Category Archives: Best Sandwiches

A Staggeringly Good Sandwich in Downtown Oakland

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Deciding what delicious sandwich to order at Stags Lunchette in downtown Oakland

Deciding what delicious sandwich to order at Stags Lunchette in downtown Oakland

I ask the guy at the counter of Stags Lunchette if they have a takeout (or even an online) menu. “No, we change it every couple of weeks,” he says.

I could stare up at the board and decipher the intriguing list of sandwiches currently on offer at this a bustling little place in downtown Oakland. Instead, I do something distinctly un-Canadian and start asking customers, seated at high tables in the darkened space, what they’re eating. One woman has turned a grilled wild mushroom tartine into a heaping salad, which she is  jealously guarding with a fork. A nearby guy is tucking into a heaping smoked meatloaf sandwich, which he says is great, especially if you like extra bacon.

No point salivating over these selections. Stags' menu changes constantly

No point salivating over these selections. Stags’ menu changes constantly

I decide to test them on a simple grilled cheese sandwich, which in Stags’s hands (hooves?) is a not-so-simple mix of Belfiore mozza and Wykes aged white cheddar. And how can I resist adding some whiskey bacon chutney, bringing this gourmet comfort-food total to $7, including a little spring salad and wee gerkins.

Just calling this a grilled cheese does this sandwich a disservice

Just calling this a grilled cheese sandwich does it a disservice

I could tell you what to order. But by the time you read this, you’ll have to do your own detective work on a fresh menu. Just make sure you go. I can tell you it’s damn good.

Stags Lunchette
362 17 Street, Oakland, California
Weekdays 8 am-3 pm, Saturday 9 am-3 pm. Closed Sunday
Stag's Lunchette on Urbanspoon

Fantastic Lunches at Magpie Cafe in Sacramento, California

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Magpie Cafe, in Sacramento California, serves the perfect BLT, with simple, sensational ingredients

Magpie Cafe, in Sacramento California, serves the perfect BLT, with simple, sensational ingredients

Usually, I know what I want to order within seconds of scanning a menu. But at *Magpie Cafe, on the edge of downtown Sacramento, California, I’m at a complete loss. My first instinct is to go with the duck confit salad. But then I see an absolutely loaded, pulled-pork sandwich slide past on a server’s arm. Hmmm. The grilled Diestel natural turkey sandwich, with sage cheddar, also looks enticing. And I’m only halfway through a lunch menu of sandwiches and salads. Aaargh!

Hard to resist this duck confit salad

Hard to resist this duck confit salad

I finally settle on a boring, summer BLT (a steal at $9.25), if you can call bursting-with-flavour orange heirloom tomatoes, thick-cut bacon, cress and caper aioli on a fresh baguette boring. Even the scoop of potato salad seems to contain heirloom, blue potatoes. In all, it’s simple but simply outstanding ingredients, creative details and great execution by owners Ed Roehr and Janel Inoyue and their attentive staff. Sandwich makers of the world, take note.

I’m so focused on the food, I scarcely look at the inviting surroundings—scrubbed, old brick walls and exposed ductwork running along the high ceiling. But I do notice the line of salivating customers forming behind me in late morning. They’re no doubt waiting for me to make up my damn mind.

People lining up for fabulous sandwiches and salads at lovely Magpie Cafe

People lining up for fabulous sandwiches and salads at lovely Magpie Cafe

Magpie Cafe
1409 R Street, Sacramento, California
Monday to Wednesday 10:30 am-9 pm, Thursday-Friday 10:30 am-10 pm, Saturday 8 am-10 pm, Sunday 8 am-2 pm
Magpie Cafe on Urbanspoon

I finish my midtown Sacramento afternoon with an exacting pour-over at elegant, spare Temple Coffee, arguably the best California roaster not located on the coast.

Temple Coffee might be the best California roaster not on the west coast

Temple Coffee might be the best California roaster not on the west coast

Temple Coffee Roasters
1010 9 Street (two other Sacramento locations)
Daily 6 am-11 pm
Temple Coffee on Urbanspoon

A Small Bet on a Fantastic Vegas Sandwich

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Josh ... is putting high-end ingredients into most affordable sandwiches at The Goodwich, in Las Vegas

Josh Clark is putting high-end ingredients into most affordable sandwiches at The Goodwich, in Las Vegas

You may think you’ve eaten a great BLT or two in your time. But you obviously haven’t met Josh Clark, co-owner of *The Goodwich. From an 8-by-12-foot cart in colourful downtown Las Vegas (i.e. not The Strip), he dispenses a BLT&G (the “g” is for cheddar grits) that’s the best bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich I’ve ever sunk my teeth into.

