March 1, 2010
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Sandwich Quest Makes Surprising Discovery
Hillel the Elder invented the sandwich (herbed Paschal lamb between slices of pita) about the same time he enunciated what would become known as the golden rule. So, to feed others as he would feed himself, George Formaro (Centro) recently gathered a “munch bunch” of serious sandwich lovers to share favorite local discoveries. Six chef/restaurateurs brought favorites, from restaurants other than their own, to share and judge. Everyone was born and raised in Iowa, so the group shared similar tastes in comfort food as well as in cutting edge style.
Formaro, Linda Bisignano (Chuck’s) and Tony Lemmo (Café di Scala) all brought Italian sausage sandwiches. Those from Noodles Pasta & Sandwich Shop,
Café di Scala and La Pizza House were traditional Calabrese, like those restaurants. All included Italian sausage (Graziano’s or homemade) on Italian bread (Krispy Krust, Fancy or South Union focaccia) with cheese, peppers and marinara.
The preferred Frank’s Special (Café di Scala) also included basil pesto, smoked provolone, fried eggplant, red onions, garlic & fennel marinated tomatoes and Pecorino Romano.
A fourth Italian sausage sandwich defied tradition. The Norwood Bar & Grill’s was made with ketchup and mustard.
“The idea of putting on ketchup and mustard is against everything I believed in growing up Italian. It sounds so wrong it made me cringe, until I tried my first one. It works. I love it,’ explained Formaro. Lemmo, Cyd Koehn (Hy-Vee) and Hal Jasa (Phat Chefs) all agreed. Bisignano wasn’t so sure.
Jasa and Koehn brought sausage sandwiches of a different sort –
cevapi from La Strada
and Royal Grill respectively. Those sandwiches were nearly indistinguishable – large unleavened buns filled with 8 to 10 link sausages of beef, onions and sour cream.
Barbecue was represented by: a burnt ends sandwich from The Q
that included rip tips on fresh white bread with a side of sweet sauce; and by Uncle Wendell’s brisket, served on that bakery’s home baked bread with a side of Russ & Frank’s medium sauce. The group appreciated them about equally. Two sandwiches from La Mie represented the high end of delidom, both made on that artisan bakery’s breads. The “French” featured brie and ham while
the flank steak sandwich included cold rare steak with arugula and aioli. Munchers preferred the latter. Jasa called it a wonder of flavor pairings. “You can’t beat the simplicity of good bread, arugula, aioli and beef.”
Chicago Dog & Deli entries included a coney
and a traditional Chicago dog, which means the wiener is steamed, not grilled, and is covered with mustard, “nuclear” relish (sweet pickle relish dyed neon green), cucumber slices, tomatoes and onions. Preferences were divided. Manhattan Deli was represented by
The Betty – turkey, salami, pepper cheese and dressings on an onion bun.
Smitty’s Tenderloin Shop’s namesake sandwich drew the least enthusiasm of all.
Most chefs thought it a less than stellar representative of an Iowa icon.
Carnitas tortas from Los Laureles were far more popular, with aioli, lettuce, tomato, onions, cilantro and crispy pork shoulder on a Mexican hoagie bun.
The overall favorite sandwich though, by a huge margin, was a bánh mì submitted by Lemmo from Pho All Season’s. Five of seven munchers declared it the best of show and raved about its diversity of “sweet & sour, spicy, salty and umami, multiple colors, crunchy and soft.”
They also remarked how well its French baguette stood up to travel, soaking up flavors from its dressings of fish sauce and mayo without turning soggy. (The bánh mì is named after those baguettes, which are made with half wheat and half rice flour.) Lemmo’s favorite bánh mì is filled with roast pork, cilantro, chilies, pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber and dressed in mayo and fish sauce.
Several munchers expressed regret about sandwiches not avaialble because of timing. The Fourth Street Italian Beef namesake drew praise from Lemmo, Formaro and Koehn. The tenderloin from Town House and the London broil from Jesse’s Embers were also missed.
