You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

Being back in Edmonton for a wedding, the last one I'm returning for I have said, I stopped into a few old haunts, including Van Loc. The same little old ladies were behind the counter, and the prices had gone up another 50 cents. I tore open the wrapper, almost if I knew it would be the last time, and took this photo. I may never be back again, and the taste echoed that sentiment, as it was no where near as good as I remembered. I didn't grow up on these banh mis, or what I have been calling Vietnamese sandwiches. I changed all the tags today on the blog, to update where this blog has come from and where it is now. This sandwich may not have changed at all, but after all these years and all these different flavours encountered, I am saying farewell to this Vietnamese sandwich from my past. It has shaped me, and set a standard for all banh mi's, but I can't keep holding onto past sentiments. Good-bye! It's been swell.

I was recently sent this link from Carla B, who has been quiet on the sandwich front, but still sends her sandwich love every now and again. The link to a Travel Story pondering if the banh mi is the world's best sandwich made me wonder why I have never visited Vietnam. Seriously, why have I not made this trek? The answer I knew was a Yes without reading the article, but the correspondent's story arc made me miss a classic banh mi, and not what I've been eating for the last while. Take this for example: a tofu banh mi from the Banh Mi Boys, a very popular place on Queen St. West. Always busy, but never that good, I think it's popular because it's just filling and not Subway. I sometimes find myself feeling bad for Quizno's, but I just don't know who their sandwiches are for. Then there's this little number from Ginger's further East on Queen West. I popped in there during a recent festival when I grew tired of eating pizza and popco...

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.

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 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.

What I love most about getting a fresh sandwich from Van Loc in Edmonton is the simple paper bag it comes in. The bread is still warm when I rip the paper open, and it's the best present everytime!

A staple to any good Edmontonian, the Italian Centre Sandwiches (hot or mild) are the go-to meals for anyone who enjoys their cold cuts. As an assembly of everything from capicolli to mortadella, the real secret in my opinion is the slice of provolone and the thick spread of the red vegetable spread and an olive oil marinade they brush into their baguettes. There were the days when you had to order them at the deli, until they caught on and started premaking them. While that is certainly time saving, the option to change up the ingredients are now gone, which was always a crap shoot to substitute anyways from getting the most delicious concoctions to having someone yell at you for wanting to substitute. I often grab one with a bag of kettle chips and an orangina or limonata, some sort of citric acid to cut the sodium nitrate. Highly recommended.

Running errands downtown, I had heard the former owners of Il Portico reopened a new French bistro in the former Krua Wilai joint kitty corner to the former Arlington. That's a lot of the past trying to relive itself, but checking out The Marc's menu online , and with a dear friend working as the barkeep, I sat at the bar and enjoyed his recommendation of the short rib sandwich. I know, the McRib really ruined a generation of rib sandwiches with their aggressive branding. But rest assured, this rib sandwich is actually slowly braised beef ribs pulled and shredded topped off with crispy shallot rings. Served on a seemingly small bun, the sandwich is actually quite filling. Too filling. I couldn't even finish the good fries served with a side of aioli. I did however try their signature Marc martini, which contains an ounce of Balvenie, and ya know, I have wanted to go back ever since I left.

Okay, when we started this sandwich blog, there were questions like: is a falafel a sandwich? a calzone? and we said we would eventually get to those bridges when we crossed 'em. So here we go . . . I never believed a calzone was a sandwich. It's a pizza folded in a half prior to baking. It's more along the lines of a meat or veggie pie. However, this little number from Battistas in Edmonton makes me think otherwise. Branding itself as a pizza sandwich is one thing, but offering a calzone that stays perfectly in place like a sandwich, well, what is the difference between this and a panini? With only a handful of options from meatball to vegetarian (so far, a bite of a classico with roasted red peppers and capicolli is my favorite), these calzones open up the sandwich cloister for greater debate.

For years I would drive by Hap's Hungry House on Stony Plain and never step foot in. A friend who moved back to town after a number of years away suggested we go there, which was surprising a bit as she's sort of dainty, so away we went. Sort of like JBee's out in Beverly, but more quaint and less spiritual, I've been back, that's for sure. Curious about the McHap, which was more than suggested as being a bastardized McMuffin, they offer quite a different selection of meat choices beyond the usually expected. Beef sausage is an option, as is both back and side bacon, and while not on the option list for the McHap, you can get a side of pork chop with things, like your french toast.

