You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

  The original spot for torta de chilaquiles, the line-up to La Esquina Del Chilaquil  was down the block by the time I arrived at 9:30AM. Workers ran back and forth from their corner pop up tent to an indoor kitchen out of sight to refill bins of red sauce, green sauce, fried meat, and chilaquiles. Only operating for about 5 hours a day from 8:30 to 1PM or whenever they sell out, the hype was strong, and the hype was real. While a torta is your run of the mill sandwich, chilaquiles is a popular breakfast dish of fried tortilla chips served with hot salsa. Some have called this dish a soggy nacho, but I don't think that this description does justice to the level of salsa involved. Yes, the chips are soaked in salsa, but if the salsa is fresh and deeply flavourful, then what's the problem? Apparently, this was the first place to load the torta with a heavy helping of chilaquiles. In my mind, this would be a mess, and in my hands, it was one of the messiest wettest sandwich expe...

This blog has been neglected. I'm sorry, but not sorry, as life took me in a different direction for the last several years, and compounded with the global pandemic, I did not travel for about three years. Homemade sandwiches were made and enjoyed. Many a thick cut bacon and equally thick cut seasonal tomato sandwich on artisanal whole wheat was savoured with a cut of mayonnaise. I became my own favorite lunchtime deli counter, out of necessity. But of course, one tires of familiarity, and eventually, new flavours and textures are desired. In my first 24 hours in Chicago, a night was spent at the redesigned Chicago Athletic Association, formerly a private gentlmen's club. A decadent steak dinner was enjoyed off premise, but breakfast was sampled in its distinctive  Cherry Circle Room . As the original name for the private club's longstanding lounge, the redesign of room and menu plays off the old boys' vibe of exclusivity and Chicago's love for wood paneling, and to...

  My mini midwest tour continued to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a place known more for breweries and deep fried cheese curds, but my timing was fortuitously aligned with the recent opening of Hen's Deli . Located in the neigbhorhood of Walker's Point, in a former hole in the wall soup shop, Hen's began at the local farmer's market under the name Clark Street Sausage Co. Establishing a fan base with unusual items (for Milwaukee) such as ramen and a pork pastrami sandwich, their brick and mortar location offered a small, but mighty menu of established favorites along with some new offerings on rotation.  I was on my way out of town as I learned about Hen's, which is unfortunate timing for me. Stopping in with some locals in the morning, we got several breakfast bagel sandwiches to go on the everything bagel with sausage. Without a doubt,  their house made sausage patties served as the foundation that held it all together. Tucked on top was a slippery little muffin tin egg (...

Not a single post was made last year. This wasn't done consciously, but looking back, I guess not a single author had it in them to share the joy we feel for the sandwich. It wasn't that sandwiches were not enjoyed, or eaten and critiqued with each mouthful. I know for myself, I ran out of mustard to share. Last year was full of lows and a handful of highs, and it took all the relish, ketchup, extra onions, and pickle out of me. I don't even think this post pictured above is from 2018, which if I am remembering correctly, was of a reuben, served automatically with sauerkraut on the side. It was more of a sloppy grilled cheese over buttered, and that quarter sliced pickle could barely cut through the fat of each mouthful, but its presentation was dramatic. Last year also saw my phone die and with it, many many photos of sandwiches long gone, but somehow this photo sums up a lot of last year, too. Eat well this year, my friends, and hopefully we can stay in touch bett...

Nowhere else in the world have I visited where the slab of breaded chicken or veal sits soaked in marinara on a round crusty bun. Usually hot or sweet peppers accompanies, with additional options of mushrooms, cheese, and onions. I have tried as many of these sandwiches as possible in the city, but more of them keep cropping up. Here is the latest batch, with some additional thoughts on their origins and varieties: Pictured above is a chicken sandwich from Bitundo's, located in Little Italy, Toronto, on a side street near the Monarch Tavern. I got mushrooms and cheese as my extras, and ate it on a frosty night in mere seconds. Lots of walk in pick ups for pizza were happening, which is pretty good business considering it sits directly across from another pizza + sandwich joint, San Francesco's. And while Bitundo's is more modest in appearance, their breaded meat offering was far more appetizing than the disaster I once had at SF's. While pizza seems be their big bu...

