You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

At first, not salty enough, though the curried creaminess dotted with mango and raisins builds in flavour and eventually, I don’t question it anymore. Still, the logic of tomato and lettuce on this sandwich escapes me. A crispy green apple might work better, but at the end of the day I've got no complaints because "The Potrero Hill" (as it's called at Klein's) ranks as the best airport sandwich in recent memory.

There’s a lot going on here. Eating this in a taxi on the way to the airport, I swore to myself to remember the details of what made this creamy Sammie explode but it’s hazy. The 5-inch thick sandwich included the typical three slices of plain brown bread, and played host to many layered ingredients expected in the Club Sandwich genre. A roasted veggie tomato spread of some sort, lettuce, cucumber, turkey, a rather tasteless cheese I didn’t realize was there at first, perhaps avocado or some other greenery before a fantastic fried egg and the customary bacon. Lots of mayonnaise with unidentified green herbs or onions perhaps and butter, providing a deliciously slippery mess of a Club. From the brightly inviting storefront, the nice service, and cute-named breakfast plates, the ladies who work here also seem quite fun. 

I'll gladly go on record here to say this is the best sandwich at the Toronto International Airport for under ten bucks. Herein we find everything needed for a decent "falafal" experience, save possibly pickled turnip and a drizzle of olive oil and cumin or other toasted spices to upgrade the presentation of the two dips: hummus and baba ganoush. Hummus seems to have something slightly sweet, perhaps sweet potato or red pepper in the mix. Otherwise, a slice of fresh lemon, sliced cucumber, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, crisp lettuce, kalamata olives and springy pita are all on deck, and there is enough of each to go around. 

While I’ve eaten some noteworthy sandwiches in the past year (gloopy mess from Marius in Montreal, I’m looking at you), none have been really inspiring enough to write about until now. And besides, I’d much rather start things off on a positive note. At first, the “lard bread” description almost scared me off, but the classic tomato, basil, roasted red pepper, mozzarella combo was too much to pass up. In the end, a very good choice, enjoyed while sitting in a rickety chair out front of Mazzola’s, watching Brooklynites walk their myriad dogs and kids on the first sunny day of the season. My sources tell me that the sandwiches are a relatively recent addition to the menu here, and I will definitely be back for more. Whatever lard bread is, it is wonderful. Soft and a little chewy without being at all hard, golden brown almost croissant-like exterior, and not a hint of crust-burn. Okay, okay those might be bits of bacon in there adding a little spice, but I stopped being an...

Both offerings are quite small.  On first bite, the Porter mini (right) is a clear winner. The Turkey brie features a thick pleasantly creamy piece of brie and absolutely decent shaved turkey, with a festive cranberry studded mini bread. Plus a side of chewy oatmeal cookies? No contest. BB Caprese features rubbery cartoon bread, insubstantial tomato and tasteless mozza. Confession: this is the kind of "research" sandwich purchased only because it epitomizes an excuse to gripe. It doesn’t disappoint in that regard! 

This sammie doesn't have a ton of curb appeal when shut with the breaded edge facing outwards, and so was skeptical of it. I assumed that the bun would have a hard shell to rip up my mouth - the unfortunate side effect of a crusty sandwich.  But within my first few bites, I cannot believe the error in my ways. What a brilliant concept to pile Eggplant Parmesan with tomato ragout into a feather-light bun! It has a sharp tomatoey tang with just the right amount of acidity, and the satisfying oily texture of eggplant melts right into a kind of savory pudding in the mouth. Presumptions aside, this elegant and hearty Italian comfort food is packed with flavor and it does so right in the convenient format afforded by the sandwich. *Editors Note: Sadly the Eggplant Parmesan is no longer in rotation at PLENTY.

  I always want to think that radicchio prepared in this way is a high-class Italian thing, but honestly it’s a bit strange tasting. Maybe the magic is in the pairing, and in this instance, the cheese here wasn’t quite right. They seem to have retired this sandwich since I first had it. Lest readers think that I use You Say Sandwich as a platform for complaining, I'm thrilled to report that the PLENTY Nicoise sandwich is so good I’m surprised I haven’t come across it before—my favorite salad in sandwich form! Olive tapenade, tomato, cucumber, hard boiled egg, tuna salad with green onions. This is just such an overdue sandwich concept. I once feared that these loaves would rip up the top of my mouth--the phenomena that J.D. and I tend to call “crust burn”--but they’re surprisingly gentle for the good tooth exhibited.  The roasted shallot salad dressing on the greens that accompany each sandwich is sweetly addictive.

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...

I have to begin by saying that The Early Bird serves a sandwich called "The Fat Elvis" which struck fear in my heart, so I did not order it. I chickened out, and  J.D. Salami may never let me live this down. I generally tend to be the 'safe' veggie-sandwich-ordering pussy here at You Say Sandwich , and sometimes I do have a little shame about that as J.D. waxes eternal on the deliciousness of meat fillings. Note the smoked bacon on this plate. Carrying on. The Toad in a Hole was more like a Toad in a walkup apartment. Huge. Served with a knife stabbed in to help tackle the thing, a very convincing psycho-billy touch for this punk styled diner. Now that I am compiling my impressions on this towering toad palace, I wonder if the avocado tempura is supposed to be the toad, peeking out from under the bread. It sure looks like one! Regardless, there are a lot of mixed metaphors happening on my plate, but the unfortunate thing about the deep-fried avocado conce...

The avocado and tomato in this chicken sandwich are extraordinarily fresh, and the whole works was free because of a VIA Rail train delay, yet something doesn’t add up. Part of the issue is the rubbery flatbread, which looks and seems satisfying at first but is actually disappointing and tasteless. The chicken has a pallid reheated flavour. Two hours from my destination still, I want to believe in finishing this courtesy sandwich, but I simply cannot. And that makes me feel like a picky jerk. 

Advertised as the "Specialty Sandwich" on board the Oakland to Los Angeles Amtrak train, this $9.75 grilled cheese seems a safe vegetarian bet, just as a bagel and cream cheese does when faced with weird processed meat choices aboard the VIA Rail in Canada. The specialty allegedly features gruyere and smoked cheddar, however each cheese was tasteless, plastic, and greasy, cooling to reveal six slices of highly processed cheese product. The crisp, somewhat grainy bread absorbed cheese sweat from inside, completely obliterating any relief that the mustard or tomato could have provided, and was thoroughly saturated in a meaty residue from the grill on the outside. This sandwich leaves the kind of mouthfeel that a glass of water cannot wash away. Note: pack toothbrush in carry-on.

This focaccia fella already had spinach, tomato, roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers and grilled portobello mushrooms, so why the hell not add some thinly sliced roasted yams? Focaccia sandwiches (that are not subjected to the panini grill) are such a delight because the soft inner bread absorbs some of the moisture and flavor of squishy roasted ingredients without becoming soggy. For a college cafeteria sandwich, this combination had an impressive freshness, fantastic and integration of flavors. Deep bites of grilled mushroom work so well here that the yams might be overkill. My bad.

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.