You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

I didn't choose the Fake Philly sandwich, nor have I previously experienced a 'real' Philly, but I did eat half of this vegan-ish version from the cute Crossroads Cafe. The shredded seitan, sauteed onion, green pepper and jack cheese combo was pretty good if slightly forgettable amidst the splendour of Joshua Tree. Accompanied by a side of great fries. Other delicious sounding things on the menu, including 6 meatier sandwiches, and grilled cheese too. What I am getting at here is that I'm not sure I'd ever eat a seitan sandwich by choice, but I'll endorse it for what it is.

Advertised as the "Specialty Sandwich" on board the Oakland to Los Angeles Amtrak train, this $9.75 grilled cheese seems a safe vegetarian bet, just as a bagel and cream cheese does when faced with weird processed meat choices aboard the VIA Rail in Canada. The specialty allegedly features gruyere and smoked cheddar, however each cheese was tasteless, plastic, and greasy, cooling to reveal six slices of highly processed cheese product. The crisp, somewhat grainy bread absorbed cheese sweat from inside, completely obliterating any relief that the mustard or tomato could have provided, and was thoroughly saturated in a meaty residue from the grill on the outside. This sandwich leaves the kind of mouthfeel that a glass of water cannot wash away. Note: pack toothbrush in carry-on.

While visiting Hong Kong, I came across these Crispy Sandwich ice cream products from the Asian division of Haagen-Dazs. While the flavours were standard like vanilla and strawberry along with a green tea option, I was more intrigued by what the "crispy" part could mean. Well, it was like a wafer shell, but way more refined. It did not crack and crumble like you would expect, and the underneath layer was not weird and sticky from the ice cream, but the shell itself was almost space age in material. I still can't figure out what it was, but it stayed really crispy, making this a great and unique ice cream sandwich experience!

A while back there was a Taiwanese festival, which to my knowledge, was just about food. It's known to anyone with taste buds that the Taiwanese have some of the best street snacks in the world, but amongst the array of soups and meat popsicles and deep fried chicken bits, here was a Taiwanese sandwich! Now under colonial rule there was and still sort of remains the popular teatime sandwich, but this ain't it. This was a pulled pork sandwich that reminded me of the Chilean sandwiches that haunt me in my dreams. Here, the "bread" is in fact a large steamed bun, or steamed flat bread, with a mound of pork and cilantro. The bun bread held its contents better than ever expected, but if you read this blog with any regularity, you will note how important the bread is to the integrity of each sandwich. This was more of a delicious meat dish encased in a shell, which some may say sandwich, but I am not convinced. In the same way a Jamaican patty or empanada (Salvadorean...

Artisan bakeries take themselves seriously, right? I am always a little surprised when I see premade sandwiches at these places, as don't they know what happens to their bread once they wrap it in plastic and throw it in the fridge display? I had this frittata sandwich with a bowl of lentil soup, and it was good, but you could tell it would have been great if it had been freshly made. For starts, the homemade focaccia left the plastic wrap so oily that no amount of paper napkins could render the situation better. The cheese had been put on the other side of the frittata, which in theory, should work for a cold sandwich, but somehow, it just didn't. The layer of frittata itself was also incredibly sparse and filled with almost entirely asparagus, which left me sort of sad. Next time, I would buy their bread and make a sandwich elsewhere.

This was a ham sandwich. If you look closely, you can see the ham beneath the medley of fresh carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and lettuce. Unfortunately, this sandwich was only an incidental experience. I can't for the life of me remember or find the name of this place, except that it was located in a large atrium in downtown Victoria in the same building as an amazing cookery store. I recall having had beer battered fish and chips the night before, and needing something green, I was told this place had really great salads and that you could order up to three different salads to try, like a flight of wine or whisky. Still, I saw a sandwich, so I got one, but I also tried their kale salad which blew my mind, and yes, I am talking salad here, not sandwiches, which is how good their salads were.

Oh yeah, I Instagramed this. The sun was shining, a sweet bicycle was outside, and I'm sure they were playing something local and indie. It seemed right. This was an early morning bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasty sesame bun with a pile of fruit that made me almost miss my seaplane back. While they did not peel the kiwi before they sliced it, or the oranges, which doubled the eating time, the presentation reminded me of homemade lunches on a back porch, with the bacon just a little too greasy and the cheese a little too thick. It was perfect, and I just wish I didn't have to rush off as I would have loved to have sampled their lunch baguettes.

