measured, simmered and poured into glistening jars enough to fill sandwiches all year long. Then came the Dutch chocolate confections disguised as sandwiches that we used to get teased for eating. Now, the first tender sprigs of lettuce grown in her garden rows will make their way into turkey, bacon, lettuce and havarti sandwiches to feed tough guys who get their hands dirty. Then stop for lunch to praise the woman who grows enough lettuce to feed this army. -Happy Mother’s Day with love from Young Elvis Mum with a baguette cut in half, ready to make a massive sandwich

Sandwiches at BUNK are announced by a long, hand-scrawled chalkboard menu, and an even longer lineup outside the door. During lunch-hour, it stretches down the block. The place is loud, crowded, air almost thick with the grease of frying meat, and the sandwiches are messy. Good thing they come on trays lined with butcher paper to catch all the fillings dripping, falling and squishing out the sides of the overstuffed snacks. 621 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR At BUNK I give the thumbs up while Mack MacFarland of PNCA tries to get out of the shot, the Italian cured meats sandwich, the roast poblano chile and pinto bean sandwich and mini Mexico flag with a side of apple coleslaw that did me in at BUNK. -Young Elvis

The best sandwich shops in Portland seem to be under the loving and enthusiastic jurisdiction of the city’s old punk rockers. Of the three sandwich holes I visited, the ethic of each was DIY, unpretentious, and like all Portland food destinations, adored and raved about by all. They each serve up our favourite snack in a different way, with an intensity and a specificity that inspires Portlanders to trek across town for. Meat Cheese Bread offers the most up-turkey sandwiches of all the spots we surveyed, with special additions to the menu like a fine selection of sodas and microbrews, handcrafted chocolates and desert! For lunch! The bright, sunny windows are filled with kids, hipsters and sandwich-seekers of all sorts. 1406 SE Stark St, Portland, OR - - Meat Cheese Bread enthusiasts Namita Wiggers, Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, and daughter Leila, BLB (bacon, lettuce n' beet), Leila and Calder biting the roasted turkey, havarti and bacon. -Young Elvis

I've been consistent. Every single time I venture to la belle ville, within an hour of arrival, I find myself sitting at the Schwartz's counter on St. Laurent, taking in the aromatic brisket piled high before me and salivating at the thought of that brisket between perfect slices of rye bread with a pickle, and maybe a bit of slaw, fries. Having your choice of lean, medium, and fat, I went down the middle road as usual and it's always the most satisfying bite of a sandwich. The mounds of meat just melt away between a bread that does not go soft, having the picture perfect balance of moisture. The trick to eating this is to keep it all together, so minimal handling is required and I recommend not even putting the thing down as it's all downhill from there. Sidenote: Now a man who loves meat so much that he bares visibly on his forearm a tattoo of a hamburger, told me that it's actually the steaks that are the real deal at Schwartz's. Unfortunately, I can never re...

You know you’re close to laying hands on a “waffle sandwich AKA Dutch taco” when you see a wooden hut in gravel parking lot fenced off with barbed wire and chain link at the corner of Mississippi and NE Freemont. In a more pretentious culinary scene, this trash palace of sorts certainly isn’t a spot that would be venerated in local food guides. But FLAVORSPOT is emblematic of things that are great about many Portland eateries: food is excellent, cheap, and served up without a side of snobbery. Locals seem to embrace delicious eccentricity instead. Amen!  My sweet cream and jam number was delish, my friend's MB9 had so much bacon spanning both sides of the 49th parallel that we offered a slice to a passing dog. Is it a sandwich? A taco? Who cares, it is pure brilliance or something.

Stopping in one weekend evening to take in some Yamazaki 18 and chacuterie, I was swayed by the Daily Special of a Lorne Sausage sandwich, done in the style of the Scots. Traditionally knee-deep in grease, this particular sausage was done in a much leaner style, perhaps too lean, as I was craving that particular fattiness one expects with a sausage sandwich. Done as a slice of sausauge rather than individual links, the sandwich was otherwise supreme with 3 year aged cheddar cheese and a sufficient layer of fresh greens between chewy good bread. The accompanying tomato and double smoked bacon soup, which was everything soup should be, fresh, aromatic, warm from the palette to the gullet, was finished with cream and made me want another cup. Instead, between the bartender and I, indulgence knew no boundaries that night with shared plates of Colston Basset Stilton paired with the hardy Hercule de Charlevoix, coming with an arugula bitter pesto and hot pepper jelly. I couldn't help but...

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