You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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...