After big steaming bowls of Eat at 903 ramen were sold out on a rainy Saturday afternoon in SF, I opted for the delicious pulled chicken sandwich with delicately pickled cucumbers on brioche. It was so packed with big chunks of chicken doused in creamy peanut sauce that the sandwich could be handily split into an open-face. I hoped for something to warm me up, and had the pulled chicken been more than room temperature, this sandwich would have soared to amazing heights. As it was the little chili kick was very restorative for a cold day. Other must-try Japanese with a French twist items on the menu are: Crispy Shrimp Ball sandwich and Waffles with Fried Chicken and seaweed! Also head across the street on Cortland for an Americano and pastry at Chef Mutsumi Takehara's brilliant Sandbox Bakery. 903 Cortland. Open for Brunch and Lunch till 3 PM.

Yes. Yes. Yes. This is the perfect fried egg sandwich. Six dollars worth of extraordinary pleasure including cheddar, tomato, pancetta, and pepper garlic aioli. Two bread options for your fancy, but the pain de mie is definitely the way to go. Precita Park Cafe has a sister spot just off Delores Park, so it's possible to satisfy the fried egg sandwich cravings in a couple locations. They will come soon, mark my words. If in the Delores location, you could follow your new breakfast obsession with a pint of Salted Caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite. 

While cucumbers make it highly improbable that this is going in the fry pan to become a grilled cheese, the slices of cheese are ridiculously thick for a cold sandwich. Layer of butter protects bread from contact with cucumbers and potential sogg-out. Someone thinks this is a good enough idea to post a high-resolution photo of it on the Wikipedia entry for "Sandwich."

Whole pieces of freshly roasted turkey, made in house, thick and still sizzling crispy bacon that melts in your mouth like chocolate, mayo, crisp lettuce and real tomatoes. Yep, this is the real deal. I really appreciate when bacon goes into my sandwich hot. Other sandwiches on offer include a straight up BLT, Grilled Cheese, Steak Florentine and Pear and Gorgonzola, with loads of great desserts, beer and breakfast to boot. No one seemed shy about having a craft beer with lunch on a Saturday at noon. Felt a little chintzed by the tiny side bowls of chili, but I've had a very satisfying full bowl of that before, though it seems the recipe has changed since to include more rice or barley.  The Grove is across from SFMOMA and the Museum of the African Diaspora, making it the perfect museum lunch that's not actually in the museum. 

This focaccia fella already had spinach, tomato, roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers and grilled portobello mushrooms, so why the hell not add some thinly sliced roasted yams? Focaccia sandwiches (that are not subjected to the panini grill) are such a delight because the soft inner bread absorbs some of the moisture and flavor of squishy roasted ingredients without becoming soggy. For a college cafeteria sandwich, this combination had an impressive freshness, fantastic and integration of flavors. Deep bites of grilled mushroom work so well here that the yams might be overkill. My bad.

The chief attraction of squeezing some fried egg and cheese between two pieces of bread is to maximize the portability and speed of breakfast. So please give me a breakfast sandwich and I'll run off to where I need to be, okay? Arbor Cafe's decent, but not stellar, breakfast sandwich includes the above along with a side of salad in a large takeout box. The solution is to ask ahead of time to put the whole works into a wax paper bag, but in a pinch, lift the lid on sammie, insert salad, close it up and run to work. The egg appears to be expediently prepped as a half-inch deep sheet, with chives sprinkled on top and then cut into squares. Cheese is generous, there may have also been mayo. Slight crust burn.

Airport food is overpriced and usually disgusting. I usually struggle along with coffee, power-bars, almonds, and the occasional yogurt. Today, I'm happy to recommend a super filling and surprisingly fresh burrito that will run you $6.75 at Chipotle Mexican Grill, or 8 bucks to upgrade to a burrito with their super creamy guacamole added. Impressive list of ingredients, including brown rice, black beans, grilled chicken with no yucky tough bits, flavourful sweet corn and tomato salsas, green tomatillo sauce, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce. The claim that whenever possible it's local and organic, with meat free of antibiotics/hormones, and I tend to believe it. This is the first time ever I've eaten airport food that actually tastes real. Big fast moving line means things stay fresh too. A couple hours after I ate mine, the Captain and Stewardess of my plane both arrived at the gate with takeout bags from Chipotle. From people who probably eat more of their meals in airpo...

