Cuban Sangwiches mang

There are some great things that have come from our neighbor to the south... along with its stunning combinations of various world music, it has also combined ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on delicious cuban bread. I was unable to capture in these photos above, a good glimpse at the sandwich without a blur. This can be attributed to its elusive nature, whose roots lie with the rugged guerilla fighters of la revolución Cubana. I could see El Che taking a massive bite right before he popped some fool who wasnt down with Leon Trotsky.
These sandwiches are from Porto's cuban grill in Burbank, there is also one in glendale. They are a small mom and pop business whose been around for 35 years. They come with plantain chips. If your in the mood for a good cubano and your in burbank... you know what to do lil papi.

Porto's Bakery 3614 W Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505 (818) 846-9100

Homer Simpson: Sandwich Champion

There was this episode of The Simpsons way back in the day in which Homer ate the world's largest sub. He didn't eat it all at once though, it took him several days. He had been leaving it lying around and simply refused to throw it away. It was making him sick and by the end it was all purple and in the garbage, with flies buzzing around it. But he trudged on and kept at it like one of those chiseled sweat hogs from The 300. Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! It would be interesting to find out if this episode predated the subway party sub. It just seemed like such a novelty concept back then. What a hilarious episode...

Hawaiian Sweet Bread

Hawaiian sweet bread is amazing for sandwiches. Sweet and salty has been a reoccuring theme throughout the ages (ie: barbeque, teryiaki, ketchup, etc...)This sandwich has rost beef, provolone, onion, mayo and mustard... a classic combination which won't dissapoint you, "I guarantee it."
Also, in just about every pic on this blog there are chips present. Chips are just about as important as the condiments. As soon as there are about three bites left I put the chips inside of the sandwich, its like getting a whole new sandwich toward the end... and you can dip it in salsa. This is an instinctual act which is practically ingrained in our DNA. In 2007 Taco Bell capitalized on this crunch factor with the ever popular Crunch Wrap Supreme (not to be confused with the hip hop emcee of the same name.)

Post Thanksgiving Turkey sandwich post

"Wow its so good." "Its like the most important time of year for turkey sandwiches because of the turkey leftovers" is what I said while eating my sandwich today. You have to to talk about post thanksgiving turkey sandwiches when addressing the overall scope of sandwich eating. Leaving that out would be like leaving out Judge Mathis when talking about decent day time TV.
You see that plastic bag in the background? That has some asian cole slaw in it. I ended up putting that on my sandwich, it has raddish and carrot. I was like "this is amazing!" Then I realzed that its what they put on Vietnamese sandwiches. So the sandwich transformed half way through. BOING!

Sandwich portraits

Artist Tibi Tibi Neuspiel has been doing some pretty interesting work with the sandwich medium. He's been doing victims and assassins, these are some powerful bologna and cheese... Hats off to you Tibi Tibi!



To see more, heres the website http://tibitibi.com/

Ode to sandwiches #1

Blog reader Trevor Bergamont asked me to publish one of his poems. Here ya go Trevor!

Two slices of bread Two slices of bread
I want to put them in my head

I mean in my mouth or on the couch
I wish I had a sandwich pouch

O wait, I do
Its called my stomach
Hot cheese on sunday, ya I love it

I eat a sandwich then take a nap
Then get up later to take a crap

He eats a sandwich for lunch and then one for dinner
Two in one day? put him away that mans a sinner!

I'll eat one on a bun or one on a bagel
Theres room for those two under my navel

A sanwich a sandwich, give me a dose cheap
with lettuce and tomato and tender roast beef

- Trevor Bergamont

National Sandwich Day

Apparently today, November 3rd is National Sandwich day. It is Believed to be John Montague's Birthday, otherwise known as the Earl of Sandwich. Lets eat one for the Earl today!

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=6507138

My good friend Tate DeCaro informed me of this holidays existence by sending me this insightful link. Thanks Tate!

Ur Sub STOP

Ur Sub Stop is in Van Nuys on Sepulveda and Sherman Way. People were coming in and out as I was eating my sub which tells me that the place is a neighborhood favorite. They specialize in cheese steaks and from what I've heard they're really good there. To be honest, the meat was a little dry. It could have also benefited from some more mayo. But that being said, at least it wasn't a complete grease bomb.
The Italian Sub was good though, very fresh and tasty. The bread was airy, but I don't mind that. It kind of makes the meal a light one. I would recommend this sandwich. Its not easy to pull one of these off so well. So, hats off.
They also serve chinese food and breakfast. They won some LA food award and that was posted out front. I like this place, I think I'll go back.