The primary reason is Josh’s obsession with his bacon. It starts with a slab of pork belly that’s brined and slow-roasted/smoked and then sliced and crisped at the last minute on the blacktop. Oh, and all the drippings from the bacon makin’ are added to the sandwich for an extra hit of bliss. The remaining ingredients are equally well thought out, including fresh, flavour-filled tomatoes and grilled bread from local Bon Breads.

You won't find a better BLT than this one

You won’t find a better BLT than this one and certainly not for $7

A relaxed, friendly guy who greets his customers at the front of his cart, Josh has years of experience as a chef in some high-end Vegas restaurants. The premise behind the new sandwich shop (with co-owner Jake Leslie) is this: You should be able to take everything in, say, a high-falutin, high-priced meal, slap it between two pieces of bread and charge the change in a customer’s pocket. What a concept!

Thus you can get a “simple” heirloom tomato, aioli and smoked salt sammy for a ridiculous $3 and work all the way up to $9 for a pork butt and belly combo. Even a lowly egg salad ($5) is transformed into something fabulous by the addition of pickled onion, chorizo and chip bits. It’s all about ingenuity, exacting standards over the smallest details and execution.

“The idea,” says Josh, “is to exceed expectations.” Mission accomplished.

The colourful Las Vegas downtown area is home to Goodwich and Viva Las Arepas

The colourful Las Vegas downtown area is home to Goodwich and Viva Las Arepas

Note: Goodwich is in space owned by Viva Las Arepas, a block away and one of my top overall road-trip food picks of 2013. Owner Felix Arellano is hoping to soon expand that fabulous eatery to another Las Vegas location or two.

The Goodwich
1516 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Suite A, Las Vegas
Tuesday to Sunday 11 am-10 pm, except 4 pm closing Sunday. Closed Monday
The Goodwich on Urbanspoon

A Hearty Pancake Sandwich and a Gigantic Meat Sandwich in Salt Lake City

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They're rightly called "Heavenly Hotcakes" at Penny Ann's Cafe. These have bacon and eggs in the middle

They’re rightly called “Heavenly Hotcakes” at Penny Ann’s Cafe. These have bacon and eggs in the middle

After eating a tofu scramble in Salt Lake City the day before, I’m ready for some real eggs and bacon, better yet piled between two pancakes. At *Penny Ann’s Cafe, they’re called “Heavenly Hotcakes”, with good reason. Yes, they’re platter big but fluffy and flavourful, thanks to the use of sour cream in the scratch-made batter. So good that even after I’m full and the remains have cooled, I can’t help nibbling. Though I must draw the line when I’m offered a slice of one of the many pies baked in the kitchen each day.

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Seattle Sandwich Standoff

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What do Seattle diners do while they're waiting in line? Why of course, talk to each other

What do Seattle diners do while they’re waiting in line? Why of course, talk to each other

It’s your classic heavyweight battle. In one corner, er Seattle streetfront, is the long-time, undisputed champ: Paseo, famed for its Cuban-style sandwiches. Almost right across Fremont Avenue is the contender, Dot’s Delicatessen, which also does sandwiches, along with charcuterie plates.

I head for the latter because a) I like an underdog and b) there’s no 11 am lineup here. I order a porchetta sandwich, the fatty pork tenderloin nicely offsetting the crunchy, pinkish coleslaw and the whole thing nicely held together by lightly toasted, chewy sourdough bread. It’s a simple, great $9 sandwich.

The porchetta sandwich on sourdough is sublime at Dot's Delicatessen

The porchetta sandwich on sourdough is sublime at Dot’s Delicatessen

By the time I’ve wolfed down the last morsel, I would probably just be ordering at Paseo. But as I pass the latter and its ever-lengthening line, I see some seated lads digging into steaming pork subs, smothered in caramelized onions. Damn, that looks good, too.

There's usually a healthy line for Paseo's Cuban-style sandwiches

There’s usually a healthy line for Paseo’s Cuban-style sandwiches

I can see a split decision here. Heck, even Urbanspoon reviewers are having a tough time deciding. I guess everyone’s a winner.