These guys are such nerds. Sandwich puns, earnest enthusiasm, hand-done signs, lots of thumbs up icons and evocations of good vibes. But, it's all true. The sandwiches themselves are pretty good. There's a certain ambiguously satisfying greatness in a simple toasty, and it seems difficult to say exactly why, but for the sake of accuracy let's start by saying these sandwiches are warm . Maybe that's it. Both the Potbelly Mediterranean and their Turkey had a fair creaminess to them, due to hummus, melty feta and mustard, mayo respectively, which also lent flavour integration to each bite. The bread enclosed the ingredients without bracketing them or being a wrap per se, and the ingredients like cucumbers and tomatoes were sliced thinly enough that their crunch didn't dominate, meaning that no one bite involved too much bread, or individual tastes that popped out above others.

I can recommend  Nick's Wheely Good Breakfast  on the basis of the fantastic Chicken Apple  Cheddar Biscuit Sandwich served up at NOLOSE this weekend, and the loooong lineup of discerning ladies and fellas waiting alongside the foodtruck for their breakfast... for dinner! As the sun was setting on another day of Oakland's annual body-positive fat activist conference, Nick kept the ingenious breakfast inspired combos rolling out, including Maple Glazed Pork Belly Sandwiches, and Steak and Eggs, also packaged in a convenient sandwich form, perfect for standing around and chatting about the day's events!  I added a smashed fried egg onto  Chicken Apple Sausage with Pickled Apples, Aioli, and Arugula on a Homemade Cheddar Biscuit and ran around flirting with cute folks, sandwich in hand. 

Nothing signals gentrification quite like a new cheese shop. Just off of Oakland's popular Telegraph Street on Shattuck Avenue is what appears to be the neighbourhood's first: the Sacred Wheel, established in 2011. Boasting many extremely pricey, locally sourced, and esoteric cheesy treats, the shop also carries all the things you'd want to see on a serious cheese tasting board, little pickles, chutneys, those little wheels of fig pate, olives, and such. I took note of the soft-ripened Bellwether Farms Crescenza, an almond, apricot and fig fruity thing, and a free sample. Just in case a 12-15 dollar hunk of fancy dairy goodness seems steep, thankfully they also have lunch, which is not too pricey at all. For 6 bucks I tried the 1/2 Grilled Cheese Trinity with Tomato and Pabst Blue Ribbon soup. The thinly sliced sourdough and three-cheese sandwich was pretty straight up, but the soup was a heavenly creation indeed. Tangy, lip stinging tomato goodness that balances the grea...

How delightful! SCREAM 's sorbet sandwich really blew me away today, because I realized how old and stodgy my understanding of the classic ice cream sandwich really was. Mind you, I've been treated to many deliciously creamy numbers at Toronto's Bakerbots  and by my delicious date lately, even ones that take on the classic with contemporary salty, spicy, and savory cookies. Today, in Oakland, though, the epitome of my late summer indulgence is hot pink and golden yellow, as it should be when fresh fruit abounds and summer dresses might soon be stowed away for the season. Ready for this? Strawberry lemon sorbet spread between two Meyer lemon cookies. BAM! All previous assumptions about ice cream sandwiches have been officially licked.

I have no address for this Euro deli; it's the one on Davie Street in Vancouver between Hornby and Howe next to Zaatar hummus bar. They offer a lot of smoked meats and cheese, but sometimes when they have fresh bread, they will also offer a sandwich. The owner asked me what type of meats and cheese I wanted, and when I picked, he suggested otherwise. I went with his suggestions, which he said were popular and went well together in a sandwich. I can't recall what they were, some type of fatty salami and I think he suggested the smoked gouda. He should just set the standard sandwich. The sandwich was huge, this picture doesn't do it justice, unless you realize that plate is at least 9" in diameter. Really thick slices of everything, and smoky as hell. The bread was just the right crispness for everything, but I could have really used an orangina or something to rinse down the sodium nitrates. If they premade a few sandwiches before lunch hour, I bet they would sel...

