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Archive for the ‘Sandwich’ Category

 Booby's Charcoal Rib

Booby's Charcoal Rib

Name: Bobby’s Charcoal Rib

Location: Niles, IL

Meal: Skirt Steak Sandwich, Fries, Cole Slaw, and a Coke

Type: Sandwich Shop

One of the culinary strengths of Chicago is that every neighborhood can be home a dozen great restaurants all representing different cuisines. Located to the north, Niles is one of the old Chicago suburbs and has the food heritage that comes with it. In determining where to eat during my limited time in Chicago, I kept hearing about Booby’s.

(Let’s just take a moment for the 11-year-old kid in all of us to giggle at the name.)

Booby’s is a old-school Greek owned counter service sandwich shop. They serve everything from sandwiches and gyros to salads and the ubiquitous Vienna Beef hot dogs.  The star of Booby’s is the steak sandwich, a healthy slice of skirt steak char-grilled,  smothered in BBQ sauce, and served plain on crusty bread that has just the right amount of chew to it. The sauce, despite being generously applied, is not overpowering; it provides just the right amount of flavor, letting the grilled taste really shine. Accompanying the meal were fries and cole slaw. Neither of them were too remarkable but that’s not their role, they direct the attention to the sandwich’s simplistic perfection.

As a visitor, and likely a resident, you’ll never have enough time fully explore all that Chicago has to offer your stomach. Booby’s makes my shorter list and I think you’ll agree it is worth it. My only advice, pay cash if there is any concern of Booby’s showing up on your credit card statement.

Steak Sandwich Lunch

Steak Sandwich Lunch

More pictures after the Jump

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Destroyer Hoagie

Destroyer Hoagie

Name: Triangle Bar & Grill

Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Swissvale neighborhood)

Meal: Italian Hoagie, Potato Chips, and Iced Tea

Type: Sandwich Shop

A sandwich made on a long French or Italian roll is and always will be a hoagie to me. I can thank my suburban Philadelphia roots for that. It is well documented that these sandwiches have many names all over the country but I’m always partial to any to any store with the good sense to call it a hoagie. Triangle Bar & Grill is one such sandwich shop. Their sign brags that it is the home of the Battleship and Destroyer sandwiches (take that submarine sandwich!).

Taking a naval theme their sandwiches ranges in size from Torpedos (4 inches) all the way up to Super Battleship (36+ inches). The varieties cover the usual mix of turkey, tuna salad, and cheesesteak but the star is the classic Italian. I opted for the classic Italian Destroyer, a little bit larger than a footlong. Classic Italian brings you salami, provolone, and ham topped with onion, tomato, lettuce, oil & vinegar, and salt & pepper. The sandwich was on point.

The sandwich has a sweetness to it, possibly from the mayo, possibly from the ham. The sweetness is not over the top though, balanced by the vinegar and salt. The meat and vegetable balance was just right. If I had to give it one critique it would be for a chewier roll (there’s my Philadelphia roots again). Paired with some potato chips and iced tea it has all the makings of a perfect meal. In all honesty an Italian hoagie paired like this is on my short list of last meals, were I ever forced to choose. Swissvale is not the most conveniently located of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods but Triangle Bar & Grill makes it worth the side trip when headed out to Monroeville.

Destroyer

Destroyer

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French Dip Roast Beef Sandwich

French Dip Roast Beef Sandwich

Name: Philippe the Original

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Meal: French Dip Sandwich, Potato Salad, Pickles, Pie, and Lemonade

Type: Sandwich Shop

Sandwiches, done well, tend to simple, wholesome meals. Philippe’s has primarily been making sandwiches for 100 years; they have mastered the simple and wholesome. Located in Los Angeles on the edge of Chinatown, Philippe’s is a restaurant for the everyman. Regards of who you may be outside the restaurant inside you stand in line and  order from the counter just like everyone else. You pay for your food, in cash, and make your way to a shared table often asking your neighbor to pass a bottle of mustard. The reward for checking your ego at the door is a meal that is on many levels satisfying.

