I’m totally stealing Balko’s idea for a post celebrating the 250th anniversary of the invention of the sandwich. What are some of your favorite sandwiches and favorite places to get them? I’ll start with my own.
First of all, you still can’t beat the classic corned beef sandwich, preferably from a Jewish deli in New York. Katz’ Deli is my personal favorite, but there are lots of other good ones. A real corned beef deli sandwich should be just smaller than your head, big enough that you need to order at least 4 extra pieces of bread and turn it into 2 or 3 meals. And it should be served either with spicy brown mustard or with a horseradish sauce.
There’s a Carnegie Deli at the Mirage in Las Vegas that does a pretty good approximation of the classic, but not the Stage Deli at the MGM Grand, which should be ashamed to call itself a deli. I ordered a corned beef sandwich from there a few years ago while playing poker at the MGM and what they sent was an abomination: less than an inch thick, with a plain yellow mustard packet and cole slaw that was nothing but shredded cabbage and mayonnaise. If the mob was still running Vegas, the owners of that place would have found themselves buried in a hole out in the desert, and would have deserved their fate.
New Orleans is the home of two of America’s greatest sandwiches, the po boy and the muffaletta. You can find all varieties of po boys, from shrimp to softshell crab to oysters to roast beef. Try Casamento’s or the Parkway Tavern. Central Grocery is known for its muffaletta, but I’m sure the locals can tell you where the really good places are. Pro tip for finding good food when traveling: Ask the taxi drivers, and tell them you don’t want a tourist trap but the place the locals like to eat.
I also love a good Italian sandwich. The Italians are masters of meat curing, with a dizzying variety of incredible salamis and hams to choose from. I’ve heard that Salumi’s in Seattle is spectacular, but I’ve not been there (it’s owned by Mario Batali’s father, who trained under the most famous butcher in Tuscany). But you can make your own if you buy good quality meats, put them on good crusty bread and use something other than mayo or mustard (simple olive oil and vinegar works just fine).
What are some of your favorites?
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Brett McCoy
May 19, 2012 at 9:36 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Grilled cheese sammich. Anytime. Anywhere.
thompjs
May 19, 2012 at 9:39 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Peanut Butter, Jam, butter, Fritos.
Try it you’ll like it!
Brett McCoy
May 19, 2012 at 9:40 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
My grandfather used to eat cabbage and peanut butter sandwiches. He was from Maine. Guess they do things just a little bit different up there.
democommie
May 19, 2012 at 9:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Not to piss in the soup…according to former Monte Pythonista, Terry Jones, the sammich was invented by the Romans, ca the time that JESUS was invented. Having said that, one of my faves is a nice crusty baguetteish sortaroll, sliced, spritzed with olive oil, stuffed with a couple of grilled chorizo sausages, topped with potato sticks and shredded gruyere*, then put in a 400 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes. I know it doesn’t sound like much but eat one and you’ll be a convert. It’s on the menu of a local restaurant, La Parilla, in Oswego, NY.
Of course for the Oswiggers who are “purists”, it’s hard to beat a “Center cheese hot” from Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In. The Center cheese hot is a large center cut haddock filet on a very normal hamburg bun–which it dwarfs–with a slice of that totally fake orange cheddar cheese and a slathering of Rudy’s Texas Hotsauce (chili without it don’t got no beans). A little pricey at about $10 but delish as Rach would say.
* and before you ask, NO! badata chips and velveeta are NOT suitable subs.
Captain Mike
May 19, 2012 at 9:49 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The Monte Cristo is the final evolution of sandwich technology, beyond which no further advances are possible. Croque Madames are nice too.
My mom eats peanut butter and lettuce. A woman I went to college with was devoted to peanut butter and ketchup.
Michael Heath
May 19, 2012 at 9:51 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Low-rent breakfast sandwich from Subway:
6″ flat bread
Egg, sausage and pepper-jack cheese
Green peppers
Toast
Add spinach
Tomato slices – salt pepper heavily
Chipotle sauce
At home:
Slow-cook a deer neck in water with onions
Shred like pulled pork
Mix shredded meat and your favorite BBQ sauce into a pan of sauteed chopped onions and sliced green peppers.
Serve on a variety of breads
This is the first dish I cook and serve after killing a deer.
Thomas
May 19, 2012 at 9:54 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
+1 Fried Oyster Po Boy
dingojack
May 19, 2012 at 9:59 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Some of my favorite Samwiches (in no particular order):
Sandwich, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Sandwich, Illinois, U.S.
