OT - The Best Sandwich?

[Dave Bryce]

There's a sub shop that opened up recently near me called Jersey Mike's that's a chain, but actually makes a pretty darn good cheesesteak. Finally....

 

dB

[kanker.]

Wow. This is my kind of thread. I wish I had been around the first go round. The sandwich is just about my favorite food.

 

If you're in Indianapolis, go to Shapiro's deli, get the Rueben. It is the end all and be all of Ruebens. It's just a bit smaller than a Kia.

 

 

[Tony Bennett]

Hey you guys are talking about food with out me! I love to cook, here are some photos of sammys I made....yes I take photos of my sammys.

My pulled pork with some sauces a fellow foodie sent me.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/IMG_0275.jpg

Open faced turkey and spuds:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/sand.jpg

Reubuns at work for St. Patricks Day:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/c.jpg

Deli style sammy with fries:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/IMG_0254.jpg

Sammy called a Gondola from a local pizza joint:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/4-3.jpg

Prime rib out of my smoker for sammys:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/Beef_6.jpg

I make a pretty good za so I thought I'd throw that in too:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/IMG_0226.jpg

What the heck, ribs anyone?

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/ribs.jpg

[Dave Bryce]

If you're in Indianapolis, go to Shapiro's deli, get the Rueben. It is the end all and be all of Ruebens. It's just a bit smaller than a Kia.

You sir, have obviously never been to NYC, home of many of the world's best (and biggest) Reubens...including, of course, the Carnegie Deli.

 

This here's a Carnegie Deli Pastrami sandwich, my personal poison when I go there (except I add swiss cheese):

 

http://www.carnegiedeli.com/pastrami1.JPG

 

 

That's not even one of their big sandwiches. This, however, is:

 

http://www.carnegiedeli.com/Large%20CBplus.JPG

 

Deli in Indianapolis. Sheesh...

 

dB

[SilverDragonSoun]

Holy crap. How the hell are you supposed to eat that sandwich? In the style of name that tune, I can eat that sandwich in 28 bites.

[Dave Bryce]

Holy crap. How the hell are you supposed to eat that sandwich?

Slowly...

 

I've never tried one of the Really Big ones, but I can nail that pastrami sandwich without even thinking about it. It's just that damn good.

[Garrafon]

If you're in Indianapolis, go to Shapiro's deli, get the Rueben. It is the end all and be all of Ruebens. It's just a bit smaller than a Kia.

You sir, have obviously never been to NYC, home of many of the world's best (and biggest) Reubens...including, of course, the Carnegie Deli.

 

 

dB

 

So, are you a Carnegie or Stage guy? Two big competitors in the NYC deli business. There's no deli like a NYC deli!

[Blue JC]

If you're in Indianapolis, go to Shapiro's deli, get the Rueben. It is the end all and be all of Ruebens. It's just a bit smaller than a Kia.

You sir, have obviously never been to NYC, home of many of the world's best (and biggest) Reubens...including, of course, the Carnegie Deli.

 

This here's a Carnegie Deli Pastrami sandwich, my personal poison when I go there (except I add swiss cheese):

 

http://www.carnegiedeli.com/pastrami1.JPG

 

 

That's not even one of their big sandwiches. This, however, is:

 

http://www.carnegiedeli.com/Large%20CBplus.JPG

 

Deli in Indianapolis. Sheesh...

 

dB

 

+1 on Carnegie Deli. I just had a Pastrami (the top one) last week. It's also my NYC must-have whenever I go. Don't forget the pickles!

 

The bottom sandwiches are for tourists. You should never eat anything bigger than your head.

 

Best,

JC

[Joe P]

Usually when we have breakfast food (which is a 2x per month staple for dinners)

 

Eric,

I thought my wife was the only one who did this! She says one doesn't really appreciate breakfast food in the morning. Ha-ha! For us it is usually eggos and eggs. Sometimes pancakes.

 

As for the sandwiches, I love to eat. There are just too many to list. So much food, so little time!

 

 

Regards,

Joe

[kanker.]

Deli in Indianapolis. Sheesh...

 

dB

Granted it's a small pic, but

 

http://www.shapiros.com/graphics/sandwich.jpg

[kanker.]

Found another shot -

 

 

Oh, and the Rye is homemade. killer.

 

 

http://www.rowlandweb.com/reuben/sandwich/reubenshapiros2.jpg

 

 

 

[Tony Bennett]

But do they get loaded and make fire and ice fajitas with cognac? I think not...

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/Wesleystock/IMG_0314.jpg

[Dave Bryce]

Found another shot -

 

 

Oh, and the Rye is homemade. killer.

 

 

http://www.rowlandweb.com/reuben/sandwich/reubenshapiros2.jpg

I'm still not convinced. Gonna need to come and try one for myself.

