You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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...

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.

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!

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?

A mid afternoon Reuben before an early office dinner seemed like a bad idea, but the rush hour traffic getting out of the core was so bad that I was for once the only person not starving at the table. Still, I ate the most at that dinner, but my stomach had been contracted with this medium sized sandwich, light on the slaw, with fries and gravy extra, and some special Greek deserts thrown in. One of Avenue Diner's better hot sandwich offerings, I may ask for extra corned beef next time, just for good measure. PS. good pickle. wish I got two!

A birthday feast at Mamma Martino 's was not complete without multiple orders of garlic bread and house salad, and of course, a pizza pie, but as it was a special day, I also ordered the chicken parm sandwich, because I needed to know. The meat was tender and delicious, and I would definitely try the eggplant and veal in future orders, but it's hard, because all those other things also needed to be ordered, so maybe I will have to wait until my next birthday. It was also on Halloween when we went, and the haunted house at the owner's house was truly a magical, amazing time. The people at Mamma Martino's know how to have a good time, and whether he was earnest or not in inviting us back in the summer for a pool party, we may just show up anyhow.

A farewell ice cream sandwich one summer evening on Bloor Street, the Bakerbot on Bloor is not my favorite, but then again, ice cream sandwiches in general are losing my favour. This chocolate and raspberry combo did nothing for me, but my companion, who was doing the departing, enjoyed his, and so, it was worth it. Some backstory of the Bakerbot on Bloor and Ossington was given, but I did not retain. I don't see how there is even competition between the two anymore, but again, I have little invested.

While I never got on board with peameal bacon, this thick cut smoked bacon is something I still get thirsty just thinking about! From one of the first vendors near the main doors, they carve the bacon for you to take away or for immediate sandwich eating. Sharing this salty beast, the verdict was: "Glad we tried it, but I'd rather take home the bacon." Main reason: their bun sucks bad. A floppy oversized hot dog bun at best, it could barely hold the substantial salt of the bacon, let alone the fatty parts. It's been about two years, and I have still not gone back. I have passed by, and as long as they are using this cheap bread, I will continue perusing elsewhere for my meat salts.

Recently I ordered two grilled cheese sandwiches in the same week. I didn't take photos for either, because they were eaten and ordered so quickly that I forgot everything that led up to the last crumb consumed. But I will say that each sandwich determined something for me. Determined whether I would return to these establishments and how their kitchen was operating. As a happenstance run in catch up get together, I ran into a friend at one place and bicycled over to the Wallflower back patio on her recommendation to have a proper catch up and to get some food in me. Ordering a grilled cheese immediately before my friend even arrived, her deviled eggs still arrived before my sandwich was delivered. But the wait was worth it. A hot crispy buttery sandwich with a good cheesy stretch and a side of firm ruffage, I would definitely return to try more menu items from what I always thought was just a drinking hole. Later that week, hearing that Skyline diner had been bought up by ...

Brazil Bakery and Pastry remains my go to sandwich spot for sandwiches on the go. A small basket near the back has prewrapped sandwiches ready to go, and there's a real assortment of cold deli cuts, vegetarian options, and the occasional fried meat/fish option.  Thinking the panado was fried fish, as past options would lead me to believe, panado in fact a breaded chicken cutlet, very similar in texture and taste to a chicken fried steak. In a hearty sesame roll with lettuce and tomato (the former I could have done without), it was a great 3+ hour train snack.

I love Caribbean Queen, but this sandwich was a mistake. Her usual deliciously succulent and spicy jerk pork goes so well on her rice and peas, while would I try to fit it into a sandwich? The bread was more of a big flatbread bun and it could not even try to hold together the mess. Eventually just opening it up and eating the meat and leaving the rest, I admit it was my mistake to order it, but has anyone ordered this and been happy with it?

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am a lover of the Croque Monsieur. And yet, I rarely ever eat them. This is the first CM I have had in Toronto, and thank goodness I saved myself until now. Having only ever had beverages at Bivy, it never occurred to me that they had food options until I had a late afternoon meeting there and had not eaten lunch. While normally I would just get a soup, their option that day was tomato, and not trusting it to be a sweet and not sour tomato soup, I went full hog and ordered the Croque Monsieur. If it was bad, I was hungry enough that it did not matter. But no and behold, it was not bad looking, and not bad tasting either. While the bechamel was almost indiscernable in taste, but present in texture, everything else worked very well together to make this a warm, delectable treat. The bread was fresh and did not harden half way through the meal into a soggy lump; the cheese was excellent and not overly oily under the intensity of the broile...