Sandwich, Massachusetts, U.S.
Sandwich, New Hampshire, U.S.
Sandwich Mountain & the Sandwich Range of the White Mountains
The former name of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and a neighbourhood there
The Hawaiian Islands, formerly the Sandwich Islands
Efate, formerly Sandwich Island
Part of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
[Oh and John Montagu (13 Nov. 1718 - 20 Apl. 1792)]
Have a Happy Sandwich Day all!
;) Dingo
——–
Well you just knew I was going to be contrary.
jimmiraybob
May 19, 2012 at 10:11 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
mmmmmmm
When I was growing up my favorite sandwich was baloney on white bread with orange mustard – and by favorite I mean that that’s what generally showed up in the lunchbox. Every other week we could afford to add lettuce or even dabble in the exotic braunschweiger. Sometimes, if there were leftovers, I’d get oatmeal loaf (seasoned with hamburger filler) and catsup sammiches.
In high school I discovered sandwhiches on the Hill (Italian neighborhood) in St Louis and have had none better since.
mmmmmmm, Amighetti’s
mmmmmmm, Mama Toscano’s
tomcoward
May 19, 2012 at 10:13 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Lobster roll. Becky’s Diner (“Nothin Finah!”). Portland, Maine.
Game, set, match!
neonsequitur
May 19, 2012 at 10:16 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I like the classics: ham and swiss on rye for me any day.
dingojack
May 19, 2012 at 10:21 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I’m a whiz at minesweeper I can play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you’re gonna stay amazed,
my fingers movin’ so fast I’ll set the place ablaze.”
There ain’t nothing a little Weird Al can’t teach you about life.
:) Dingo
nichrome
May 19, 2012 at 10:30 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
On Thanksgiving it’s not the main meal I like the most – it’s sandwiches made from the leftover turkey. Oven-roasted turkey with Gruyere, mayo, & cranberry sauce on a tangy sourdough bread!
ajb47
May 19, 2012 at 10:35 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Turkey Club. Because everything’s better with bacon.
I also like Italian Hoagies. The place I used to get my favorites closed — McKeown’s Deli. I have found a passable one at a nearby pizza place, but I am still searching. Most places don’t use the spicier salamis or pepperoni.
Gretchen
May 19, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The sandwiches at Carnegie Deli are great, but you have to ask for extra bread if you don’t want to try and eat two pounds of meat between two puny slices.
Other honorable mentions:
1. Muffaletta. I like ‘em with turkey.
2. Egg and cress, such as you can get from machines in British stores that have nothing to do with food.
3. Pulled pork, with pickle on the side
4. Salmon, creme freche, and lemon zest on rye
5. Plain ol’ grilled cheese, with fancy schmancy bread and cheese
left0ver1under
May 19, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I don’t have one favourite. It depends on what I have at hand.
Freshly cooked roast beef, roast chicken or roast pork slices nicely and makes for a good warm sandwich, alone, with mustard or with vegetables.
Cheese and onion rocks, but only use cheddar. The onion can be fresh and thinly sliced or pickled onions from a jar; both work well. Save the good cheese (e.g. Edam, Mozzarella, Gouda, etc.) for good deli meats. “American cheese” is crap, never use it.
PB&J is only good with brown bread (aka whole wheat) or rye bread. White breads have too much sugar to make it enjoyable.
White bread is good for one type of sandwich, though: fresh vegetables, especially cucumber or tomato and lettuce.
And come thanksgiving and christmas, try stuffing sandwiches (yes, bread in bread). I don’t believe the religious nonsense, but I like the food.
And a tip: instead of lettuce, try alfalfa sprouts. They’re easier to spread evenly than lettuce and add a nutty flavour.
Brett McCoy (#3):
Huh? It’s supposed to be lettuce, not cabbage. The moisture counters the dryness of the peanut butter.
If you think that’s strange my English parents liked cheese and jam.
burpy
May 19, 2012 at 11:02 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I have long considered John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich to be one of the greatest and most underrated heroes of the previous millennium. I have considered getting a tattoo of his likeness.
My favourite sandwich is the ham, lettuce and tomato, served on a thick crusty farmhouse loaf, with salad cream. My greatest sandwich experience was being given a “bocadillo” of serrano ham in half a crusty baguette, no sauce or seasoning, by my aunty at the age of 12.
emc2
May 19, 2012 at 11:02 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Seconding the Monte Cristo. My favorite Monte Cristo is actually at the Blue Bayou at Disneyland.
