You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

A stray photograph was found in my downloads folders as some necessary Fall clean up was underway, and lo and behold, a random shot of a half assorted deli from Spolumbo' s and a plate of pickles! This was sent in from my friend Sarah, who I shared this sandwich with, and who I gave all the extra pickles to, as I believe I ate my half in the car on the way to the airport. Another Spolumbo's sandwich was eaten, the hot veal parmigiana, on the same trip to Calgary, but that photo along with other delicious sandwich photos was lost when my phone got soaked in Barton Springs this summer. Thanks, Sarah!

I've ordered this all across Canada, and my data from at least 20 samples confirms that every Tim Horton's outlet makes their veggie bagel sandwich differently. Some places have it on the menu, and some places are veggie bagel deniers, so you have to walk them thru it. In that case, it may take five minutes to order one, because apparently no-one ever does and it's confusing to hear the words “veggie bagel” out of the blue like that. Maybe they are trying to tell me something, and yet I persist in ordering this non-remarkable sandwich at rest stops and airports because it is only $3.50 and often surrounded by equally uninspiring choices.  I tend to opt for a multigrain bagel, toasted, with swiss cheese, mayo, honey mustard, tomato, lettuce and cucumber. When these are fresh, it's quite good. A cautionary note that some locations will give only 1 slice of  tomato, so if that is not acceptable to you, be sure to specify that you want lots of tomatoes. One person...

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.

Beano on 17th may be known for its coffee and hipsters, but their daily sandwich specials are a nice treat too. That day, the only one left by the time it was dark outside was this delicious brie and red hot jelly number with a touch of arugula. They don't spare a dime to use some good crusty bread, which makes a sandwich like this really shine. Could have done without the tomato, especially when it wasn't even a good fresh tomato, you know the kind I'm talking about, that's red and sweet but also a bit meaty like. That would have been good.

It's no secret I'm a fan of the Vietnamese sub. Hell, they've prevented my vegetarianism . But I do enjoy the vegetarian option now and again, especially when it's warm marinated soft tofu rather than the shredded fake meat variety. In Calgary one weekend, a friend and I found ourselves stranded in the city due to a snow storm, so lounging around 17th Avenue, cold, tired, hungry, and near broke, we popped our heads into Kim Anh Subs where he had ventured once before. Offering a whole wheat sub bun option, Kim Anh's subs were a bit more expensive than what I'm used to for a sub of this style ($3.50 is my price range), but it's Calgary, so what can you expect.

This may tip off another round of an ongoing debate here at You Say Sandwich , but I am throwing my endorsement behind this plate of heaven as the Best Sandwich of 2010. It may not even qualify as a sandwich for some, but put together Dauphin cheese, sun-dried strawberry jam and jowl bacon on a wee crostini and the arguing of semantics will cease. This bacon comes from a locally-raised pig's cheek and is then fried to perfection. Unlike other favourite bits of pork, jowl bacon melts like chocolate on the tongue, hitting the soft creamy cheese with a little salty depth. The chef at http://www.farm-restaurant.com/ even dished us up another plate of the sublime little piggy bites after the last course of 2010 was done and the kitchen was in cleanup mode. Have bacon for dessert and an extra walk around the block. New Year's resolutions start tomorrow anyways. -Young Elvis