You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

These small prairie towns have always held a bright spot in my heart. These tiny hamlets, where main street is literally a museum and an ice cream shop, dot the many highways across the prairies, with a strong concentration in Saskatchewan. As it was an unusually mild afternoon and we were somewhat making good time, my driving companion and I pulled into the Hitching Post Cafe. We came upon a congregation of old men watching television, and being two ladies dressed sort of oddly and clearly interrupting something, we sat down and ordered two teas. The room was sort of a mixture of rumpus room meets Germanic cabin decor. I wasn't exactly hungry, but I felt we were the first customers they've had in a while, and it's not like we just popped our heads in as we were walking by. So I ordered a grilled cheese, sans fries, and it was your standard homemade grilled cheese. Nothing special, and yet, all together the total was about $10. More than expected, but in some ways, you kn...

A staple to any good Edmontonian, the Italian Centre Sandwiches (hot or mild) are the go-to meals for anyone who enjoys their cold cuts. As an assembly of everything from capicolli to mortadella, the real secret in my opinion is the slice of provolone and the thick spread of the red vegetable spread and an olive oil marinade they brush into their baguettes. There were the days when you had to order them at the deli, until they caught on and started premaking them. While that is certainly time saving, the option to change up the ingredients are now gone, which was always a crap shoot to substitute anyways from getting the most delicious concoctions to having someone yell at you for wanting to substitute. I often grab one with a bag of kettle chips and an orangina or limonata, some sort of citric acid to cut the sodium nitrate. Highly recommended.

Running errands downtown, I had heard the former owners of Il Portico reopened a new French bistro in the former Krua Wilai joint kitty corner to the former Arlington. That's a lot of the past trying to relive itself, but checking out The Marc's menu online , and with a dear friend working as the barkeep, I sat at the bar and enjoyed his recommendation of the short rib sandwich. I know, the McRib really ruined a generation of rib sandwiches with their aggressive branding. But rest assured, this rib sandwich is actually slowly braised beef ribs pulled and shredded topped off with crispy shallot rings. Served on a seemingly small bun, the sandwich is actually quite filling. Too filling. I couldn't even finish the good fries served with a side of aioli. I did however try their signature Marc martini, which contains an ounce of Balvenie, and ya know, I have wanted to go back ever since I left.

Okay, when we started this sandwich blog, there were questions like: is a falafel a sandwich? a calzone? and we said we would eventually get to those bridges when we crossed 'em. So here we go . . . I never believed a calzone was a sandwich. It's a pizza folded in a half prior to baking. It's more along the lines of a meat or veggie pie. However, this little number from Battistas in Edmonton makes me think otherwise. Branding itself as a pizza sandwich is one thing, but offering a calzone that stays perfectly in place like a sandwich, well, what is the difference between this and a panini? With only a handful of options from meatball to vegetarian (so far, a bite of a classico with roasted red peppers and capicolli is my favorite), these calzones open up the sandwich cloister for greater debate.

For years I would drive by Hap's Hungry House on Stony Plain and never step foot in. A friend who moved back to town after a number of years away suggested we go there, which was surprising a bit as she's sort of dainty, so away we went. Sort of like JBee's out in Beverly, but more quaint and less spiritual, I've been back, that's for sure. Curious about the McHap, which was more than suggested as being a bastardized McMuffin, they offer quite a different selection of meat choices beyond the usually expected. Beef sausage is an option, as is both back and side bacon, and while not on the option list for the McHap, you can get a side of pork chop with things, like your french toast.

Finding myself in Brandon, Manitoba, I was taken to The Kountry Kitchen, which off the bat, makes me uncomfortable. But the woman who took me there said there was great sentimental value, and the place was far more charming than the name suggests. It was nearly lunch time, but as I had been up and traveling since 4 a.m., I opted for the breakfast kaiser, which was your standard breakfast assemblage of eggs and bacon draped in processed cheese in a warm kaiser roll. I went somewhere else too while in town that featured the kaiser. Not sure if there's some sort of civic history attached, but regardless, it seemed like a regular bun to me.

Hitting up the Tim Horton's drive through out of Saskatoon, I realized I had actually not eaten since the last club house at Broadway the afternoon before. About to be on the road for 5 hours, I thought it best I get the Large chicken club sandwich. Lo and behold, it was the size of two regular sandwiches. As I continued the club house sandwich conversation, updating of my experience the day before, and now seeing this giant monster on my lap, we accepted that the club house has never gone away, that it's far too classic to go anywhere, and here it is at its most consumable. I don't remember ever liking Tim Horton's sandwiches ever before, but this one was pretty good, especially with the honey mustard kick embedded within and fresh veggies. It kept me full for the whole ride home.

It was a cold and frosty weekend, and inadvertently house sitting for some old friends just off Broadway in the 'toon, I could only go as far as I could walk, having also hitched a ride in from a friend (traveling on a dime!). Having already ventured to Nino's and Sushiro, I returned to the Broadway Cafe, where I had ventured once last summer, and ate a messy slop of a sandwich. Taking a back seat by the chrome bar, I had thoughts swimming around in my head over a conversation held the previous night. Sitting in the Star Trek inspired lounge of The Cave bar and restaurant, my friend and I witnessed a man nearby devour a club house sandwich. Being at The Cave and all, we thought perhaps it was the environment that caused a time warp back to the days of people ordering club house sandwiches. Who orders a club house sandwich still? They are a classic staple of sandwich menus, but seemingly of yesteryears. Those little sandwich wedges of toasted bread that always hurt the top o...

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