Ur Sub STOP is on 7755 Sepulveda blvd, Van Nuys, ca 91406.

Tuna Sandwich

Tuna sandwiches are good and if you make them yourself, they cost next to nothing. Thats a beautiful thing. If your in the mood for something light, as not to fall asleep after lunch, the TS can be a close ally, along with its cousins the chicken salad and egg salad sandwiches. Below are sandwiches from Whole Foods. They have really good, fresh ingredients in their sandwiches. I usually go with the rustic rounds and salami.

Whole Foods Tuna Sandwich.


The blown out contrast, 90's music video look.

Choking on sandwiches

I went to disneyland with Sunha for my birthday. For lunch, I went to Cafe Orleans in the little new orleans there. I went with the safe bet, the chicken sandwich.


As I waited, the waiter kept walking by with these unbelievable looking montecristos. I soon realied my blunder, which was, not stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new. I didn't order the montecristo because it had powdered sugar and cranberry sauce. I could have experienced something very special and beautiful that day and therefore, choked... by not ordering the montecristo...

The Battle of the Submarine's: Part one

First of all, I would like to state how proposterous this is. Me, comparing and contrasting submarine sandwiches on the west coast when everybody and they momma know... Subs are an east coast phenomena. That being said, let's do this.
Ladies and gentleman! The underdog, coming by way of Los Angeles, Ca, 1 foot long, a couple of pounds of thinly sliced roast beef, with a whole mess of onions tomatoes and pickles... its... Santoro's roast beef sandwiiiich!

And now, directly below me, its the crowd favorite, coming by way of Manasquan, New Jersey, 10 inches of Provolone, ham, prosciuttini and cappacuolo, its Jersey MIke's Super Sub!


Round 1: At first bite, Santoro's rb sub had me fooled. The shower of oils, spices and herbs sent me into a tailspin of exhiliration. But a couple of bewildering bites in, any sense of distinct flavor was gone. My taste buds had been bamboozled..

Jeresy Mike's super sub is a nation wide favorite. I pretty much bit in to what I expected... a highly delicious sub. The young lady that built the sub also showered what seemed to be an absurd amount of oil and vinegar on it. The meats are sliced directly upon ordering, which makes a difference. The ingredients are all very fresh... impressive for a chain.


Half Time

Round 2: Santoro's ended up being a dissapointment. They added so much to it that the flavors cancelled eachother out. The marinated onions and tomatoes had probably been sitting there for a while. In their defense, they are a neighborhood favorite. Its probably a question of knowing what and how to order. Plus if I had wanted to make this a fair fight I could have gotten the Italian from Santoro's too. Apparently the steak and egg sandwich from there is amazing, but I had an egg sandwich for breakfast... so, you know.

Its no wonder why Jersey Mike's has achieved so much notoriety in such a brief amount of time. There are now 300 JMs nationwide. They manage to maintain a good product with any old employee making the sandwich. Afterall, isnt that what makes a successful chain? Making it so that no matter who is preparing it, the ingredients and game plan are so air tight, that it can't be screwed up?



Winner: Jersy Mikes! I know, its kind of a David and Goliath thing. Don't get me wrong, the last thing I want to do is rag on the little guy. But theres a reason why Jersey Mike is riding a jet ski right now, wearing a dookie thick gold chain and shining his keester with hundred dollar bills... the man can make a sandwich.

Santoro's is on 1423 W Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506

Check out Santoro's online http://www.santorosburbank.com

To find a JM location nearest you: http://www.jerseymikes.com/

5 days of Sandwiches: The week in review

A bit of a follow up on my previous post Revisiting a Classic. I can't say enough about the importance of condiments. It can push the same old sandwich into a metamorphic spiral of variety and flavor. Not that you guys don't already know this, but I thought I'd share with you seeing as how its made my life so much fun. All of these condiments go well with mayo (the control group of each sandwich). Every day was Turkey, swiss, onion, lettuce and mayo on hearty 7 grain: Then: Roll call: Sriracha, yellow mustard, Phillipe's spicy mustard, aji chileno, chalula and balsamic vinnagrette. Hummus is really good too. You'll be sorry if you don't.

Samm Diego

While in San Diego for Comicon this year myself and others decided to do something fun.

This is Rudy, he works at The Hub Market and Deli. Rudy is kind of a badass when it comes to sandwiches. He knows the history of all of the sammies on the menu, as well as sammies in the world. His eyes lit up when we began conversing on the topic.