2nd Place goes to a Philly Cheesesteak from Pat’s.
reedcartwright
May 19, 2012 at 11:13 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Chargrilled pork Banh Mi, (Vietnamese-Houston, TX style)
French Dip
Trebuchet
May 19, 2012 at 11:34 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
#1 said it for me. Grilled Cheese. I put sliced jalapenos on mine.
Then of course there are burgers, which I suppose technically fall under the classification of “sandwich” but are really a topic all to themselves.
Lithified Detritus
May 19, 2012 at 11:37 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Some memorable sammiches:
Roast beef Po’Boy with debris at Mother’s in New Orleans.
Pulled pork at Corky’s in Memphis, served with cole slaw, like FSM intended.
Not sure if it qualifies as a sandwich, but it’s hard to beat a fish taco made with grilled Mahi Mahi.
Gregory in Seattle
May 19, 2012 at 11:44 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Peanut butter and banana. For an added treat, dip it in beatten egg and fry it in a bit of butter. Warm, gooey goodness.
Quodlibet
May 19, 2012 at 12:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Here in New England, when the tomatoes are in season, NOTHING beats a good home-made BLT – Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato.
There are conditions which must be met.
First, the bread: My own oatmeal bread, fresh and toothsome, thickly sliced.
Mayonnaise: Hellmans, spread thickly on each slice.
Bacon – Thick center-cut sliced bacon. A lot of it. Slightly crispy.*
Lettuce – Dark-leaved red oak lettuce or even fresh spinace. Dark leaves.
Tomatoes – Fresh, sweet, thickly-sliced tomatoes from our neighbor’s farm stand. Deep red and utterly delicious.
Cold milk to drink.
THAT is the best sandwich I know.
I do have a nostalgic fondness for two sandwiches from my youth (we were a poor family): 1) canned sardines and mayo on homemade bread, and 2) leftover baked beans on homemade bread, with some of my mother’s piccalilli.
* Easy way to cook bacon: Line a shallow glass baking dish with 3-4 layers of paper towel. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the paper towels; OK to overlap them slightly. Cover with 3-4 more sheets of paper toweling. Microwave on high for 8-10 minutes, depending on your microwave and the desired degree of crispiness. The melted grease is absorbed in the paper. Just one greasy dish to wash, and no mess on the stovetop.
geocatherder
May 19, 2012 at 12:09 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Home cooked turkey (like Thanksgiving leftovers), ripe avocado, really good Swiss cheese, a little Dijon mustard on sourdough bread.
dingojack
May 19, 2012 at 12:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Gregory in Seattle – deep fried? You don’t a ancestral link to Scotland by any chance?
:) Dingo
chezjake
May 19, 2012 at 12:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Childhood fave — peanut butter and bacon on wheat toast.
Perennial fave — Lebanon bologna* and Swiss on rye with garden lettuce and hot mustard.
Breakfast fave — Taylor pork roll, scrambled eggs, sauteed green peppers, and cheese on a toasted hard roll. (A North Jersey specialty.)
Recently had a surprisingly good “California Reuben” at the Angry Penguin in Waterford, NY. Corned beef, marinated artichoke hearts, cheddar cheese, with guacamole and aioli grilled on rye.
*Lebanon bologna is probably the only cold cut native to the US. It’s from Lebanon County, PA and is really more like a salami or Thuringer than bologna — made with a mix of beef and pork, sekrit spices, fermented with lactobacilli and then heavily smoked. Available through most of PA and NJ, and occasional spots in NY.
Ouabache
May 19, 2012 at 12:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’m a big fan of the muffaletta. There’s a small place here in Indy called Papa Roux that makes a great one. Their roast beef is good and spicy too.
dingojack
May 19, 2012 at 12:15 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
So what’s on the lunch menu then? :D
Dingo
ohioobserver
May 19, 2012 at 12:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hot pastrami, paper-thin and piled, on pumpernickel with hot mustard. Best one I ever had was at Hymie’s outside of Philly. More accessible (and almost as good) is at Corky & Lenny’s in Cleveland. I am sure I will die with one of these in my mouth. The risk adds flavor.
timpayne
May 19, 2012 at 12:19 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
For those with vegetable gardens, the first BLT of the season ranks somewhere above Thanksgiving dinner.