This one was at some place off 17th Avenue in Calgary. I can't find the name of it, but it was tucked away off the main drag, next to a donair shop. It wasn't that great, but I was super hungry and it did the trick. I think it was a satay of some kind as they didn't have the assorted I wanted.  This is my friend's kid, who had never had a Vietnamese sandwich before. We went window shopping on Whyte Ave and stopped into V Sandwiches , which opened shortly after I left town. Domo approves.

I did not know what "Red Tide" was until after I ate this delicious oyster po'boy. It was during the end of red tide, and I figured they wouldn't sell anything that would kill me? I survived, and ya know what, it was worth the bet. Succulent fresh oysters lightly grilled and marinated with citrus between a crispy bun with fresh veggies and a side of slaw. I had the chowder too, which was mighty good, and ate in the sun with the hoards. While the fish and chips are the hot feature, and with good reason, their sandwiches and tacos are mighty fine too.

So a new sandwich joint opens up on Pacific Boulevard in Yaletown. I don't trust any restaurants in Yaletown. It's always overpriced with more hype than flavour. But I see that this is a Vietnamese sandwiches, or bánh mì, and I cannot resist giving it go. At $7 a pop, that's a pretty pricy sandwich. I try their classic assorted cuts and a vegetarian option. They had a duck special that day, but I wanted to try the basics. I take it to go and they made it fresh, sharing half of each with a friend. They were filling, meaning half was equal to a standard sub, which costs around $3 - $5 bucks, but the flavours were all a bit mild. Nothing stood out, except for the baguette, which was a nice chewy hard shell, even if I do prefer a lighter crisper baguette. This was like the Quizno's of a Vietnamese sub, which is not a compliment.

Cafe Amore opened up in Delton neighborhood. I once lived within walking distance to this place. This is a sausage and rapini sandwich. The best one I ever had was further down into Little Italy, at Santos . The rapini there was creamy, perhaps canned, and their sausage fattier. This one the rapini was fresh and sausage lean. That one sandwich alone got me eating rapini with frequency, making my own sausage and rapini pizzas now and again. I could never replicate the original, going for healthier ways of preparing the sausage and rapini, but sometimes when you want something greasy, a healthier version just doesn't cut it. The same goes for this sandwich, which was good, but not great. However, their pasta is out of this world. Unbelievable. I'm only sort of mad I went for the sandwich because that means I didn't get to eat their pasta.

I've been hearing about these waffle sandwiches for a while, but as the waffle is never a craving for me (nor are pancakes), I have never been that curious. Perhaps it's also a bad experience with a McGriddle, which I found far too sweet and therefore disgusting, but why would you make a sandwich out of sweet dough? Miura , however, offers a waffle that is neither too sweet nor bland, and actually holds up to its role. Freshly made, the garlic chicken was tender and flavorful, not too heavy on the garlic, but rather, it was almost a honey garlic that paired with the fresh and crispy coleslaw. I will go back to try their bulgogi waffle sandwich. They also have a sweet menu, which I haven't tried, as dessert sandwiches, especially with waffles, is just brunch.

 I was actually headed to Truong Giang but they were closed for two weeks. I had a meeting in Gastown and was super hungry at this point wandering past Sunrise wondering why there aren't any eateries over here. I see a butcher shop on the corner and see the word "sandwiches" painted on. Yes. I didn't know I had entered hipster butcher heaven, but I was too hungry to care. Big Lou's Butcher Shop was apparently something to know, but I doubt it was for their service. One young man with a small moustache seemed annoyed at having a customer. Another young man with a big moustache asked me what I wanted, and I wondered if there really was a Big Lou around. After a few "not ready yet" concerning the roast chicken options, I went for the Bahn Mi, in honor of where I was initially headed. The butcher boy also said they compare, so with no reason to not trust, I went for it. Saucy pulled pork overwhelmed this sandwich from the get go. I felt like I need...