Before catching a late AM train, I popped into one of the massive underground and overground foodcourts beneath the financial district for a bite to eat. Pumpernickel's may have been located on one of the second-floor food courts, if I am recalling correctly, as the place I initially tried going to wasn't ready for lunch orders. All in all, this was not a bad spinach omelette bagel. The bagel was just good enough to be edible, but nothing amazing, but the omelette was really hot and not too greasy and I felt quite full afterwards, which is harder to do than you'd think. Nothing like a bit of a cheese string to tug at the heart strings. Nothing fancy here, but consistent and tastes of care, I grabbed this hot egg and bacon sandwich from Sidebar on Spadina, just south of Camden, or Richmond, a real hole in the wall that most people never notice as it's also a few steps down from pedestrian level. Everything is always prepared fresh, but it's never overly seaso...

I forgot about going to Clafuti's in Outremont on a couple of occasions this past summer when I was staying nearby for a few days. Their upstairs space with free wi-fi is nice when it's not too busy, but I was quite disappointed by these sandwich offerings, especially considering how expensive they were. A smoked salmon offering on a brioche bun was skimpy on the fish, and a bit dry on the bun. And this sad pressed ham and cheese croissant was not worth any of my time. Considering a new bakery opened up a few doors down with much better sandwiches and service, and dare I say, a far superior croissant, I bid adieu, Clafoutis.

This tasty crispy fish sandwich tastes just like the fish entree from other Portuguese bbq restaurants nearby, where the fish tastes like a greasy cloud of hope. Unlike conventional breaded fish sandwiches out there that tastes frozen or flimsy, this fish sandwich is sturdy af, so much so that I mistook this photo originally for a chicken sandwich snap. Dining in for a change at the Brazil Bakery, where I have raved over their grab and go sandwiches more than once , and been confused about whether I was eating chicken or fish more than once , their dine-in area may not be the warmest atmosphere, but I'd brave the freezing cold aluminum chairs and hostile stares from the regs any day for this bite again.

There's really no way to have photographed and salvaged this sandwich from Serrano's. The last time I posted about this sandwich, I was dreaming of smashing a few of their creamy, fluffy potatoes inside the sandwich, and here the dream is. I will only get the sandwich this way from here on it. 

The last time I visited Vancouver, I made sure to include a stop into La Grotta del Formaggio , an Italian grocery store on Commercial drive that does this monster sandwiches. It's hard to find a good sandwich in that town, but this place kept me satiated, which is no easy task. Pictured above is a mountain of capicola with roasted red peppers, eggplant, red onion, and provolone on whole wheat. Expect long line-ups, but that time is best used to think about which meat and cheese and toppings you want. Do you really want a whole focaccia, or just half? (I got a whole loaf). I was happy to see they even offer whole wheat focaccia bread that is as tasty and fluffy as white bread, as it's a slightly healthier option, because it's still Vancouver.

Man I love Reuben's in Montreal. From top to bottom we have the beef melt, the classic reubens, and the beef dip.  Surprisingly, I love the beef dip the most, as that jus is killer! Real classic steakhouse mood with all your favorite heart attack dishes, their sandwiches are hardly an afterthought to the bevy of entrees. In fact, I would say their sandwiches are the real stars. What I love most about the beef dip is how juicy the baguette already feels even before you dip it. This is a fine dip sandwich, which is hard to do. So many disappointments have been experienced before this one, which is perhaps why it's so elevated here. The reuben is A+, but in a town that does smoked meat every which way, I don't remember it as distinctly better or worse. The melt I will probably not get again, as I was just curious, but I'd rather take the dip any day. Mmm Mmm Reuben's! 