Dot’s Delicatessen
4262 Fremont Ave North
Daily 11 am-9 pm, except 3 pm closing Sunday
Dot’s Delicatessen on Urbanspoon

Paseo
4225 Fremont Avenue North or 6226 Seaview Avenue NW
Tuesday to Friday 11 am-9 pm, Saturday 11 am-8 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday
Paseo on Urbanspoon

Best Sandwiches in the U.S. Mountain States

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Honking big, glorious sandwiches at Sedona Memories Bakery & Cafe in Sedona, Arizona

Honking big, glorious sandwiches at Sedona Memories Bakery & Cafe in Sedona, Arizona

I don’t often get excited about sandwiches on road trips. That’s because they’re often, well, boring. But occasionally, some place bowls me over with a sandwich that’s incredibly fresh, creative and served, of course, between two pieces of great bread that definitely weren’t pulled from a bag. Here, then, are the top sandwiches I feasted on during a recent trip through the U.S. mountain states.

Creative chandeliers at 626 on Rood in Grand Junction, Colorado

Creative chandeliers at 626 on Rood in Grand Junction, Colorado

If you’re craving some excellence on a long road trip, please, please take a short detour off the dreary I-70 in southwest Colorado and navigate your way through Grand Junction to its historic downtown and 626 on Rood. Yes, it’s a more upscale place, where you’ll pay a pittance for street-front parking, get linen napkins and heavy utensils and have your water glass filled from a long-necked wine bottle. None of this matters, nor does the menu, frankly. Just order the smoked duck breast club sandwich, and you’ll never be able to look at an ordinary club the same way again. It’s that oh-my-God good. Besides the incredibly succulent and plentiful slices of apple-wood-smoked duck (adequate adjectives fail me) there’s pepper bacon, Napa cabbage and roasted garlic mayo, all squeezed between two delightful pieces of challah bread.

This duck club, at 626 on Rood, may be the best sandwich I've ever had

This duck club, at 626 on Rood, may be the best sandwich I’ve ever had

Oh, and get some fantastic sweet potato fries as your side, and start things off with a complimentary plate of French baguette slathered in house-made herbed butter. It might be the best $12 you’ll ever spend on lunch. The duck club isn’t listed on the dinner menu, but just ask and they will deliver: They promised me.

626 on Rood
626 Rood Avenue, Grand Junction, Colorado
Monday to Saturday 11 am-11 pm, Sunday 4 pm-10 pm
626 on Rood on Urbanspoon

I’m taking a two-hour detour for lunch, one that carries me steeply up through dense pine forests and around 15 mph-switchbacks en route to Silver City, in the southwest corner of New Mexico. The Curious Kumquat is just one of those nationally-recognized, destination restaurants you go out of your way for; they’re even sponsoring an NPR program I’m listening to on the tortuous approach.

What makes the Kumquat special? Consider that chef-owner Rob Connoley likes to forage for wild edibles—like cattails, forest moss and crawfish for today’s evening menu. For a relative bargain of about $40, I can enjoy a five-course tasting dinner featuring jerk rabbit, Catalan duck and smoked roots.

Fabulous mole-chicken sandwich at Curious Kumquat in Silver City, New Mexico

Fabulous mole-chicken sandwich at Curious Kumquat in Silver City, New Mexico

But I’m here for a real lunch deal ($7.50), a fantastic Oaxacan sandwich, with plentiful, moist pieces of shredded mole chicken, avocado, goat cheese and apple, served on lovely, seed-crusted ciabatta. The included side salad is no afterthought but a carefully constructed mix of quinoa, grape and sliced vegetables. The server brings around a couple of spectacular-looking desserts, but there’s no room, even for a jelly-filled sandwich cookie. It’s too bad I have to drive, otherwise I’d sample one of their 70 listed international beers.

Curious Kumquat
111 East College Avenue, Silver City, New Mexico
Tuesday to Saturday, lunch 11 am-5 pm, dinner 5:30-8:30 pm (final seating)
The Curious Kumquat / Cafe at the Kumquat on Urbanspoon

“You been on Man Vs. Food?” a customer asks the server as he soldiers through his sandwich at Sedona Memories Bakery & Café, in Sedona, Arizona. “You serve halves?” I add, eying the monsters anchoring tables in the gusty winds. “No, just entire sandwiches,” she replies. “You’ve got to eat the whole thing. We tie you to the chair till you’re finished.”

