Do ice cream sandwiches count?

No, they don't. But they're still good. These are from Coolhaus ice cream sandwich truck. http://twitter.com/COOLHAUS. They have flavors like strawberry with jalapeño and bacon...zoinks!

The Club

My guess (is as good as yours): They are called club sandwiches because they were served at clubs at which they had to accomodate for a lot of people. Thats why they are double decker, cut in to four pieces and contain many ingredients, to satisfy the varying tastes of each member.

Whats Cookin America basically says: A guy came home and was so hungry that he put everything that he could find together in one sandwich. He then introduced it to the club that he belonged to and they went crazy about it and adopted it as their own.(Which means that he put turkey on bread and was like, "this is not gonna be enough," put ham on it, "not gonna be enough," put bacon... and was still fearful that it wouldn't satisfy his giant appetite. So he made it a double decker and added cheese and vegetables!)


Wikipedia adds: One popular theory is that the club sandwich was invented in an exclusive Saratoga Springs, New York, gambling club in the late 19th century.[1]
The sandwich is known to have appeared on US restaurant menus as far back as 1899.[2]

And Mitch Hedburg says:

Modern day: At grimey late night diners, its one of the only safe things to eat. At such an establisment, it comes with a trough of ranch dressing for dipping to mask the mediocrity. The toast gets cold as soon as it comes out. It is rare to come across a decent club sandwich, but they are out there. The one pictured above is a really good one. Its from Home Restaurant in LA. Everything there is tasty. What seperates this club sammy from the others is the fresh ingredients. The bread is what pushes this sammy over the edge, high quality, not toasted, just right..aight.
1760 Hillhurst Avenue
Los Angeles, CA

Wedding Sliders

Big congrats are in order for my friends Lyon and Abbey who just got married in the Virgin Islands. Also, big congrats to their choices in food. Behold the Asian BBQ Snake River Kurobuta Pork Belly Slider. This little gem consists of Snake River Kurobuta Pork Belly Slow Braised in East West Asian BBQ Sauce and then Finished on the Grill for a Touch of Smokiness. Served on Homemade Mini Slider Rolls with Marinated Cucumbers, Grilled Scallions (which go well with anything) and Local Organic Pea Shoots... Now thats a mouthful. Perfect meat, sauce and garnish... Masel tov!
On a side note: As I was taking this picture, an elderly gentleman was taking a picture of me. He said that him and his buddies have a blog with nothing but pictures of people taking stupid pictures. Touché old friend.

Croissandwich round 3

Once again. Croissant sandwiches are riculously good. This one is peppered turkey, sharp chedder, red onions and lettuce on a lightly toasted croissant. The key ingredient here is homemade red wine vinaigrette mayo... Perfect blend of sweet and savory.

Big mac attack!

http://theopenseason.tumblr.com/

Super Bowl Sandwiches

Chef Loretta Keller crafts a line up of seven game changing meals.
Here are three of them:

SERRANO HAM, RICOTTA AND NETTLE PESTO SANDWICH

BACON, LETTUCE AND TOMATO WITH EGG AND CHEESE

ROAST PORK SANDWICH WITH FONTINA, BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES AND SAUERKRAUT


Click on this link to see her amazing creations...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703555804576102111048263134.html?mod=ITP_offduty_0


(thanks Lyon)

Langers, the Queen mother of LA sandwiches

Whenever sandwiches are brought up in Los Angeles, somebody asks "Have you eaten at Langers?" and up until now I've said "No, but I hear its really good." I went there this past weekend and was impressed. They boast the best Pastrami in the world. I don't know anything about pastrami outside the US, but one immediately thinks of New York. There are way more great pastrami joints per square foot over there, obviously. Katz Deli and Carnegie Deli being the most well known. I ate at Katz a few months ago. So, I can now assess them both.
At Langers I had the #1, pastrami with russian dressing and coleslaw on rye.The bread is near perfect, I say near because the crusts are so tough that they risk destroying the whole operation. Sharpen your teeth beforehand. The pastrami wasn't that hot but it was hot enough and went along perfectly with the slaw and russian. This place lived up to its hype, it was an incredible sandwich. Youre so full but you cant stop eating because it tastes so gud.
Katz best item is the pastrami on rye with mustard. The pastrami, since it was fresh cut was nice and hot, fresher than Langer's. They pile it on really high, like "heart attack" high. I had to divide the meat into two sandwiches. Their rye is good too, I can't remember which was better, probably Katz's. The reason the sandwich is so good is because the pastrami really flavorful, so all you need is bread and mustard. But there strength is also there weakness, the pastrami is so salty that they can't pull off the russian dressing combos like Langer's.
At the end of the day I'm gonna go with Langer's because I could see myself eating there more often. Its a more complex sandwich. The ingredients complement eachother perfectly. Katz is really good, but too much meat and too salty... for my taste anyways.
Langers is at 704 South Alvarado Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057

Burgers and blue cheese

Meat and blue cheese are amazing together. So are buffalo wings and blue cheese. Thats all I have to say about that.