Hangry and wandering the streets of Peterborough, my travel companion and I spotted a crowd outside of Sam's Deli . They looked sporty and satisfied, so that was a good a bet as any. With quite an extensive menu list, including gluten-free bread for my t.c., I settled on a Peterborough smoked meat while she had a turkey club on g.f. bread. I don't say this lightly, but this was one of the best dan sandwiches around! Even on g.f. bread it received two thumbs up! Fresh quality bread on the soft side makes such a luxurious sandwich, with all the remnants of a homemade sandwich, but superb quality cuts of meat folded inside. All meats were cured and smoked in house from locally sourced farms, and the difference is exceptional. I kind of wanted a second sandwich, but I did not want to ruin the experience by taking it on the road. Sam's alone is reason enough to go back to Peterborough, which didn't give me the best vibes, but great sandwiches. While the side potato ...

Was this sandwich any good? Where did it come from? I have been traveling so much this year that I have lost count of where and when these sandwiches were eaten. The big square plates and dark table top make me think I was in Montreal, as why would I order such a thing in Toronto, where I could easily make a superior version at home. But I could have had a sudden craving for halloumi, as the bread looks flimsy, and Montreal rarely does flimsy bread. I have a sensation that the salad was good, and this sandwich was actually all right, despite the bread. The plate is too large for what it holds, I wonder if this was some kind of airport meal I had treated myself to as this doesn't look like something I would order by choice at a restaurant of my choosing, but something somewhere where options were severely limited. If pressed, I would probably order it again.

Tostos is known for their pizzas, and their pastas, but they also serve sandwiches and salads. Having tried all four categories, their namesake as a pizza and pasta bar should just serve those things. True, I want to still try their meatball sandwich, but on this day for this meeting, I had the cold cut sandwich. The ciabatta bun was not impressive, nor was the serving size. I remember the meats were heavily cured, but I wish it came on a thin baguette, so that I could enjoy a better meat to bread ratio with each bite. Since their home made pizza dough was so good, in that square Roman style, I thought their bread would be better. Ah well!

I ate here twice and got take out once over a span of a week in Winnipeg. Banh Mi King just seemed to have what I was craving, starting with this taster of their assorted banh mi. The slaw and dressing ate first, and it was both acidic and spicy with a nice crunch. Moving on to the sandwich, the meats were well-made and no skimping on portions. I did want more pickled vegetables, and could have asked for as such next time, but this was the only time I got a banh mi. Does this mean I didn't really like it? I mean, the bread wasn't toasted, but I don't recall that being a problem. Or was I eager to try their extensive menu ? I never did try their baoger, which I'm not sure fits into this blog, but on sandwich alone, I would and have tried this place again, and again.

Formerly known as Fitzroy, or just in its same location, I had very fond memories of the Sherbrook Street Deli's smoked meat sandwich, which in all the years since I last had it, I thought was tongue. So upon returning to this deli, I ordered the tongue. In fact, I double downed on it. Getting twice as much meat as I remember how succulent and moist it was. The sandwich that came was not the sandwich I once had. This meat either needed another round in the pressure cooker, as it was still quite full of sinew. My dining companion had hers (regular portion) with a schmear of liver pate, and that was a good call. The slaw was decent, but forgettable, as were their kettle chips, but they do a good pickle. I ate this hulking pile of tongue meat, and wondered if I had simply ordered the wrong sandwich, or if that wonderful flaky salty meat memory will just have to remain a memory.

I love an all-day breakfast option, but a "healthy" breakfast option? Eating at Nuburger was more by default than by choice, as all the other restaurants I wanted to try in Osborne Village were closed that day. I like trying new places, but a place that prides itself on making healthy burgers sounds like a place that skimps on fatty flavour. Ordering their "It's Always Sunny" breakfast sandwich, as I must have felt extra healthy in not wanting their nitrate-free bacon, I was surprised by how long it took for the food to come out, and by how expensive this was. As you can see, the hard cheese and salad sits on top of an overcooked egg. The pesto aioli was pretty bland, and overly generous, but the crisp focaccia toasts weren't bad, but a strange highlight in this medley. Perhaps what really bummed me out was the decor, which was bright white lights and a lot of brushed steel and white plastic. It made me feel dead inside, and this sandwich did not re...

An email from Carla to JD, with love.

This is why I keep a sandwich blog. This. Right here. Eggplant parm at Nonna's gets your automatic cheese, and I'm pretty sure out of that free cheese guilt I paid extra to get zucchini, which was hella not necessary, but have I mentioned that I'm eating healthy now?