You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

I continue to be obsessed by Forno Cultura 's sandwiches. I wrote about it only once before several months ago, and since then I've tried them all now. Still I still have no clear favorite, but the porchetta and the prosciutto are in it to win it. Here above is the rainbow of porchetta on their dark baguette with hints of chocolate baked into the bread. I sometimes don't know what is happening in my mouth. Once I went there three times in one week. The same women work there every day, and I feel I like I want, nay, need to be their friend. Their other fares like their breakfast options and their cookies are amazing, too, and sometimes I don't even get a sandwich, but looking at this now I should probably go get one tomorrow.

I had this exact same sandwich 2 years ago at Marco Polo airport in Venice. It's from the gift shop which is basically an over priced Italian deli, but that doesn't stop me from getting dry pasta and oils and a sandwich every time. Even if it's an airport sandwich, it's my last bites of a great Italian sandwich filled with young mozzarella and delicate prosciutto on a fresh crusty roll before I land somewhere in North America where the ingredients will just fall short. This is somewhere in Amsterdam en route to Germany en route to what became the longest train ride of my life. What should have been a simple 2 hour train ride became a hellish 6 + hour journey that led us to the border of Germany and back and then south and then over and then through the German city line where I had to follow a young student who kindly made small talk with me on her way home for a summer break who found America fascinating. Thank goodness I ate this weird tuna melt from Starbucks (w...

I had many a lobster roll in my one week sojourn across the Maritimes, but I lost some photos as I do whenever I reset my phone, and so, this is the only one I have. Where I do not remember, but it was in a restaurant that appeared to almost be floating in the middle of a lake. Was it in Cape Breton? Prince Edward Island? I honestly don't remember anymore even if it was just a couple weeks ago. I know by the salad it was near the end as I just wanted greens, and I didn't get the fish and chips as I couldn't handle anything more that was fried. This lobster roll was okay. It was pretty tame, not a lot of butter, just some cold lobster between two slices of bread.

Being on a mission, and hungry as hell for no other reason than being on holiday, I ventured out into the small capital town on Prince Edward Island for a decent espresso and breakfast that is not hotel related. Drinking at the hotel bar the night before, the bar keep who grew up on the island recommended I try Casa Mia Cafe , as she said they were doing the basics, but doing them really well, and with a twist. In fact, unprompted, she said that their breakfast bagel was her favorite thing on the menu, and that was reason enough for me to try it out. Above is my dear Americano with three creams, the breakfast bagel on bottom right, and being greedy, a benny on the run sandwich in the upper left. I should have just stuck with the bagel, as the twist was an aioli that had a kick to it, green if I am remembering correctly, perhaps pesto mix, or just a healthy dose of fresh herbs. Whatever it was, it was sorely missing in the benny on the run, which was just a poor man's McMuffin ...

I've been walking by this place on College Street for months now wondering what the deal was. The Fish Store had an unassuming demeanor and its name does not lie. Part fish monger, part cafe, the allure of fish tacos on their sandwich board kept beckoning me, but running errands with a colleague one day, he said that this place was his favorite sandwich place, so we obviously took a break here. Resembling a fish shack found in fishing villages or on beaches anywhere but downtown Toronto, I ordered a daily fish special sandwich amongst the varieties on offer. I was warned against the burger, and with the option of a fish sandwich to burger, a sandwich always wins. Grilled to order, this delectable offering was served up well seasoned and with fresh veggies on a fresh roll. The sandwich was tasty, and light, like I wanted another one, but we got gelato down the block and that was pretty good, too, but I will be back for another.

I have yet to make it to a Caplansky's in Toronto, not even its food truck, but having an extra 45 minutes at the airport, I decided to stop in for a pastrami and matzoh ball soup dinner before I boarded a red eye to Amsterdam. Not as rich as its New York counterparts, but decent flavour and reasonably proportioned. The matzoh ball itself I've had better, but in a pinch, I would go back as there is nothing that quite satisfies when you're craving a matzoh ball. The coleslaw was oily which apparently is a thing here and the pickle I expected better, but I will factor in the airport experience and one day hit the lunch counter on a slow afternoon and see if it compares.

I'm usually such a purist when it comes to the grilled cheese. Melted cheese, butter, good bread, maybe a bit of onion. Maybe. Pickle on the side. Why deviate from what is solidly a delicious combination? The Melt Room looked like a mall kiosk with its shiny plastic decor, but I was brought there by a friend who was craving the lamb shoulder melt she read about in the paper, and I opted for the BBQ chicken, even though I hummed and hawed about the original. I should have just had the original. We shared half of each other's choices and I was put off by the romaine lettuce inside of her grilled cheese sandwich as well as the bland chicken in mine. The sourdough was rather good though and heavily buttered, but the fillings just really did not work. Located deep in Soho, I don't see how this place can last long, but then again, I have never understood British cuisine.

Every once in a while I will find a photo on my phone that eludes my memory. I have no recall as to where this came from, but I can make some guesses. - The bread reminds me of the plain panne from Le Gourmand - The filling looks like melted cheese and marinara sauce, likely with a cutlet as this looks too flat for a meatball - Le Gourmand doesn't do a marinara sauced sandwich. - The paper wrap looks greased through, like a fast food joint - I have no recollection of eating this or if it was delicious or disgusting. - That probably means it wasn't very good, but not bad enough to be offensive. - Would I remember if given the option again? - And would I order it again?