Note to Democommie – In Maine, haddock filets are available only in right or left handed versions, the “center cut” being reserved in blue plastic barrels for lobster bait. But I remember from college days that fish in upstate NY lakes grow in many strange configurations, so I’m not surprised you’re getting 3 sided haddock out of Ontario.
sosw
May 19, 2012 at 12:24 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Can’t imagine how that would work with the kind of rye I usually eat (very dark, very dry)…
I noticed that while visiting the US…typical “white bread” is something that doesn’t resemble what I’d even consider bread, it’s just mushy and disgustingly sweetened.
Generally, if a loaf of bread is rectangular and pre-sliced, I’m not going to use it for anything other than toast.
As for sandwiches…why make it into a sandwich unless you need to preserve it for later?
dingojack
May 19, 2012 at 12:25 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
ohioobserver – not strictly a sandwich, but Falafels come to mind.
:) Dingo
Strewth
May 19, 2012 at 12:28 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Just finished a fine sandwich – blend of strong but balanced flavours and textures. Sharp old cheddar cheese, dill pickle, crisp white onion slice, strong mustard flavoured with stout, all on a warmed crusty kaiser bun.
I also love any sandwich which marries thinly sliced, warmed beef with melty cheese. Mmm. Used to make those while camping. Sliced beef and cheese into a pita, wrap in foil, place near fire. Annnnnn….ticipate.
TGAP Dad
May 19, 2012 at 12:36 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Homemade peanut butter on homemade potato bread. Doesn’t get better than that.
Spanish redskin peanuts in a cuisinart until peanut butter.
Refrigerator Potato Bread from James Beard’s Beard on Bread.
chilidog99
May 19, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
In central illinois, they serve something called a “horseshoe.”
It should be called the MI on a plate.
it’s an open faced sandwich on a hot plate with bread, ham, rarebit cheese sauce and french fries on top.
dingojack
May 19, 2012 at 1:42 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
TGAP Dad – ‘beard on bread’ out here that’s called (blue or black) mould.
;) Dingo
davidthompson
May 19, 2012 at 2:12 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
In this part of the country you can get Tortas made in any number of configurations on chewy tellera rolls at Mexican sandwich shops. The Mexican version of the Cubano is always a good place to start. Second would be ban mi, also any number of configurations, but I like the pork and or the sausage the best.
sinned34
May 19, 2012 at 4:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Chicken Cordon Blue sandwich at the Wood Fire Bakery in Kelowna, BC (chicken breast cut in half, paired with sliced ham on a French baguette with garlic butter and garlic mayo, baked in an oven for 5 minutes to crisp it up).
Schnitzel sandwich at the Gasthaus On The Lake (Peachland, BC). One of the best schnitzels in Canada served with lettuce, tomato, sauteed mushrooms, and garlic mayo on a German kaiser bun.
I’ve been drinking since 10AM and thanks to this post now I’m hungry, too. Thanks, Ed.
blindrobin
May 19, 2012 at 4:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Kalbsleberwurst, lots of thinly sliced/shaver white onion, ground black pepper, strong mustard of choice, on schwarzbrot. Must be eaten with beer, radishes and pickles. Your frau should either eat something similar or you ain’t gettin’ any for a bit…
blindrobin
May 19, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh I didn’t mention tortas mexicanas… any variety,
democommie
May 19, 2012 at 5:12 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“Well you just knew I was going to be contrary.”
Dingojack, just so we’re clear; is the “sheepdip” a mutton au jus thing or an Outback dance move?
“Note to Democommie – In Maine, haddock filets are available only in right or left handed versions, the “center cut” being reserved in blue plastic barrels for lobster bait. But I remember from college days that fish in upstate NY lakes grow in many strange configurations, so I’m not surprised you’re getting 3 sided haddock out of Ontario.”
I spent nearly 35 years in seacoast NH, MA and ME. “Center cut” means the center of a LEFT or RIGHT filet. If there are any three sided haddock they prolly live right near the Hampton Harbor outfall for the Seabrook nuke’s cooling tunnels.
Michael Hoaglin
May 19, 2012 at 5:20 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
BLT with salmon…
Nova lox and cream cheese on toasted bagel…
Shrimp salad and avocado on grilled cheese…
Hmm. Apparently I like seafood.
sceptinurse
May 19, 2012 at 6:23 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Bacon and Tomato with my husbands home made bread and my home made mayo.
Muffalettas, again made with home made bread and home made olive salad.
Cheese especially good cheddar or Brie.
