Author Archives: Pete

Turkey Club, Stages Deli, 7th Ave, New York, NY

Posted on by

Stages Deli is a New York institution and they are quick to remind you of this. The newspaper clippings and photos of famous people who have stopped in for a knish show the full range of time that Stages has been serving classic delicatessen meals in midtown Manhattan. For 70 years Stages Deli has been urging all comers to try the stuffed sandwich.

I remember as a young boy discarding section after section of the newspaper, ignoring all matters of politics and finance. My only interest lay in Dagwood Bumstead and his latest act of grandeur. Dagwood was something of a mythical figure from my formative years, and in the excess and experimentation of my adolescence I tortured myself with two questions: ‘Can this be built higher?’ and ‘Why didn’t this work?’ It did not occur to me for some years that it was the scale that was bringing ruin to my creations.

While Stages is not guilty of piling on ingredient after ingredient the sandwich is no less ostentatious for its limited number of ingredients. I regret that the photo I have included is of such poor quality, dear reader I have seen a great number of sandwiches but the size of this beast was enough to take me aback. Almost as tall as the water glass there has to be four solid portions of turkey, more than a half dozen slices of bacon, 3 or 4 slices of tomato, and a fair amount of iceberg lettuce. The toothpick you can barely see is buried to the hilt and still did not touch the bottom third of this sandwich. I thought I understood the motivation. This had to be a sandwich made by someone who believes in Sandwiches, believes in America, believes in God, and moreover that God loves America, that God loves sandwiches, that he would bless such a towering effort.

When I first saw this sandwich I marveled at the size and thought silently to myself about all of those failed attempts. Maybe I was just too young and too foolish, and some master craftsman toiling away in a noted deli had discovered what I had not. Maybe this sandwich was the magnificent creation I had dreamed of but never realized. It was not. From the first bite it became clear that this was not a divinely inspired attempt at greatness, but a callous stack of sub-par ingredients designed to flabbergast tourists. The turkey was dry and flavorless, seemingly roasted plain. The bland and mushy typical out of season tomatoes had lost whatever flavor they once had to the refrigerator they were stored in. Iceberg lettuce has its place but deployed by default it is the calling card of a hack and with one bite of this sandwich I realized I should have known. Maybe this sandwich was something some day. Maybe in the heady post-war days someone put a little more care into things and it all came together. Maybe back then something grand was possible. Now, though, now it is late afternoon in America and this is just a bad sandwich.

Carnitas Torta – Taqueria Castillo B, McAllister St, San Francisco, CA

Posted on by

This sandwich was quite a pleasant surprise! When I order a torta I expect a particular construction and style, the center of which is a large fluffy roll. As you can plainly see in the above photo that is not what I got. This sandwich was served on a thin roll grilled crispy. The carnitas and the guacamole were decent enough but unspectacular and the sour cream was a bit heavy handed but all together this sandwich was a nice change of pace from the standard. I have been accused in the past of holding too fast to the traditional idea of what makes a sandwich and I have always offered in my defense that I do not object to things done differently, only things done poorly. This sandwich is a perfect example, it was not at all what I was expecting but it was quite good.

Grilled Chicken Ciabatta – Monterey Coast Brewing Company – Main St, Salinas, CA

Posted on by

In the same way that you can find the measure of a chef in their omelette the measure of a restaurant can often be found in their grilled chicken. On many menus it is an afterthought, a slapped together kaiser roll, a few pieces of limp lettuce, a mushy tomato and a dry chicken breast. At the other end it can be spectacular with unique sauces, fresh or off-beat vegetable partners and moist chicken. The version presented by the Monterey Coast Brewing Company is a bit pedestrian but well executed. The real standout was the ciabatta roll, soft baked and with plenty of rosemary flavor. A hard crust on the bread would have brought the sandwich down, as the healthy helping of pesto rendered the chicken a bit unstable. The soft crust was a nice compliment then, perhaps showing a bit of thought behind a fine example of the grilled chicken sandwich.

Mozzarella & Roasted Tomato – Twist Cafe, E Campbell Ave, Campbell, CA

Posted on by

Though I have previously railed against an overabundance of cheese in a sandwich that criticism hardly seems apt when the cheese is the point. Further, mozzarella is a mild cheese and is rather suitable to being presented as the big idea in a sandwich. This wasn’t a spectacular sandwich but it was a fine midweek lunch, the sort of pleasing but ultimately forgettable sandwich which we all come upon rather frequently. The bread had a nice crust to it and the crunch presented a fine contrast to the gooey cheese. The roasted tomatoes had a subtle sweetness which was a bit overshadowed by the balsamic reduction glaze. Altogether a fine sandwich about which there is no need to wax poetic.

