Celebrating National Sandwich Day
It’s National Sandwich Day! I’m glad that back in the 18th Century John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, ordered his meat served between two slices of bread. The preparation may have made playing cards easier for him, but it has made many meals tastier and many stomachs happier.
There are bountiful bundles of beautiful burgers, heaping handfuls of humbling hoagies, and sundries of sumptuous submarines available throughout the Twin Cities, so to pick a favorite would be impossible.
So today, I’ll pick of few of my favorites local sandwiches to highlight, and I hope you’ll do the same. Sourcing local ingredients, all of these restaurants are committed to sustainable practices, freshness, and big-time flavor, which is why their sandwiches rank highly with me:
• The Bánh Mì at Ngon Vietnamese Bistro—a grilled Duroc natural pork loin topped with pickled vegetables and cilantro, on a baguette, served with house cut sweet potato fries.
• The Citizen Joe at Citizen Café—savory ground beef wrapped in delicate pastry dough baked until gooey, wrapped in wax paper, and served with their house-made chips or fresh fruit. Similar to a pasty in construction, and a sloppy joe in flavor.
• The Black Bean Quinoa Burger at the Birchwood—a quinoa burger topped with smoked capriko cheese, sautéed cabbage and apples, Surly Furious mustard, and greens, on a toasted multi-grain bun.
• The Oyster Po’boy at Sea Salt Eatery—cornmeal-coated oysters fried and topped with tartar sauce, Tobasco, lettuce, and sliced tomatoes, on a seasoned hoagie roll.
• Grass Fed Beef Burger at Café Twenty Eight—a grass-fed beef burger topped with Fischer Family Farms bacon and sharp cheddar cheese, on a burger bun, served with a side of crispy French fries.
• The Smoked Lake Superior Trout Melt at Bryant Lake Bowl—smoked trout topped with white cheddar, on pumpernickel bread.
• The Wild Rice Brat at the Strip Club—a juicy wild rice bratwurst topped with kimchee and scallions, on a brat bun.
And a poll! Which sandwich is best for celebrating National Sandwich Day? Vote here, or leave your local fave in the comments below.
Posted on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 in Permalink
Comments may be edited for length, clarity, or appropriateness.
I'm partial to the Rooster burger at Bulldog, and the Italian Special from Brianno's in Eagan.
FACES has a chicken monte christo sandwich that's so damned good it's hard for me to try anything else on the menu. I think it's the herbs baked into the bread that makes it a winner, but whatever it is, YUM!
Eli's steak sandwich. Love, love, LOVE.
BEST KEPT SECRET for an amazing sandwich in town is a woman at the Binz Refectory on St. Thomas' South Campus in St. Paul named Mary. She's only open from 11-1:30 M-F. Makes all her own spreads, flavored relishes, and other toppings from scratch daily and has almost any meat or cheese. I think she also does the crepes at the Midtown Farmers Market during the summers. Made to order or let her pick the spread and you won't be disappointed. Best part is the price - $6 and you can go back for seconds if you manage to finish the first.
Turkey Sandwich - Clancey's Meats and Fish
Italian Pate Melt - Travail
Roast Chicken Sandwich - Dandelion Kitchen
None of the foregoing are as basic as they sound, and are incredible local sandwiches.
Cheers for the great local sandwich finds!
Clancy's is always great. I'm neither familiar with Mary at Binz Refractory nor the steak sandwich at Eli's.
These are awesome - keep 'em coming! I'm partial to Clancey's sandwiches, but also have a lot of love for Broder's South Jersey Hoagie, the Italian one at Buon Giorno in lilydale, and the Rueben at the Black Forest. Ooh, also: All the house-smoked meats and local treasures at St. Paul Cheese Shop, the France 44 outpost. Oh, and Jasmine Deli, and, and, and... trying to remember where I had this fantastic green olive grilled cheese once, but am drawing a blank. Anyone remember that one (she said, Alzheimersishly...)
Clancey's are great, so are the Corner Table sandwiches at Rustica. And I like the Chicago italian beef sandwich at Chris & Rob's - nice and sloppy, juicy with hot peppers, please!
Let's not forget about Bewiched! They use a lot of homemade ingredients that lend a quality you can taste, and their sandwiches are pretty varied and creative. I like the tuna, turkey, and pastrami sandwiches-- well, all of them, to be honest.
Jason - Have you had the Italian Beef at Uncle Franky's on Central?