  My go to fat man sandwich has been squarely placed onto the shoulders of Tony and Nick's Place .  I have worked my way down their meat-only menu from steak, veal, meatball, and now, sausage (I see now that there's a chicken option, a choice that I somehow never really seem to see or remember). A split sausage in a solid bun with marinara, I prefer my sausage sandwiches with a sauteed bitter green like a broccolini or turnip greens. Alas, the veal and meatball options remain tops, and I will try that chicken one day. Following a meeting in the vicinity one morning, I haven't visited Nonna's Place in over a year, and while I wasn't even that hungry, I had to order their veal. The first real breaded veal cutlet sandwich I have ever tried was at Nonna's, and while my loyalty has waned for some extensive field research, I return with a new found appreciation for what Nonna does right.  First, the marinara at Nonna's is the best. Hands down. Swee...

  I have been skeptical of this place as I only ever passed it later in the day when it was empty and I couldn't wait 15 minutes for a sandwich. However, after a week of not eating out, and finding myself at the intersection of College and Spadina, I stopped in for a sit down lunch at the Clubhouse Sandwich Shop . The place was packed with bodies sitting and standing all over the place. The cashier called out sandwiches to the kitchen and to the room with no distinction in tone or range, so that every time somebody ordered your sandwich, heads jerked up, teased about their hopes for sandwich readiness. The wait was very long, as people kept coming and going, and you know what? It was worth it. Not shy about its proportions and fillings, this battered cod sandwich was piping hot and so delicious. Not overly seasoned nor was the sandwich overly dressed, it was the perfect ratio of filling to bread intake, and I did appreciate the pre-cut. A lot of students we...

I totally at first mistook this array for an airport meal! But alas, this was an impulse order from this tiny soup and sandwich place on the West side of Spadina between Adelaide and Richmond. I can't remember the name or find it right now, but it's a few steps down and they also offer sushi and other treats. I always forget about that place, but it's always pretty good. Their soups are all home made and delicious, and between the egg salad sandwich and tuna salad salad, I was taken care of that day.

Here it is, the toasted baguette banh mi, which has been sorely missed in this town so far. Baguette & Co. has been on my radar, if not because people keep telling me how they keep trying to go for a sandwich, but they always sell out. A sign of fresh bread! Having an early meeting nearby one day, my co-worker and I stopped in for a sit down lunch. She got the tofu and I got the chicken, and we ended up splitting half and half. The bread is what I remember, as the crunch is so essential to what I consider a banh mi. The owner agreed, and she went on a rant about the colonial history of the banh mi by the French and the necessity of toasting a fresh baguette to make it an actual banh mi. I was into it. 

Pre-flight breakfast sandwiches at home, with the rest of the baguette making more sandwiches for the plane and the other side. Apple and brie with fig jam on the left and avocado and egg on the right. Open-faced sandwiches are debatable at times, but here, no cutlery required and the addition of a top baguette would bring more harm than good. 

So on one of my social media profiles, the last line of my bio reads: "Somebody please bring me a sandwich!" I included that because I'm always hungry, and I am rarely prepared for the condition. I try to keep granola bars in my bag, but I often forget to refill the supply once consumed. After a recent meeting at my office with a new community colleague I had never shared much of an interaction with, she pulled out a ziplock bag of two homemade cheese and eggplant pita sandwiches and two apples. She shyly said that she had read this on my profile, and thought that I could share this lunch with one of my office co-workers. How nice! I did just that, and the bread was still warm. I can't say i actually expected anyone to ever bring me a sandwich, but now that it's happened, I am forever spoiled, and grateful.

I keep passing this place on Gerrard Street in East Chinatown, but I'm always en route to a lunch or dinner, if not a second dinner, so I have never had the stomach time to try out one of Rose's Vietnamese sandwiches . While it's more common now than ever to call these sandwiches banh mi's, this linguistic disparity made me realize that this place has been around for a long time. At last, I had an hour between meetings one day, and even though I was downtown in the central Chinatown, I hopped onto the streetcar and went over the DVP for this guy. Rose's also offers lots of other treats, but I stuck to the the game plan and just got the assorted and a juice box to go. Even wrapped in plastic, the scent was incredibly overpowering, as I could smell it the entire way back downtown even if in my bag. This is quite a feat coming from a cold sandwich! Chomping it down outside before a screening, I also couldn't bare to eat this inside as there's no way this c...