Standing no bigger than a service counter in a storefront, Elm Cafe in downtown Edmonton always feel busy, even if it's just the two people behind the counter. Serving pretty good coffee, the draw has been their extensive sandwich list, from morning to noon specials and even muffulettas . Now they've been boasting that they serve the best sandwich in town, and so naturally I had to check this out. Stopping one bright and early a.m. for a morning sandwich, the special that day was free run organic egg and with brie and herbs. Served on a sizable whole wheat baguette that was a bit dry, there was something missing from each bite that prevented this sandwich from being awesome. Was it seasoning? Perhaps. The egg mixture was a bit bland, and could have really benefited from some colour and flavour from some roasted vegetables or anything not in the white to beige spectrum. My companion had a more colourful salami and pesto sandwich, which was perhaps too early for me to enjoy (desp...

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Naturally, breakfast sandwiches are items of lust and intrigue. A sampling of recent breakfast sandwiches are as follows: A ll Day Breakfast Sandwich from Wild Flour , Banff Often the first thing I eat when I arrive and often the last thing consumed before I leave this mountain town again, this breakfast sandwich from Wild Flour haunts me in a similar way to the vivid dreams I dream in Banff. A savory, fluffy frittata with specks of green onion and bell peppers, stacked with a slice of monterey cheddar cheese (If I am recalling correctly), always adding the optional strips of sliced bacon, all this goodness pressed between baked on-site sourdough, and melted into a delectably crispy and oozy and warm bite of morning goodness. There is absolutely nothing more perfect than that first corner bite, as the waiting time for this sandwich can be close to ten of the longest minutes of your life. Italian surprise Breakfast Sandwich, Leva Cafe , Edmonton...

There was a brief period in my early 20s when I seriously considered and attempted vegetarianism. For someone who grew up eating at least three different types of animal protein on any given day, this was a major feat, and I lasted for almost a month. Only, driving along downtown one afternoon, I had a sudden craving for a Vietnamese sandwich, assorted meats, from Van Loc. The warm crusty French bread, cradling pork liver pate, head cheese and other assorted cold cuts, sliced pickled carrots, fresh cilantro, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and a butter possibly mayonnaise concoction, made me realize I couldn't give up eating meats! I specify that it's not meat, but meats. This sandwich is the embodiment of everything I love about meats. Van Loc (10648 98 Street, Edmonton)

My mother is a champion sandwich maker. Every work night, she begins an assembly line of sandwiches for the other workers in our family, rolling out all the ingredients, putting them all together and packing them up in neat little packages. Many of the fixins, my mother makes from scratch. They used to be peanut butter and homemade jam. The jam came forth in huge batches every summer, measured, simmered and poured into glistening jars enough to fill sandwiches all year long. Then came the Dutch chocolate confections disguised as sandwiches that we used to get teased for eating. Now, the first tender sprigs of lettuce grown in her garden rows will make their way into turkey, bacon, lettuce and havarti sandwiches to feed tough guys who get their hands dirty. Then stop for lunch to praise the woman who grows enough lettuce to feed this army. -Happy Mother’s Day with love from Young Elvis Mum with a baguette cut in half, ready to make a massive sandwich

Stopping in one weekend evening to take in some Yamazaki 18 and chacuterie, I was swayed by the Daily Special of a Lorne Sausage sandwich, done in the style of the Scots. Traditionally knee-deep in grease, this particular sausage was done in a much leaner style, perhaps too lean, as I was craving that particular fattiness one expects with a sausage sandwich. Done as a slice of sausauge rather than individual links, the sandwich was otherwise supreme with 3 year aged cheddar cheese and a sufficient layer of fresh greens between chewy good bread. The accompanying tomato and double smoked bacon soup, which was everything soup should be, fresh, aromatic, warm from the palette to the gullet, was finished with cream and made me want another cup. Instead, between the bartender and I, indulgence knew no boundaries that night with shared plates of Colston Basset Stilton paired with the hardy Hercule de Charlevoix, coming with an arugula bitter pesto and hot pepper jelly. I couldn't help but...