Most of them, he says were sent in by friends and fans alike. His favorite item on the menu is a big veggie wrap with all of the veggies in it. If you want to, you can send in your sandwich idea to audition for the menu! Recently, Rudy was written up for having one of the best breakfast burritos in San Diego!



Thats no easy feat when your connected to Mexico... Heres a couple of the little guys we hit up while there.



If your in the area, its a quiant little spot on 748 6th Avenue, San Diego, CA

Vietnamese sandwiches changed my life

When I lived in China town last year I walked by these vietnamese sandwiches and felt like a hack for not eating one. A couple of blog readers brought it to my attention that I was in dire need of trying one.


They couldn't have been more correct. I don't know how I made it this long without one. Ladies and gentleman of the jury:



I would like to introduce exhibit A: bbq chiu su pork and exhibit B: beef. They come on delicious french bread with mayo, onions, fresh jalapeno, sliced radish, minced carrot and lots of cilantro... cilantro on a sandwich is so fresh! It was so good. It was like having a deja vu. As your humble sandwich confidant I strongly advise you eat one if you haven't already. Your livelyhood may depend on it. This restaurant is called Saigon Sandwhiches, its 7219 De Soto Ave, Canoga Park.

Brent's Delicatessen... Holy Moses!

It was 3:30 pm on a saturday and I decided to google "best sandwich in the san fernando valley." Immediately one restaurant/ deli rose to the top. Brent's.


15 minutes later I was at the pearly gates. Upon arrival I noticed all of the standard requirements that a good Jewish deli should have. They had Dr. Brown's and brought us both dill and garlic pickles. They also brought out some warm rye slices with butter. This place was packed at 3:30pm, this is rare seeing that t is half way in between lunch and dinner. Brent's was founded in 1967 and has attracted a wide variety of clientel since it grand opening. And its no woner. Look at these sandwiches!

Meet roast beef and pastrami french dip. I'm not usually a pastrami kingd of guy. But the buzz got to me so I pulled the trigger. MINGIA thatsa some gooda pastrami!

It was so thinly sliced that it melts in your mouth.On point with both. Spicy mustard as well as au jus dipping sauce. The slaw and potato salad were good too (as expected from an establishment such as this.)
The eclairs are also a big deal at Brent's and are probably enough to feed a family of four for two consecutive weeks.

In this picture it looks big because it close to the camera, not so Ronald. Its actually the size of half of my stomach.

The guy brought it out in a wheel barrow. Just look at this abomination! But thats neither here nor there. Brent's is a force to be reckoned with. If your ever in the mood to break something dear to you, like your stomach... Hit up Brent's. You won't be dissapointed.
19565 Parthenia St., Northridge, CA 91324

Sandwich fun fact

I would like to make a special dedication to Ethiopia and Morocco. in each of these visionary cultures forks and knives are not customary. But rather they have large pieces of delicious flat bread about the table. They tear off chunks and use them as eating utensils. Basically, they make a mini sandwich out of every bite of food they take! Imagine that...Heres to you Morocco and Ethiopia! And probably some other countries!

Roman's "A world of sandwiches"

On Ventura blvd in sherman oaks there exists another world... made entirely of sanwiches. Well, not really, but thats the slogan. I had driven by Roman's several times before and remember being thoroughly enticed by the notion. Today was the day. I woke up with a hunger from down under and decided to give it a whirl.
I noticed a rather large group of eastern european women at a table. These women have been cooking delicious meals throughout their whole lives, this was a promising sign, seeing that they were patronizing Roman's and must have pretty high standards.
My attention was also grabbed by the free salad/ condiment bar equipped with slaw, shredded carrots and a couple of other salads... not too shabby! I'm definately not one to pass up some free slaw and if your taking the time to read this, chances are, neither are you...




Roman's is also a bakery which often insures good bread. I went with the turkey club. The pieces of turkey were sliced large reminisent of Boston Market. A tad bit dry, but they made up for it with the fresh salad (balsamic) to help wash it down. Plus I threw some yellow mustard on it which goes a long way. Overall I'd give the sammie a 7.5 out of 10. not half bad. They also have a wide assortment of wraps, salads and thin crust pizza. All in all the experience was pretty fun. So if your ever in this neck of the woods, the address is 15100 Ventura blvd by the sepulveda intersection. Chow!

Whats in YOUR fridge?