Avocado by itself on good french bread or with Brie or tomatoes or cucumbers or home made pickles or any or all of the above.
Really pretty much whatever I’m in the mood for at the time that I have have on hand.
WMDKitty
May 19, 2012 at 6:36 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I pretty much grew up on peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.
Dr X
May 19, 2012 at 7:23 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I like any hero at any authentic Italian deli in and around NY, but my favorite sandwich is Italian beef, a Chicago invention. Never had it until I moved to Chicago and it became my immediate favorite sandwich. Joe Boston’s is the best I’ve had, but any local stand(for godssakes, not arby’s) is good. I prefer it with provolone. For me, it’s ecstasy.
stubby
May 19, 2012 at 7:45 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
toasted english muffin bread
chicken breast
muenster cheese
red onion
mustard
bacon
Trebuchet
May 19, 2012 at 7:51 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I could go for a good BLT, or put some tomatoes on my cheese sandwich, grilled or not, if there were any good tomatoes around here. Sadly, there are usually not.
Lithified Detritus
May 19, 2012 at 8:55 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Azkyroth, Former Growing Toaster Oven
May 20, 2012 at 1:40 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Depending on the breadth of the definition of “sandwich,” two eggs, scrambled and then cooked into a sort of patty, two slices of Beligioso provolone, three pieces of Morningstar Farms imitation bacon broken in half, on an Oroweat golden egg bun.
davem
May 20, 2012 at 6:19 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The US obesity problem summarised in one sentence…
Sandwiches must have ham in them; it’s a geographical requirement to be local to Sandwich(the place). See this road sign near Sandwich: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doverpast/3672723972/
dingojack
May 20, 2012 at 6:59 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Clearly, ham can not approach any sandwich any closer than 1½ miles (2.414 Km).
Dingo
—–
Just for fun, where exactly, is this signpost? (lat. & long.)
davem
May 20, 2012 at 8:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
51.238277, 1.334195 on google maps (you can see the sign on streetview)
Lat/Long is 51° 14′ 17.80″ N, 1° 20′ 3.10″ E
dougtaron
May 20, 2012 at 9:58 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Fried clam roll from the Village Restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts. Farnham’s is also very good.
Gretchen
May 20, 2012 at 1:53 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yeah, davem, Americans are obese because of eating large corned beef sandwiches divided into two or three meals. You’ve rumbled us.
*rolls eyes out of her head*
inflection
May 20, 2012 at 3:03 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Any sandwich with roast beef, ham, cheese, lettuce, onion and mustard, eaten during the day of a Friday during Ramadan. I have one every year.
democommie
May 20, 2012 at 6:47 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“Fried clam roll from the Village Restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts. Farnham’s is also very good.”
Spoken like a native. The Village I used to live just off of 1A in Rowley and would see people qeued up for hours at McIntyres in Rowley, the Clam Box in Ipswich or Woodmans in Essex–all tourist traps as far as I’m concerned. After eating at The Village you could always go down the street a bit and listen to Orville Giddings at that bar on the left, going towards “Glawsta”.
sezme
May 20, 2012 at 10:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Nick’s Famous Roast Beef in Beverly, Mass. Famous is right and for a damn good reason.
http://www.nicksfamousroastbeef.com
dingojack
May 20, 2012 at 10:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
damem – awww! No triangulation? 9 miles from Dover, 4 miles from Deal and 2 miles from Sandwich, where the three circles cross…
:) Dingo
Midnight Rambler
May 21, 2012 at 4:46 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
An excellent addition to the standard peanut butter and jelly is sriracha hot sauce, spread on the top of the finished sandwich. It balances the sweetness, and goes especially well with blueberry jam. Everyone who’s seen me eat it thinks it’s crazy, but everyone who has actually tried it likes it.
kermit.
May 21, 2012 at 11:28 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
A Reuben sandwich. Corned beef with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing, grilled on rye bread. Preferably with good coffee, while a college student, and just after getting paid for your part time job.
Well, shoot. Now I want one. I wonder where the good delis are in my neck of the woods?
Indian recipe,Quick Indian recipe,Indian curry recipe,Appetizers recipe,Recipe for kids,Chicken recipe, Butter chicken, Find kentucky fried chicken,burger
May 23, 2012 at 8:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Indian recipe,Quick Indian recipe,Indian curry recipe,Appetizers recipe,Recipe for kids,Chicken recipe, Butter chicken, Find kentucky fried chicken,burger…
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