You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

I did not know Shopsy's was such a thing, but getting there around 11am before the financial district regulars came in for a hot lunch and protips, I sat down to the Bill Cosby sandwich (hot corned beef AND hot pastrami with swiss cheese) and hot damn if it wasn't one of the best damn (and hilarious) sandwiches I have ever eaten. Very moist, possibly improvised, and incredibly flavourful pastrami and corned beef, both of which are hard to find out West, the double decker treatment makes me wonder why it's not always this way. The usual smoked meat stack a la Montreal style is sometimes obscene, or simply not enough, but here, it's the right combination of meat slope to rye bread softness that made me wonder if I should work in the financial district, because if I did, I would certainly order this sandwich again with an extra pickle.

Rushing there before noon, a colleague and I each ordered a slab of sandwich from Roast , inside Victoria's downtown farmer's market. Bridging that whole farm to table mentality, I didn't need to know about any of that before ordering the porchetta, extra skin, and rushing back to my afternoon meeting. With some heft to it, the slab of provolone and several sprigs of broccoli rabe smothered in fresh pesto really gave that extra zing to the crispy, fatty porchetta. Having a rough morning, I felt alive again after downing this sandwich, and if I had to pick, I would choose Roast over Vancouver's Meat & Bread , I would. 

Maybe I am becoming a fan. I just don't know anymore. I am so tired. But this BELT on multigrain with a large Earl Grey tea tasted really freaking good on this early morning flight.

After a five hour flight and before wading into rush hour traffic, we sat down for a bite to eat at Timmy Ho's just out the gate at Pearson. Seeing a new menu item thrown into rotation, even though I don't frequent Tim Horton's very often save for airport visits, I had to try this new crispy chicken sandwich. Being probably the most "fast food" option of their usual fresh fare type deal, I welcomed this addition to their random bland menu. Tasting more like a chicken finger in a sandwich, it was the perfect snack before having a post flight nap and dinner.

 It was during my last trip to Toronto where I noticed deli signs glowing the mysterious and alluring siren call of a "Hot Veal Sandwich." I was a passenger in a car when I first noticed this, and the driver suggested the markets, which I take it to the St. Lawrence Markets, but that sounded high end, and I wanted the real deal. This last time out, I was wandering the long way towards a studio visit near the chocolate factory, and came across Nonna's Place on Bloor. Mildly starving and sleep deprived, I walked in to a pretty good vibe of a table full of construction workers mawing down their sandwiches. Ordering the hot veal sandwich with mushrooms and onions, I sat down with my San Pellegrino aranciata and waited.   I did not know that I was about to eat the sandwich of my dreams right here, right now. A perfectly tender and juicy hot breaded veal cutlet slathered in marinara sauce with the requested mushrooms and onions sat between a perfect crusty bun. This i...

Yum. Breakfast sandwich with egg, gruyere, and sage sausage on a toasty sesame bun. The Clay Pigeon in Victoria would be one of my favorite breakfast places to go if I lived there, and after consistently good eats day in and day out, I wonder why I resist the island life. Sure, I'm not ready to retire quite just yet, but maybe it's the leisurely pace of life that makes these meals, especially breakfast, taste so good.* *Like, they serve breakfast sandwiches until 3pm everyday. C'mon. 

Always on the look out for Banh Mi's wherever I go, I literally did a 180 on Spadina Avenue when I overheard some folks speaking about "sandwiches . . . further ahead." I was in a pinch for time and only had 15 minutes, but I followed my gut and came across this place on Dundas .  Being familiar (if not intimate) with Ba Le in Vancouver, I wondered if there was any connection between the two. As it goes, it does not appear to share any recipe overlaps, as the assorted meats differed in grade. The guys ahead of me in line were basically drooling while they waited, having ordered something that visibly looked like spam, and which one guy said to the other, it looks and tastes like spam, which is probably why I like it so much . . .  I have never eaten spam, I don't think, but maybe the liverwurst in this version was just spam spread thin. Sigh. It was three bucks, so I would probably eat there again.