Mixed Vegetable sandwich

Pain rustique bread filled with thinly sliced fennel, celery, radish, red and green bell peppers, aioli (homemade, basil mayonaise), olive tapenade, arugula, hard boiled egg and vinnaigrette.

It sounded promising, but it wasn't. I think the sandwich was refrigerated (pre made). Big mistake, especially when tapenade is the base. Never refrigerate the whole sandwich in open air. Also, they should have garnished the greens with the vinaigrette and added more of the vegetables that have flavor, bell peppers, raddish, etc. I've had sandwiches in which olive tapenade was the base for the sandwich that were pretty good. This was not one of them. This place looks pretty nice and you'd think that when they created the menu someone tried the sandwich to see if it was good. Maybe it was good the first time it was made, when the ingredients were fresh... maybe.
This place is called Zinc's Cafe, everything they make here is vegetarian. If your in Laguna Beach, and your vegetarian it might not be a bad place to go. It seems like they're pretty popular, the veggie burger looked good. http://www.zinccafe.com/

Hulk Hogie

I made this for a company potluck. I used two baguettes and chopped them into several slices. They had similar ingredients except for one had genoa salami and provolone, while the other had turkey and swiss. They had mayo, yellow mustard, light onion and lettuce. The key ingredient was a home made balsamic vinagrette.

Squaw bread

I first found out about squaw bread after I moved out to California. Its also known as fry bread. Its kind of sweet and grainy, very fresh tasting. The consistency is chewy, puffy and doughy all at the same time... very unique. I'm a huge fan. The bread was originated by Native Americans in the south west. The word "squaw" comes from the Algonquian language in which it means "woman.'' When used by itself, the word squaw is derogatory towards Native American women (as coined by early settlers in the 1600s), but the terms squaw dance and squaw bread are widely used in Indian country.

Open face it

This sandwich is open faced. It is on a wheat bread baguette from this french baker at the montrose farmers market. Amazing, perfect consistency, perfect flavor, etc... Toasted the bread, added some butter and applied the eggs and fried balogna at my leisure. Sometimes its nice to eat like that. Have a bunch of different meats, cheeses, condiments and veggies. Every bite can be like eating a different sandwich. The combinations are endless.
This sandwich isn't all that special, but I wanted to address the open faced factor. Open faced sandwiches exist in more than one realm. For instance, if you put a thin layer of cold cuts on a baguette and melt cheese on top then its like a french bread pizza right? So, its kinda of like a pizza! And doesn't the word sandwich kind of mean between two things? Its like a sandwich moonlighting as a pizza... or vice versa.




This sandwich is wheat bread with turkey and melted muenster cheese, sweet onions and lettuce. Again, not a special sandwich except for the condiments. Mayo, mustard, red wine vinaigrette and just the right amount of srircacha. The salt and vinegar chips also helped to set it off. The sandwich was a success.

The Aromi Cafe

The Aromi Cafe in Sherman Oaks is mostly known for its gelato, but their sandwiches are what set them apart for me. The bread they use is baked daily at a nearby bakery. They toast flat loaves, which result in a warm, crunchy exterior with a soft interior...PERFECT if eaten immediately. If you wait too long, it gets cold (delicious nonetheless.) They have a house mayo with herbs and spices that is amazing and all of the meat and veggies are really fresh. If you have a huge appetite, one sandwich might not be enough because they are pretty light. But its nothing a bag of chips won't take care of. In terms of taste, the sandwiches are amazing. The word I would use to describe them is refreshing. I went their pretty often because they have a deal where you buy a sandwich and get the second one for two dollars (don't miss out.) The nice, old Greek couple that own and run The Aromi cafe are always there working, seven days a week. It seems like business is picking up for them, or maybe they've always had a steady clientele. Its no wonder, consistency and quality will always keep em comin' back! They are located at 14531 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