Sedona Memories doesn’t seem much concerned about aesthetics. Faded red-and-white checked plastic tablecloths cover scuffed beige plastic tables, with chairs to match, and the patio area overlooks a dusty gravel parking lot. This means all the energy goes into producing wonderful, thick, thick sandwiches, all for a bargain $7.25 in tourist-choked Sedona. Eschewing standards like egg and tuna salad or roast beef, I opt for one piled with veggies, cream cheese, avocado and sunflower seeds. What brings it all together is the house-made bread, especially the moist, dense whole wheat or seven grain. Forget getting my mouth around it; I have to stretch my hand just to contain it.

This bad boy holds down the tablecloth at Sedona Memories Bakery & Cafe

This bad boy holds down the tablecloth at Sedona Memories Bakery & Cafe

Sedona Memories Bakery & Cafe
321 Jordan Road, Sedona, Arizona
Monday to Friday 10 am-2 pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday
Sedona Memories Bakery Cafe on Urbanspoon

“Many have eaten here… few have died,” declares a sign in Big D’s Downtown Dive, a colourful Roswell diner featuring a collage of New Mexico license plates and tables covered in laminated maps. The Dive is known for its hamburgers and my choice of a cheesesteak sandwich, which seems a bit steep at $8.99 till it lands with a shudder on the table. If they hadn’t cut it in half, it would have measured at least 16 inches of soft roll absolutely stuffed with grilled steak, onions, peppers, mushrooms, green chiles and melted Swiss (my only quibble is it’s a tad salty, for me). This quivering mass is still steaming as I struggle onto the second half, with enough spillage to soak three napkins. It’s a good thing I don’t opt for the double meat (an added $3). That may have been sufficient to trigger my premature demise. One nice detail here is the cucumber-flavoured tank of water.

Hearty cheesesteak sandwich at Big D's Downtown Dive in Roswell, New Mexico

Hearty cheesesteak sandwich at Big D’s Downtown Dive in Roswell, New Mexico

Big D’s Downtown Dive
505 North Main Street, Roswell, New Mexico
Monday to Friday 11 am-9 pm
Big D's Downtown Dive on Urbanspoon

It takes a while for my lunch-hour order to be taken at *Guava Tree Café in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but I don’t mind. It lets me peer into the kitchen and watch the fastest-moving cook I’ve ever seen. She’s a literal whirling dervish, assembling Cuban-style sandwiches and Venezuelan arepas, featuring unleavened corn-meal bread. The guy behind the counter isn’t much slower—taking orders, delivering food and whipping up delicious fresh tropical juices. After agonizing deliberation (I really want to order an arepa pocket stuffed with shredded beef, plantains and black beans), I opt instead for a larger Pernil sandwich ($7.50). It’s a fantastic mix of slow-roasted pork, sweet caramelized onion, Swiss cheese and garlic sauce, warm pressed on Cuban bread. Add a side of yuca crisps and a coconut flan for dessert, and I’ve got a full Caribbean dining experience. My only advice: Don’t be in a hurry. The staff’s got that covered for you.

Savoury Cuban-style sandwiches at Guava Tree Cafe in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Savoury Cuban-style sandwiches at Guava Tree Cafe in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Guava Tree Cafe
216 Yale Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Weekdays 9 am-4 pm, weekends 11 am-3 pm
Guava Tree Cafe on Urbanspoon

Honourable Mentions for a couple of great places where I tried something other than their most famous sandwiches.

Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli (Salt Lake City, Utah) is one of America’s top delis and renowned for its Caputo sandwich, loaded with prosciutto, mortadella, salami, provolone, olive oil and balsamic ($8.25 for a monster whole, $4.85 for a half).
Caputo's Market & Deli on Urbanspoon

Check out the cheeses, meats and great sandwiches at Tony Caputo's Market & Deli in Salt Lake City

Check out the cheeses, meats and great sandwiches at Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli in Salt Lake City

Verde Lea Market Deli & Grill (Cottonwood, Arizona) makes grilled-steak tortas (big, $7 Mexican sandwiches) that are “three-quarters-of-a-pound of heaven in your mouth,” a server tells me. I do try the toasted telera, far superior to any of the round torta breads I’ve had elsewhere on this trip.
Verde Lea Market Deli and Grill on Urbanspoon

Try a great torta at Verde Lea Market Deli & Grill in Cottonwood, Arizona

Try a great torta at Verde Lea Market Deli & Grill in Cottonwood, Arizona