I got a new phone and went through my old phone to see if I missed anything. How did I miss this little gem? The pastrami and pickle sandwich at Duchess Bakery is one fine sandwich. The bakery is known for their use of butter, quality high end butter, and their croissants on their own are fantastic. But as anyone who has ever had a butter and pickle sandwich, a buttery croissant with a thick slice of pickle and very excellent pastrami is really a mouth watering temptation. I got the last one, if I recall, and it's nice to remember the good things that have happened.

Finch's has held a special place in my sandwich heart, but I have never made it over for their breakfast. Until now. Meeting up downtown for a nice breakfast meeting, Finch's offers a breakfast plate or a breakfast sandwich, and well, how could I resist. Homely it was, but certainly filling. This is definitely more of the tea house feel. A medley of eggs mixed with red onion and cheddar was a less creamy British version, but there was just a bit too much lettuce for my liking. I am no fan of lettuce in a sandwich. I would maybe try their PLT (proscuitto, lettuce, and tomato), but I may just have to get back here for a sit down baguette meal one of these days.

I tried t his place when I first moved into the neighborhood and I found it a bit lacking. Here is the post on that. However, as I had predicted, I stopped in again to pick up some essentials and decided to try their Muffuletta. This is by far a more superior sandwich and judging from the options, probably their best. The olive spread is what really kicks this one up a notch, as the deli meats and cheese are all pretty standard and the bread is good, but basic. No, it's the olive spread that ties it all together, a possibly made in house concoction that distinguishes this place from the rest. Well, they don't have much competition, there's a deli two blocks over that doesn't offer sandwiches (but better meat choices) and there's really nothing of its kind in the neighborhood, surprisingly, and yet, there's no real reason to go here when everything is so close. I hope they succeed though, and maybe a few more items like this one will make it more of a dest...

Another sandwich bar downtown and this one had a line up. Hubbub Sandwich Bliss . Each sandwich has the basics and you can select from basic choices (pork, turkey sausage, veggie, or prawn). There is also the daily special, which is what I went for in the chicken parmigiana. The decor was slick, with a hand drawn sandwich of how a perfect sandwich is assembled. Apparently the two guys behind Hubbub initially wanted a sports bar, and so, what does this all mean for the sandwich itself? Coming on a long skinny crispy baguette, this is basically a fancy hoagie. It's over priced for what it is, but it's satisfying for the standards of metro Vancouver. The parmigiana was okay, a bit dry and weird in such an elongated format. The bread was good, and I would kill for a Vietnamese sandwich or meatball daily special on this type of bread. Here's hoping.

Skateboards by Arthur King via Junkculture

Frenchie's was the first time I had a smoked meat sandwich. About a decade ago when they had a location on Helmcken St, I got hooked on their savoury brisket seasoning. Then one day, they vanished, closing all three of their locations around town. Later, I remember when I first tried a Montreal smoked meat sandwich in Montreal, I had a flashback to being at Frenchie's, and wondering, was it better? Well, I'm gonna have to say after all these years and many briskets later, that Frenchie's really is better. The best! The seasoning and the steaming of Frenchie's really makes their sandwiches dreamy. It boils down their seasoning. If I had to guess, I would wager that Frenchie's uses a dry curing, as I tasted no hint of brine whatsoever. I had the small (pictured above), which is just reasonable for an planned midday snack.  Super soft and tender brisket slices literally melt in your mouth. I am already hooked, once again. Welcome back, Frenchies ! I never kn...

I've been to this tiny spot on Davie a few times now. Good pho and great tea. Nice shared tables to maximize their tiny space. It's so small that they don't have a restroom. So try to hold back on drinking too much of their delicious tea. They offer a few sandwiches, notably the classic assorted meats and veggies sub along with the saucier varieties. Good crunch to the French bread and loaded with assorted and freshly sliced vegetables and deli meats, and while I'm sure I'll order it again, I may ask them to tone down the hot sauce. Usually a bite into a jalapeno pepper can spiral into a total face melt down, but the sauce in this sandwich was out of control. I mean, it was delicious and I couldn't stop eating it, but my lips were actually burning for the rest of the evening. In fact, they still tingle a bit today.

