You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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.