 

dB

[delirium]

http://aklemai.com/albums/caturday/cat_sandwich_001.png

 

 

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/sandwichforskippy.jpg

[rce1]

Best sandwich on the planet, I think, is a cheesesteak from John's Roast Pork in Philly. It's a little lunchstand sort of place near the waterfront in South Philly. Get it with sharp provolone and onions for sheer nirvana. A close second would be a corn beef special (with cold slaw and russian dressing) from Carnegie Deli in NYC. Have some cheesecake too while you're at it. I've lived in the SF Bay Area since the 70's but grew up in Philly and was lucky enough to have all of the above when I went back east to visit family last weekend.

[RABid]

We got a "Philly Connection" down the street from my office. I was excited until I bought one. Absolutly no taste. ... I think the grill is too clean.

[eric]

Usually when we have breakfast food (which is a 2x per month staple for dinners)

 

Eric,

I thought my wife was the only one who did this! She says one doesn't really appreciate breakfast food in the morning. Ha-ha! For us it is usually eggos and eggs. Sometimes pancakes.

 

As for the sandwiches, I love to eat. There are just too many to list. So much food, so little time!

 

 

Regards,

Joe

 

Yuppers, we're still doing the breakfast food at dinner time about 2x per month. Just did it the other night. Big omelettes with cheese, Texas Pete and buffalo chicken from the deli, grits, sausage balls that were prepared and frozen at Christmas - just thaw and bake 'em, yum. Also had blueberry pancakes for dessert. Delish. Yesch.

 

As for sub shops, we've had Jersey Mike's in town for years. There's one right up the street and it is my favorite sub place in town. In spite of it being a franchise (I'm usually not a big fan of chains), this one has a real mom & pop feel to it. Great bread and I'll agree with dB that the cheesesteaks are great. I really like their chicken cheesesteak!

[kanker.]

Found another shot -

 

 

Oh, and the Rye is homemade. killer.

 

 

http://www.rowlandweb.com/reuben/sandwich/reubenshapiros2.jpg

I'm still not convinced. Gonna need to come and try one for myself.

 

dB

On one condition - I pick up the bill for the Reubens.

[Bridog6996]

Oh man, the best sandwiches ever are from Amato's in Maine, the place that invented the Italian sandwich. It's sort of a mini-chain at this point, with multiple locations, but as far as I know it's still only in Maine and possibly New Hampshire. Absolutely mouth-watering. No trip to Maine is complete without numerous stops at Amato's.

[NoahZark]

Thanks for reviving this thread. This is great stuff, especially since all kinds of memories have been flooding back as I've read through it . . . .

 

-- I lived in Philly for three years during law school and did every imaginable comparison of the major cheesesteak locales, including Jim's vs. Geno's vs. Pat's; late night vs. early morning; wasted vs. sober; etc. One thing is sure: They're all unbelievably good! So great, in fact, that me and a buddy of mine literally did a day trip a couple of years ago from D.C. to Philly just to get cheesesteaks. (Sometimes when you need a fix, you just gotta have it.) We drove up to Pat's and Geno's, ate a couple of steaks from each, and drove back. Personally, I go "provolone without" and throw on a little ketchup, and I have a very slight preference for Geno's over the others, but that's just me.

 

-- I can't believe that TJ's in Lawrenceville, NJ got a mention early in this thread. That place was down the street from where I went to college, and, although I never had their subs, I can attest to the pizza being great. If you're talking about great little sub joints in that neck of the woods, however, my vote would go to Hoagie Haven in Princeton.

 

-- Someone also mentioned the hot dogs at the Windmill on the Jersey shore. A friend of mine from college loved their dogs so much, he proposed to his wife there and then had the dogs shipped in for the rehearsal dinner of their wedding (which was an outdoor cookout with Windmill dogs and lobster). Good eats!

 

Finally, this thread immediately brought to mind a documentary that I saw on PBS a couple of years ago called "Sandwiches That You Will Like." It's about a couple of guys who tour the country eating and reviewing sandwiches at local institutions, and at least a few of the places mentioned in this thread are among the stops (including Pat's and Geno's and even that little shack in Wisscasset, Maine that apparently serves the best damn lobster roll in the world). I highly recommend it if you can find it through Tivo or on DVD, but be prepared to be hungry after watching it!

 

By the way, I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but the muffulletta at the Central Grocery in New Orleans (which is mentioned in the PBS documentary) truly is an awesome sandwich.

 

Noah

 

P.S. dB and other Phillyites: Have you ever eaten at Ralph's on South 9th Street? To this day, it's my favorite Italian restaurant in the country (and also a place to which I've been known to make a pilgrimage whenever I'm in shouting distance of the City of Brotherly Love).