The new Winnipeg airport is jaw dropping. I honestly thought the plane had landed in another city, but my shock quickly subsided when I saw how many ladies were wearing fur. It was spring time. So where else could I possibly be. One of the best things about the new airport (even though I loved the old facade) is the presence of a Stella's right near the departure gates. This changes everything, because if I had to eat their rubbery Harvey's burgers one more time, I was going to lose it. Stopping in for a 4 p.m. dinner before my flight back to Vancouver, I got their club sandwich, which I actually never had before. I've their roast chicken , but the club is actually far superior. I have often eaten at Stella's as a last meal in Winnipeg as it's cheap and quick, but to have one right at the airport with all day breakfast service is really going the distance. Best airport sandwich, by far.

Driving west into Regina on Victoria Avenue, I was heartbroken to see Italian Star Deli closed for the afternoon. All I wanted was this sandwich. All was right in the world again two days later when I had to drive through again eastward, and this delicious muffuletta was mine. Like most Italian sandwiches, there was an array of freshly sliced deli meats, provolone, an oil and herb dressing lightly brushed on one side, but the real kicker of this sandwich was a layer of feta cheese mixed with banana peppers. Sounds demure, but together between the perfectly soft and fragrant round foccacia, interspliced with a mix of hard salami and soft hams, this was one fine sandwich. Comes in mild (no banana peppers), medium (what I got), and extra hot (sold out!). I also saw one "double meat" half loaf, but I wasn't up for it.  Thumbs up for the extra pepperoni snack wrapped on top of each loaf. Yeah.

This little gem comes from the cafeteria at Dawson Creek's Northern Lights College. I had just missed the lunch rush and all that was left were cooler sandwiches. The nice cafeteria lady informed me though that the wrapping only says "tuna," but in fact, the sandwich was made of egg salad.

I was on the road again and by 10:30 a.m. I had already eaten at Tim Horton's twice. Not because I wanted to, but this is just what happens. First up was this breakie sandwich on a cheddar jalapeno bagel. I prefer their bagel sandwiches over their english muffins, because let's face it, McDonald's does that better. Note to self: Maybe don't order a jalapeno anything before 6 a.m.

Like a zombie I headed back to Meat and Bread after the porchetta experience. Going down the menu list, I went for the Meatball sandwich, though I was torn between this and the special of the day, which was basically a slow roasted spicy veal with arugula and aioli. My guest had the veal and I went for this monster. We did trade bites, but I don't recommend doing so, not because of germs, but because the art of handling a sandwich is to never let it go. I had difficulty corralling this after the mid way hand off, but the integrity of the sandwich held better than I could ever expect. As a treat, I opted for their ice cream sandwich, a bacon maple ice cream concoction between two syrup wafers. It was a good treat, but nothing I would crave, surprisingly. Pretty though, and pretty counts.

I found myself at Costco, and in the back of my mind, I remember an old acquaintance going on about how great their smoked meat sandwich really was. He was in the restaurant business, and has braised enough pork belly to have serious health concerns, so when he talked meat, I have tended to listen. Only, I generally find Costco to be overwhelming and gross. The excess of everything is less than appetizing. But there I was assisting someone at Costco and she wanted to have a snack. I should have known. This was a terrible smoked meat sandwich. Over-steamed (if such a thing was possible) on a wedge of focaccia-like bread. The portion was over generous horizontally, but the best smoked meat sandwiches show their strut in verticality. The pickle was also rank. If I ever see that acquaintance again, I am probably going to shove him into a meat freezer.

Anyone who reads this blog with minor frequency will now how much I, J.D. Salami, loves the Vietnamese sandwich . Vancouver is staggering with possibilities, and that doesn't even include the area soon to be known as "Little Saigon." I have heard mixed feelings about renaming the stretch of Kingsway as such, from various sides of the argument, but I personally dislike the idea, especially in Vancouver where Asians are the population majority but still seen as a minority invasion. Anyhow, I found myself wandering around Kingsway today, and picked up a few offerings to compare and contrast. On the left is Kim Chau 's assorted deli meats. A short wait accompanied the sandwich as it went through the toaster (albeit, the entire sandwich went through rather than before the contents were put in). Coming in at $3 and the lengthiest offering yet to be found in this town. On the right is Kingsway Deli 's assorted coming in at just over $3. Shorter and stout, i...