The origins of the french dip are debated back and forth but what is important is that it is delicious. Meat is roasted in the oven, sliced thin, and served up a roll which is dunked in au jus at the last moment. The finishing touch of the sandwich is applied at the table when you apply the homemade hot mustard. They warn that the mustard is hot and they are not lying, it is a warming horseradish hot not a spicy, pepper burn hot. I opted for the original roast beef though you can have turkey, lamb, pork, or ham (lamb was a tempting choice).  Rounding out the meal you can add a number of different sides: salads (potato, macaroni, or cole slaw), pickles (eggs,pigs feet, olives, etc.), and desserts. I decided that potato salad, two gherkin pickles, and a slice of blackberry pie would make me quite happy. The potato salad was good, soft but not mushy, enough salt with a touch of sweetness, and with a creaminess to counteract the hot mustard of the sandwich.

All together, my lunch at Philippe’s was one of my more memorable in California though as I was just coming off a five day battle with food poisoning my standards may have been a little off. I know this was a great meal regardless, it had all the benchmarks. History? Check. Simple menu? Check. Diverse clientele? Check. Value? Check. All the things that make for a great lunch spot are there in abundance at Philippe the Original.

Lunch tray at Philippe the Original

Lunch tray at Philippe the Original

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Italian Beef

Italian Beef

Name: Portillo’s

Location: Greater Chicago

Meal: Multiple (Italian Beef, Chop Salad, Garbage Salad)

Type: Local Restaurant

Portillo’s is one of my favorite restaurants when it comes to Chicago food. What they do best, is doing so many things well. Not only do they serve one of the best Italian Beef sandwiches around, they also serve great Chicago style hot dogs, and they also serve some of my favorite salads. They do this while providing some of most consistently great service I’ve ever experienced. In the two years that I have visited the Chicago area, I would say that I’ve eaten at Portillo’s more than five times; once even for lunch and dinner in the same day. For someone who prides himself of being the Hungry Traveler, always looking for another place, that is saying something.

Lots more after the jump. (more…)

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Als Italian Beef

Al's Italian Beef

Name: Al’s Beef

Location: Chicago, IL

Meal: Italian Beef sandwich, Cheese fries, and Pepsi

Type: Sandwich

Chicago, besides being a great city of its own right, is a city torn between three culinary poster-children. You can find good support for the Chicago hot dog, the deep dish pizza, or the Italian beef being the food to best associate with Chicago. As previously mentioned, I have love for the Chicago hot dog, but for my money Italian beef is Chicago to me.

Lots more after the jump. (more…)

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Pavo Asado

Pavo Asado

Name: La Feria

Location: Shady Side, Pittsburgh, PA

Meal: Turkey Sandwich and a Limeade

Type: Peruvian

When you think of Pittsburgh, Peruvian food is not the first thing that jumps to mind. At the urging of my sister I tracked down one of her favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh, La Feria in Shady Side. La Feria actually is a small cantina within a Peruvian art store. I’m not sure quite how authentic a Peruvian dish it is but I had a delicious Pavo Asado, or as you may know it, a turkey sandwich. I will be honest, I was a little disappointed in myself to have ordered a turkey sandwich at an ethnic restaurant but it was delicious nonetheless. While the #1 spot on my list of greatest turkey sandwiches will always be reserved for my traditional after Thanksgiving sandwich involving cold stuffing and cranberry sauce, this sandwich placed fairly high. The baguette was just the right bit of chewy, the aji mayonnaise just tangy enough, and the turkey well seasoned. Their homemade limeade was a nice accompaniment to the meal; not too tangy or sweet, just refreshing. One a rainy cold Pittsburgh fall day this was a surprisingly refreshing lunch.

