Favorite (Food) Things: Sandwiches

from scanwiches.com

I love a good sandwich. What's there not to like? It's a portable meal with an infinite number of combination. Even an apparently simple turkey sandwich is not so simple. What kind of bread to you use? Iceberg lettuce or spinach? Mustard, mayo, Dijon, pesto, aioli (I could go on and on here)? Then come the addition of veggies, specifically whatever is fresh and in season. And we all know bacon makes everything taste better.

OK, let me jump off this sandwich merry-go-round before I get flung off ...

I recently came across this fantastic blog (well, more of a pictorial then blog) called Scanwiches. A NY city based blogger got the brilliant idea to record images of sandwiches from various shops around the five boroughs using a scanner. That's right, I said "scanner". It's one of those ideas that I wish I had had. The visual stimulation is so intense from these sandwich cross-sections that I can almost taste all the layers melding together in my mouth. Look at the image above. You can actually SEE how the oil from the roasted red peppers seeped into the bread ... glorious!

Scanwiches got me thinking about my favorite sandwiches and shops. I've lived in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Massachusetts, so you'll see strong representation from those geographical locations. (There is no East Coast bias intended.) But send me your favorites; I need to know where to get reliable portable meal. Walk with me on my tour (in no particular order):

Dave's Fresh Pasta (Somerville, MA) - The best sandwiches I have ever had. No contest. Don't even try to argue with me. I can't even specify one from this place because picking a favorite would be like asking a five year old with A.D.D. to pick the activity for the day. As the name implies, Dave's is actually a small store that mainly specilizes in fresh pasta and sauces, which are made right in front of you. Off to the side is a small counter that (to me) is the nexus of the sandwich universe. They spare no expense and consider every ingredient and type of bread perfect for a sandwich build. Various aiolis and mayos adorn bread of every shape and style - even "standard white bread" is rustic. The meats are definitely not straight from a deli. Prosciutto and smoked ham are common to several of their offerings while roasted red peppers and spinach are thrown around like tomatoes and lettuce in other sandwich shops.

Darwin's Ltd. in the Press (Cambridge, MA) - I've never had a better tuna salad sandwich anywhere. Order "The Maple" and you get tuna in a not-too-mayo dressing spiked to a heavenly level with Jamaican relish. Will somebody please tell me what is in Jamaican relish cause I can think of several food groups I want to have it with?

All Star Sandwich Bar (Cambridge, MA) - The originality in All Star's sandwiches is overflowing from the bread. Besides the unique daily menu (which includes a Thanksgiving inspired sandwich called "The Gobbler" complete with cranberry relish, mayo, and gravy), they have daily specials which include categories of "Funky" and "Extra-Funky". That is to say they come up with creations never dreamed up by the Earl of Sandwich (or you and I). These particular specials might have your nose furled at first, but you will bit into any of them and wonder why it isn't standard sandwich fare.

Eddie's Market (Charles Village) (Baltimore, MD) - In the back of this small grocery market in North Baltimore you will find an unsuspecting deli counter. While the large menu hanging on the wall is littered with sandwiches bearing the names associated with Johns Hopkins University, which is a mere block away, the sandwiches are not entirely unique. Regardless, they are doing something right. Try the "Smokin' Jay" which is turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a french baguette. It sounds plain, but the baguette is extraordinary and like an MVP makes everything around it better.

Goosey Gander (Bethlehem, PA) - Simply a classic college deli located near Lehigh University where I went to undergrad. I can't count the number of sandwiches I ate from this place but it is probably a function of the number of late nights spent in the library, at parties, or at the bar. I spent the better part of my junior and senior years trying to convince Tony, the owner and sandwich architect, to name a sandwich after me. I was concerned about my Lehigh legacy and thought that a sandwich at the popular hangout would be the way to forever be remembered. It never happened and I still don't have a plaque on my wall commemorating it (which I would have done). The sandwich? Cajun turkey breast, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, sweet peppers, and mayo on a soft hoagie roll.

New York Deli (Westborough, MA) - A recent find, I'm still exploring their entire menu - a challenge I am more than up for. "Carina's Picnic" seems like an inventive (Cajun turkey, potato salad and lettuce on a French Roll) while "The Greenwich Village" (turkey, ham, Boursin cheese and pineapple) seems just plain odd but in a delicious kind of way. Currently my taste buds won't let me move past the turkey, roasted red pepper, spinach, Boursin cheese on grilled Focaccia.

Pete's Grill (Baltimore, MD) - Not so much of a deli or sandwich artisan shop as it is a greasy spoon. Go there on any day and you'll find most patrons eating towering stacks of humongous pancakes or the meatloaf special. Me? I'm going for the turkey club. It's your standard tri-layer club with bacon, mayo, tomato, and lettuce but the turkey is roasted daily and is carved in thick slices. "Thin sliced deli meats" is not a phrase understood by Pete.

Jimmy Johns (multiple locations) - Yes, I know it's a chain but it's a damn good chain. As far as I'm concerned we would all be better off if we got rid of all the Quizno's and Subways of the world and replaced them with Jimmy Johns. There bread is always soft and never dried out. They have guacamole spread and their veggies are always crisp. Much like Eddie's, none of the ingredients or combinations are all that remarkable, but it is the gathering of those ingredients on a wonderful hoagie roll that make me seek one out wherever I'm traveling to.

Primanti Brothers (Pittsburgh, PA) - I can't resist when coleslaw, fries, and a fried egg are served on top of grilled shaved meat between two pieces of Texas toast as big as their namesake. The taste won't wow you, but you won't forget about it.