ketchup menu mustard

http://theopenseason.tumblr.com/

This week in sandwiches

Al's Italian American Delicatessen

Al's Italian American Delicatessen is no joke. My brother used to live in Montrose about ten years ago and I came to stay with him once. The highlight of that trip was walking to Al's and getting a huge turkey sandwich for 3.95. Times were simpler back then... Pre 9/11. Now the sandwiches have doubled in price. I'm sure if the terrorists could have foreseen this tragic aftershock they'd have thought twice. Al's still has the same mouth watering sandwiches. This is the turkey and swiss, the flavors all mesh together perfectly ensconced in the highest quality italian roll. The Roman God Mercury delivers it every morning. As I ate this classic sammy I was teleported to a simpler time. I told the old Italian woman that the sandwich looked amazing. She said " I would hope so, after twenty five years of making sandwiches..." Al's Delicatessen is in Montrose: 2332 Honolulu Ave, Montrose, CA 91020

Cafe Buenos Aires

In downtown Santa Barbara there is a little portal that will transport you to a street corner in Buenos Aires. Your taste buds will want to tango after this one my little gauchos. This sandwich is called the Lomito Argentino. it consists of grilled thin slices of beef sirloin, provolone, tomatoes, lettuce, onions and mayo on baguette. The meat is so good that it could be great on its own, but it has found a home in this fresh baked baguette. This is one of the best steak sandwiches I've ever had, I wouldn't recommend traveling to Santa Barbara without trying one. And its only nine dollars, not bad considering the alternative, a plane ticket to Argentina. Its located at 1316 State St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Larchmont Village Wine Spirits & Cheese



It was brought to my attention that this place is renowned throughout LA for having some of the best sandwiches around. After eating there, I would have to agree. My buddy Everett and I went on a sandwich tour one day. We hit up 3 places in about an hour. This place uses the best cheeses and meats this side of the great mississippi. I ate soprasata and brie on a fresh baguette with aioli mayonnaise. The food is so good and fresh that you could probably eat way passed the point of being full and your taste buds would con your stomach into going against its better judgement. Its close by friends at 223 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004.

Brooklyn Boys Food Truck in Orange County



This phenomenon is amazing. With food truck culture at an all time high, we have yet another awesome amalgamation. The brooklyn boys are a two man novelty act from new york who drive their truck around Orange County, supplying the masses with locally scarce fare such as corned beef, pastrami, brisket and turkey sandwiches. When I walked out of my brother's house in Anaheim the other day I was totally caught off guard by this truck. I got a turkey reuben with cole slaw, it was pretty good, next time I'll probably get corned beef. You can follow these guys via Twitter: @brooklyn_boys

Britain's National Sandwich Week

There is a British Sandwich Association! AND, May 9th through the 15th is British Sandwich Week. As we all know, the inventor of sandwiches is none other than the British demi-god, John Montagu aka the Earl of Sandwich.


Just look at him. The look on his face says. "I feel so good. I just invented sandwiches, I'm bout to pull another one out of my pouch and eat it right now."
Its no wonder why they are the safe keepers of the Sandwich. Kind of like the Majai in The Mummy movies. That keep a safe watch over the sacred tomb of the Pharao.

Their aim is as follows:

"To safeguard the integrity of the sandwich industry by setting technical standards for sandwich making and by encouraging improvement in the industry. To promote excellence and innovation in sandwich making. To provide a source of information for the industry. To promote the consumption of sandwiches. To provide a collective voice for all those involved in making, distributing and retailing sandwiches and to represent the views of the industry." - thesandwich.org/uk

There is also a sandwich Designer of the year every year. This year's sandwich must include these sponsor ingredients:

English Provender - Ploughman’s Plum Chutney
The Cheese Cellar - Leerdammer Lightlife
Moy Park - Corned Beef
Bernard Matthews - Turkey

The International Sandwich & Snack News Magazine is the official journal of the British Sandwich Association.



They have an avacado on the cover, which is a huge coincidence and a perfect segway in to my latest sandwich. In honor of British Sandwich Week:



-wheat bread
-melted mozzerela
-turkey
-romain
-sweet onions
-avacado.

The way the avacado is prepared is the most important part. You mash it up with a fork. Add light amount of olive oil and vinegar and a pinch of salt. I learned it from my family in Chile. spread it right on the bread. If you try it, it will become a staple in your rotation. Along with hummus and a few other spreads it will add another level to your main ingredient. literally.


So heres where you can go to find out about the design challenge and possibly become the turkey sandwich designer of the year:

http://www.sandwich.org.uk/awards/2010/designer.shtml

Big thanks to my mates in England for turning me on to this glorius event.