You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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!

Since complaining about not having a decent sandwich deli around, I've been told to check out La Grotta Del Formaggio across town. As I have a rule about not visiting delis if I can help it on a weekend and as I work a day job, La Grotta has eluded me, until now. Breaking for the holidays a week early and going nowhere, I finally stopped into this deli on Commercial Drive between visits with a baby and out of town guests. A healthy sized line up for a late Friday afternoon only encouraged me to join, even if I wasn't hungry at all. I opted for the small crusty bun rather than the long bun or round focaccia, and went with a medley of dijon, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, provolone, marinated eggplants, olives, purple onion, and salami. Non grilled. The bun was a classic pagnotta, hard crusty shell with soft fluffy insides. Absorbed the vinegar and oil extremely well and one of my favorite sandwich breads always. This one holds up and they did not shy on the fillings, whi...

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.

Driving through Saskatoon, the stop made on the way was at the soon-t0-be moved Mendel Art Gallery. Nestled in the beautiful river valley, we stopped in at the Gallery Cafe for a bite to eat, and a soup and sandwich combo was really the only option. A tasty tomato cream soup was basic and classic, and I had the Italian panini which unfortunately had a thick spread of tomato paste between the mozza and cold cuts. Otherwise, it would have been perfectly delicious, or maybe a simple replacement of vegetable spread would have done the trick. On our way back, we stopped on Broadway and checked out the Diner. I call it "the" diner because it's the oldest one, with a full on Elvis shrine, which of course is important to this blog. I had the daily special of pulled pork with a salad, which seems like a contradiction, but I couldn't stomach another plate of greasy fries. The sandwich filling was surprisingly good, probably because it was saturated with sugar, and the bread was...

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)