Limeade

Limeade

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Primanti Brothers Sandwich

Primanti Brothers Sandwich

Name: Primanti Brothers

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Meal: Capicola and Ham Sandwich

Type: Sandwich Shop

The Primanti Brother’s sandwich may be one of the most widely known regional foods in America. For the uninitiated a Primanti sandwich is served with cole slaw and french fries directly on the sandwich.  It is the sandwich of a hard working town. If you were working in a steel mill all day, you could probably get away with eating these sandwiches regularly. My modern standards eating a sandwich like this on a regular basis will leave you very full and very chubby.

The legend behind the sandwich is that delivery guys in the Strip district wanted a full meal between two slices of bread. A Primanti sandwich is definitely a full meal. When ordering you simply pick your meat. The meat is heated on the griddle, the bread is sliced fresh from a full loaf, and when the meat is ready the magic happens. Construction of a Primanti sandwich starts with the meat on the bottom; a heaping handful of fresh cut french fries smooshed on top, and then a handful of cole slaw on top of that. That sandwich is then sliced down the middle and served up. Good luck being able to cleanly eat your way through this sandwich; it is a lot of work.

I don’t even think I have to tell you to go try this sandwich. Is this is not on your Pittsburgh short list, you’re doing it wrong. Eat at Primanti’s, yinz will enjoy it. (more…)

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Thanksgiving Toasted

Thanksgiving Toasted

Name: D’Angelo’s Sub Shop

Location: Throughout New England

Meal: Thanksgiving Toasted Sandwich and a Pepsi

Type: Sandwich shop

Some foods are just so simply delicious that you can eat them again, and again, and again. The Thanksgiving Toasted sandwich at D’Angelo’s Subs is one of those foods for me. I originally was put onto the sandwich by one of my buddies who used to travel extensively through New England. He fell in love with the D’Angelo’s and made sure that I put it on my list for when I visited New England. Needless to say, I was a fan. Recently, I was in Boston and am a little ashamed to admit that I ate this sandwich three days in a row.

So what makes this sandwich so great? For me, it combines some of the best parts of my favorite holiday. I love Thanksgiving. At D’Angelo’s Subs they put turkey, cranberry, and stuffing on a roll and toast it up. One might say that would make a good sandwich but they go one step further and serve the sandwich with a side of hot gravy. If you are unaware, hot gravy makes anything better. The sandwich combines flavors just right to remind you of a large Thanksgiving meal with embarrassing itself by pretending to be the meal.

Sandwich Goodness

Sandwich Goodness

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Steves Gyros

Steve's Gyros

Name: Steve’s Gyros located inside Cleveland’s

Location: The  Historic West Side MarketCleveland, OH

Meal: Gyro, Orange Soda

Type: Market stand

First things first, it should be noted that Steve’s is a market stand, they serve one product and one product only. The one product they serve turns out to be one of the best gyro’s in the country. I am not the only one who thinks Steve’s makes a good gyro; Maxim magazine (the bastion of journalistic integrity) named Steve’s Gyros the #1 Gyro in the country in 2007. West Side Market is a public city market in Cleveland that is over 100 years old. The vendors of the market represent a diverse cross-section of Cleveland life including some great ethnic stands (ie. pierogies, fresh made pasta, and Greek specialities).  The architecture of the building is almost as impressive as the food, your eyes are constantly being drawn upwards to the large windows and herringboned tiled ceiling. What I most take away from visiting the West Side Market is a strong sense of  Cleveland’s roots.

More about the gyro after the jump.

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New England Clam Chowder and Dungeness Crab Roll

New England Clam Chowder and Dungeness Crab Roll

Name: Pike Place Chowder

Location: Seattle,WA

Meal: Dungeness Crab Roll, New England Chowder, and a Pepsi

Type: Casual Seafood

Pike Place Chowder probably isn’t the best meal in Seattle, it is however one of the best seafood meals I’ve ever had (don’t tell my mom, she’s from Maryland).  Located in the historic Pike Place Market, Pike Place Chowder serves food that has consistently beaten out well known restaurants from New England. If a market store from Seattle can travel across country and still win you know they make a good chowder. One interesting side effect of eating chowder in Seattle is that everyone simply orders chowder, no one tries out a Boston accent to order “chowda”.

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