Ok bawlers, today I was flying blind into lunch... No preconcieved menu for the day. It was improv time. upon opening the fridge, I noticed I still had salami left from the Texas Tornadoes. I also had hamburger buns from burgers. But we won't get into burgers just yet, theres a heated debate as to which family our flame broiled brothers belong to (repeat three times fast.) I also had shredded mexican cheese. It was toaster time.



I toasted the salami under the cheese because I was using a bun, which garuantees that the bottom won't be soggy. On a side note, I also seperated every slice of salami before laying it down. I don't know if its placebo or actually tastes way better when you do that. Feel free to comment on this. I think it has something to do with the air seperating it and the density of the sandwich. Fast forward:



I luckily had the three wisemen on hand; onion lettuce and tomatoe. Now, French's yellow mustard and salami is a holy matrimony like Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman. Exquisite... Down to the last bite!

My # 1 Sandwich: The Texas Tornadoe

In my last post, sandwichblog reader Madmax Winston brought a restaurant to my attention which advertised the "worlds best sandwich." I found it only appropriate to address this issue and bring out the BIG GUNS!



The idea of a best sandwich is a proposterous notion because taste belongs to the individual. For different cultures there are, of course, different tastes. But, all social mores aside, its subjective.
My personal favorite sandwich is the Texas Tornadoe, I first created it about 10 years ago while working at Katinger's deli in Columbus, Oh. (if your ever in the area I reccomend it.) Katinger's is a Jewish establisment and didnt have an italian sub. I quickly made one for myself and others. It was originally on french bread to give it more of a hoagie feel. One day, wrapped up for a fellow employee, a buddy of mine drew an old, long pistol on it, scrawled along the bottom were the words "Texas Tornadoe." The name stuck even after it evolved into a croissant. In short, it has nothing to do with texas or tornadoes, but what the hell? It sounds cool...



The ingredients to this taste bud tantalizer are as follows:

-croissant (toasted)
-mayo
-balsamic vinnagrette (preferably homemade)
-genoa salami (or even better; soppresata)
-provolone
-roma tomatoes
-red onion
-spinach leaves

I substituted a couple of items out of convenience as clearly seen in the photos. But it was still incredible. You'll walk around with a satisfied smirk on your mug if you do it right. Moderation is key, you dont want to over do it with any one item.
So thats my number one sammy. So give it a go, let me know what you think. Substitute, rearrange, displace, and most inportantly do what you like beacause the "best sandwich" is in YOUR hands!

Revisiting a classic

Its so hard to screw up a turkey sandwich... Its like the foundation or cornerstone of my sandwich pyramid. The possibilities and varieties are endless. I was thinking of having a sandwich booth one day were I would sell "turkey sandwiches from around the world."
All of them would be turkey and swiss with mayo. From latin america, tapatio would be the key ingredient; from asia, sriracha would be used and from north america frenchs yellow mustard. I like to switch between these on a daily basis.
My sammy for today had some of Phillipe's spicy mustard on it! Like I said before, this stuff will roundhouse your taste buds!

Picnic at the park

How underrated are picnics? Sunha and I decided to make a day out of it. But what picnic would be complete without two torpedoes?

The ingredients of these sleak water dogs: french bread, mayo, mustard, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, turkey, swiss, lettuce, onions and carrots. Carrots? Yes, its not much different when you think about it then tomatoes... All wrapped and ready.

Overall the experience was great, capped off with jalapeno cheddar chips and a nice view of the lake I'd say the ocasion was a success!

mingia. what a view...

Wednesday Double Header

Yesterday I had quite a busy day with two sandwiches. For lunch, I decided to try Steve's Bigger Sub's which was interesting because it seems like a chain in there with all kinds of logos and cardboard cutouts but I guess its the only restaurant. Its located in sherman oaks by the ventura 405 exit. I had a 12" italian sub and it was pretty delicious. The bread was good and "airy." It kind of reminded me of Blimpies but with a little more weight to it.



For dinner, I tried a los angeles landmark. Phillippes has been open since 1908 and its no wonder! Its located in the middle of China town and boasts the home of the french dip sandwich! It was absolutely incredible! coffee is like 9 cents and lemonade for 75 cents! The place has an old timey feel with everybody dressed like theyre from the 40s or 50s. Theres a cabstand right next door so the adds to the feel of the place. i got a beef sandwich with blue cheese. So bomb...

One of the most incredible things about the place is that they make their own spicy mustard. I underestimated it at first, this stuff is like wasabi! You can buy it their too, I had to pick some up.

Heres their wikapedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe's

I highly recommend it to any sandwich fan.