[Superboy]

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, the best Sandwich place ever is Busy Bee sandwiches. It's located in San Pedro, on 23rd and Walker. It's a little place and easy to miss because it's in the middle of a neighborhood, but they have hands down the best sandwiches you will ever eat, including the beloved Philly Cheesesteak.

 

They have hot and cold sandwiches, but the hot ones are unreal. The best is the BBQ Chicken. Other awesome ones are Sausage (they make their own sausages), meatball, pastrami, steak, and a couple more I can't think of right now. Try it out, and you will thank me later. I tell you this, it will make you forget about Philly Cheeseteak temporarily.

[Bobadohshe]

HELL YES BUSY BEE. I thought I was alone in my appreciation of that place and didn't think anyone else represented from that close to where I live. Thanks for posting Superboy.

I love their meatball and their BBQ chicken. I haven't tried their Philly Cheesesteak. I am thinking I'll go there tomorrow and maybe report back on it.

[Mark Zeger]

The Carnegie Deli is a 1/2 block from my NYC office. I was there a few weeks ago before the Metheny/Mehldau concert. I passed on the pastrami, had tongue. Yes, as in beef tongue. Love it. Add a Dr Brown's Cel-Ray Tonic. Yes, as in celery-flavored soda. It's an old school deli classic. Their black cherry soda is killer, too.

 

Between Carnegie and Stage, it's Carnegie hands down. I'm ashamed to admit that I've never been to Katz' which many claim as the King of NYC Delis. I will have to right this monumental wrong soon and make the pilgrimage to the Lower East Side.

 

BTW, I noticed Laurie Z's posts earlier in this thread.

 

 

[DafDuc]

http://greggsutter.com/mt/archives/lafayetteconeyisland.jpg

[Eric VB]

I'm too lazy to read anyone else's response right now except 'Duc's. I see he's chosen an excellent coney island, just the way I like them. (Except I can't eat them that way anymore. ) Just don't try to order one of these on NY's Coney Island; you'll be as sorely disappointed as I was.

 

I've been hooked on reubens since my aunt introduced them to me as a boy. The copycats with turkey and/or coleslaw are not nearly as good. It's got to be corned beef, sauerkraut and swiss cheese on rye and grilled. I'm not nearly as picky about the dressing, although I have a slight preference for Russian over Thousand Island. It does have to be one of these two.

 

Not quite a "sandwich" per se but a deli by my house makes an awesome open-face tomato, lox and cream cheese bagel. This is monsterously huge and is almost more than two people can safely eat. I've never seen anyone else pile the lox so high.

 

And, just because I can't make up my mind, a chicken shawarma is always tastey.

[kanker.]

OK, last night I had what must be the WORST Stromboli ever. Imagine an aborted pizza. Then make it nasty.

[Superboy]

HELL YES BUSY BEE. I thought I was alone in my appreciation of that place and didn't think anyone else represented from that close to where I live. Thanks for posting Superboy.

I love their meatball and their BBQ chicken. I haven't tried their Philly Cheesesteak. I am thinking I'll go there tomorrow and maybe report back on it.

Well, it's not really a cheesesteak at Busy Bee, I think they just call it a steak sandwich. But nothing beats the BBQ chicken, or, if I'm hungry enough, the Chicken/Sausage Belly Buster.

 

Shoot, had I known you were going, i might have met you there. Maybe some other time.

[antimatter]

Cool thread. You keyboard guys know how to eat.

 

How about a gyro? Its got to be a contender.

 

Sliced lamb off the lamb mold rotating thing, pita bread, onions, thinly sliced tomatoes and a lot of tzatziki sauce (hold the lettuce). Of course it must be ordered in an authentic Greek cafe.

Maybe with a greek salad on the side. Yum

 

[The Real MC]

I love DiBella's in Rochester and make it a point to grab a sandwich to take home when I swing up there.

 

There's a bakery down the road that makes an AWESOME sandwich - pepperoni, ham, provolone, special sauce, homemade bread, baked to perfection. I forget what it is called. Damn, now my mouth is watering. I know what I'm having for dinner.

 

My all-time favorite is grilled chicken speidies on italian sub roll. It's a local delicacy from where I used to live. If any one of you ever get to the Binghamton NY area, swing by Lupo's and try one.

[Eric VB]

I forgot the Cuban sandwich. You really have to get these in Miami, FL, but there used to be a place here called Agave that made a decent version. Ham, roast pork (lechón asado), Swiss cheese, Cuban bread and grilled. Although the authentic recipe calls for dill pickle to be grilled inside of that, I've become partial to Agave's spicier version that substitutes jalapeno as well as a spicy sauce and hot cappicola instead of ham.

 

When I was a kid there used to be a place on the east side that made something they called a "spanky" or "spankie". It was some sort of Italian sub bread, filled with pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella, then baked.