Roast Pork – Philippe’s French Dip Restaurant, N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA

Posted on by

Roast Pork, Twice Dipped

Some time ago I updated this blog with a bit of a complaint about repeatedly being served things that were not sandwiches. I realize that this is no great affliction in life, but all the same I am afraid it tempered my enthusiasm for a fine sandwich. Too many times sitting down for a treat and finding a split roll, I suppose. That said I am not posting today to detail the cooling of my passions, but the opposite. I am posting today to describe how my love for sandwiches was restored.

Phillipe’s is a Los Angeles institution, and the sandwich that they present is one of simple perfection. It is roast meat dipped in juice and served on a french roll. Cheese is available but is not a standard part of the sandwich and mustard is provided at each table but obviously is also optional. Phillipe’s is one of two places laying claim to inventing the French Dip sandwich and you could not ask for a better example of the type. The meat is hot, tender and flavorful, roasted until it sings. It comes dipped in hot drippings and if one so desires the sandwich can be “twice dipped” for maximum effect. Though I have heard tale of sandwiches so juicy that they had to be eaten over a bowl it was my experience that the french roll held together just until it was devoured. The mustard provided is heavy on the horseradish but I found it to be a wonderful compliment to the sandwich.

I cannot imagine anything more simple than the French Dip. Upon taking a bite I was instantly angry I had not ordered two. It was the very essence of the sandwich and exactly what I needed.

Chicken & Cheese – Philly Diner, Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA

Posted on by

Chicken & Cheese - Philadelphia

An associate of mine has very strong opinions about cheese on sandwiches, which is to say that he doesn’t approve. It is a virtual categorical prohibition with him, not due to lactose intolerance or any other allergy but simply because he sees it as unnecessary. It is a dominating ingredient, drowning out more subtle notes and far too often the cheeses used in the sandwich world are fairly common in flavor. I sympathized with him but had long held that cheese, like any other bold ingredient, had its place. Cheese, I thought, simply needed a skilled hand.

This sandwich caused me to revisit everything I thought I knew about cheese. A grilled chicken breast and sauteed mushrooms drowned in American cheese between two pieces of toasted white bread. “Well there’s your problem,” I can hear you saying, “try something a little less pedestrian next time and you’ll find yourself doing all right.” I will give you that point but I have to wonder about the larger issues, especially as found in restaurants. Sure, while at home you can carefully incorporate just the right amount of fine goat cheese but what about when out in the world? There are ingredients in sandwiches that one should stay away from in most shops, such as fried foods, but cheese can hardly be avoided. It is ever present in restaurant sandwiches from the lowest franchise ‘eatery’ to the most rarefied sandwich shops and I fear the day where America’s love for plenty overwhelms its good sense.

This is not a sandwich.

Posted on by

Porky's Revenge
The Porky’s Revenge, Hank’s Eats, Polk St, San Francisco, CA

I have sat down to write this post several times and each time I have refrained from doing so. This blog is supposed to be a celebration of things, an honest expression of a love. That need not include, I thought, rantings from me about intent and honest representation and the proper axis of a sandwich. No one likes a curmudgeon and so up until now I have avoided all of this discussion. I will apologize in advance for what I am about to say but I cannot take it anymore.

Though I have been known to spend quite some time considering a menu there was no such lengthy deliberation at Hank’s Eats. The Porky’s Revenge advertised slow roasted pork shoulder topped with tomatoes, onions and Hank’s Special Sauce. I expected just the kind of simple but delicious sandwich I’ve been seeking out these days, and what I got might best be described as an overgrown taco!

The idea of what is and is not a sandwich comes down to the obvious and the intent. The obvious is the precious few simple qualifications that must be met, namely bread on the top and the bottom and some other ingredient in the middle. The intent is what makes it a sandwich and what ends up disqualifying the Porky’s Revenge. In order to be a sandwich the intent must be for the food to be eaten aligned horizontally. It is in this that we find sandwiches in harmony with our mouths and indeed our larger selves. It is in this that we find each bite encompassing the sum total of the ingredients in the sandwich, all of them represented in their proper proportions. It is in this that a sandwich becomes a sandwich.

There are sandwiches served on rolls, even sandwiches served on rolls that weren’t sliced all the way through. What separates them from what is pictured above is that, despite a lack of care or effort from whomever wields the knife, they intend to be sandwiches. They align themselves in the proper way, as we have known sandwiches for hundreds of years.

Items like the Porky’s Revenge are closer to the taco or even the hot dog than they are the sandwich. I have no grudge against an establishment that wishes to sell such an item, and indeed there are times in my life when that’s just the kind of meal I might enjoy. Those times are not when I have ordered a sandwich.

Mexican Sandwich – Juquila, Shrewsbury Ave, Red Bank, NJ

Posted on by

mexican sandwich final

Though I recognize and celebrate the incredible diversity in the sandwich world, the basic pattern for a standard sandwich-shop is meat, vegetable and cheese. There is a lot of room in there to do a great number of things but what I have found is that too often this template is fleshed out to excess. Two or three types of meats are used as a base, all manner of vegetables are included and the cheese is piled on. I do not mean to claim that this cannot result in a tasty sandwich, indeed I have had my fair share of delicious substantial sandwiches. But often in these kinds of arrangements something is lost. Smaller, more subtle ingredients are drowned out or lost beneath the cheese. The more ingredients involved in a sandwich the lighter the touch required, the more care needed to ensure a proper balance of things.

I very nearly missed this sandwich entirely, as I scanned the menu for any kind of torta I completely missed the more direct ‘Mexican Sandwich.’ An associate pointed it out to me and so I got to see what it had to offer. I will praise the simplicity of it. It neatly sidesteps the issue I described above, being a simple construction of chicken, oaxaca cheese and avocado. The oaxaca cheese is a great cheese and is underutilized in the sandwich world. It has an understated flavor that goes with rather than over the other ingredients. I would sing the praises of avocados but I fear I would not come close to doing them justice and besides, I have no doubt you’re aware of how tasty a ripe avocado is. The chicken was undoubtedly the low point of the sandwich and is the main reason I’m going on about sandwich complexity rather than how good this sandwich was. Seasoned and grilled on the flattop the chicken had that sharp chemical taste that comes from an abundance of overcooked adobo. So while I will praise the restraint present in the construction of this sandwich, I am unable to praise the sandwich itself.

Catfish Po’ Boy – Poor House Bistro, South Autumn St, San Jose, CA

Posted on by

poboyfinal

I mean this as a compliment: There was nothing special about this sandwich. It was a straightforward po’ boy. Fried catfish atop a bed of slaw, tartar sauce and pickles to finish. Everything was well executed, the slaw itself was light and fresh and the tartar sauce was vibrant and flavorful. The catfish in the sandwich was fried to order which is the biggest thing a restaurant can do to ensure a fine sandwich. Other po’ boys I’ve eaten, as well as a crab cake sandwich that was spectacular otherwise, fry their main ingredient ahead of time and wait for you to order it. The result is often a limp, soggy sandwich. Poor House Bistro understands this challenge and rises above it, taking the extra time to make your sandwich after you order it. I assure you that this fine sandwich is worth the wait.

The reason I would praise this sandwich for taking no chances and doing nothing out of the ordinary has to do with how I view the role of the outpost. Every cuisine, and specifically every type of sandwich, has a home. It has a place of creation, a place where it was first refined and loved. It branches out from there, carried to restaurants, take-out counters and lunch trucks by dedicated fanatics or crafty entrepreneurs. It is my opinion that these individuals who take their cherished cuisine out into the world should present it in its classical form. Were I in Louisiana I would happily seek out a reimagined or deconstructed po’ boy but when I sit down for one more than 2000 miles away I want the dictionary definition of the sandwich. That is what Poor House Bistro delivers and I couldn’t think to ask for more.

Pizza Sandwich – Potbelly Sandwich Works, 555 12th St NW, Washington DC

Posted on by

Pizza Sandwich

Potbelly Sandwich Works is a busy establishment and so as you wait in line a gentlemen takes your order and passes it off to the sandwich makers. When I ordered the the pizza sandwich he asked me what size I wanted. That seemed standard enough but I must admit I was quite surprised when he asked me if I wanted the sandwich with pepperoni and the mushrooms. The Pizza Sandwich at Potbelly’s is comprised of a white or wheat roll, provolone cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, marinara sauce and Italian seasonings. Were I to decline both the pepperoni and mushrooms, then, I would be left with a sauce and cheese sandwich. I assured the gentlemen I wanted the sandwich as it was presented on the menu and in short order I found myself in front of the sandwich maker. He pulled my sandwich from the oven and asked me if I wanted Italian seasonings on it.

When discussing matters of sandwich philosophy I often claim that a sandwich that is presented as a menu item should be eaten exactly as it is described. I am not certainly not opposed to the concept of made-to-order custom sandwiches, I simply feel that if someone has gone to the length of creating an interesting, balanced sandwich you shouldn’t go fussing with it. I could have ordered the Pizza Sandwich here and without too much trouble had myself provolone cheese, marinara sauce and pickled jalapeños on a wheat roll. With no intended disrespect towards someone who might enjoy that combination it is not a Pizza Sandwich. What it comes down to for me is whoever is in charge of creating sandwiches for Potbelly Sandwich works has designed a Pizza Sandwich and I feel it would be disrespectful of them to have it any other way. As for this particular sandwich it was a pretty good sandwich, if you wanted it to be.