BACK FROM HIATUS

I guess you could call this a sardine salad sandwich. Chopped with red onion, tomato, lemon juice and dijon and topped with spinach, on toasted sourdough.

I had couple other sandwich pics but they didn't come out well so here's a good breakfast I made.

PS. Went back to Mile End since July and tasted two more tasty sandwiches.

Review: Mile End

Back when I made the mistake of going to Katz's what I was really craving was a smoked meat sandwich, Montreal style. Not only does Mile End have smoked meat sandwiches, they also serve poutine and sell Montreal bagels straight from St-Viateur. These are things I've been missing for years and now I can enjoy them without having to go all the way to Montreal. They also have great/expensive pickles and Stumptown coffee. I recommend this place.

http://www.mileendbrooklyn.com/

Shredded Chicken Tacos

I had never made shredded chicken before but it was really easy; just cut up some chicken breast in tomato sauce, taco seasoning and whatever else you want and then pull apart with two forks while it's cooking.

Also made some guacamole with lime juice, tomato, cilantro, salt and pepper.


And some black beans cooked with a green bell pepper and an onion.

Coq au vin sandwich

For Patrick's birthday I made coq au vin, which I had never cooked or had before. It takes a long time to prepare (following Julia Child's recipe exactly) but is well worth the time and effort. I chopped up the leftovers and piled them on a toasted sandwich thin with a little manchego. I wish I could eat this sandwich everyday.



I also made this cake, which isn't really a sandwich but it does have a cheesecake "sandwiched" between two layers of red velvet.

REVIEW: Katz's

DON'T GO HERE. The sandwiches are average, the environment is stress-inducing and unfriendly, it's crowded and way overpriced.

Masala burger + Tzatziki in a Baked Tortilla

I made this sandwich more than any other while living in Portland. It requires those Trader Joe's Masala burgers that are no longer within close reach for me. After heating one of those up, mash it onto a flour tortilla, top it with cheese, and put it in the oven until the tortilla is crispy/the cheese has melted. In the meantime, thinly chop some cucumber, raw garlic, and onion and add to yogurt (I used Greek yogurt). Then add some lemon juice, olive oil, and a bit of salt and you've got tzatziki. Not sure how authentic that is... Apply a thick layer to tortilla and then add whatever else you want like some mixed greens.

Tempeh + Kimchi

Tempeh marinated in some kind of sesame sauce, homemade kimchi (really spicy), cuke, mayo on fancy white bread. So good, makes me miss Portland.

TUNA MELT

This tuna melt happened a long time ago back when I was on the West coast and had dispensable income since I was attending a state school and had LEFTOVER money. Since returning to Bard I haven't made a single memorable sandwich but no worries I'm still going through some old material and once I run out I'll figure something out.



Anyway, this tuna melt was on delicious, fresh black olive focaccia from New Seasons. I can't remember what exactly I put in the tuna (apologies) but it was probably some of that homemade rosemary garlic mayo, perhaps a tad of dijon, some onion, pepper, lemon juice, the usual. Then I put it in the oven with a thick slice of cheddar. Oh, and of course some dill pickle sandwich slices.

DUTCH CRUNCH

Dutch Crunch (or Tiger Bread?) is a special kind of roll that is only available in California for some reason. It's soft on the inside and has this crunchy layer on top that gives it its name.When fresh, it's probably the best sandwich bread in the world but when it gets stale it loses the crunch. This particular Dutch Crunch sandwich was purchased at the Holiday Market in Redding, CA. If you ever drive through Redding on your way somewhere I would highly recommend getting a sandwich here. At one point while in Redding I had to decide if I wanted this sick coat from Salvation Army or a Dutch Crunch sandwich (they both cost about $6) and I chose the sandwich.

Homemade Condiments, etc.

I'm slowly trying to build up the skills to make a sandwich completely from scratch. I started by making mayonnaise, which is really simple and definitely worth the tiny bit of effort it takes. If you haven't had homemade mayo you haven't lived.



It's so good I started eating it alone on slices of bread. The rosemary and garlic are really what made it great but you can put anything you want in it. I'm thinking the next batch will have fried capers.


After that I made kimchi. Also real simple.



Next time I will definitely take the time to find Korean chili flakes instead of substituting cayenne pepper. I put way too much cayenne and had to rinse this shit like five times because it hurt so bad it gave me the hiccups.

Pickled some green beans too but to be honest I never used them in a sandwich, only as a side.



I'm more than happy to share these recipes with anyone who's interested, btw.

Bacon Egg 'N' Cheese x2

After my first bacon, egg, and cheese post I thought maybe I should leave it at that but I realized that it is a most versatile sandwich and its many varieties deserve to be acknowledged.

I intended on making this first sandwich real simple, classic b.e.c. style and at the last minute added some mushrooms and onions to the eggs.

This second one is on a slice of this bread my mom made last night. I suppose it's an open faced sandwich. I put a bit of mayo and a bit of ketchup, not something I usually do but I was too lazy to cut a tomato. Delicious nevertheless.

I suggest clicking the pics for a larger than life sandwich experience.

Sick Sandwich

Named so because the sandwich is sick and so am I. New York welcomed me back last night by giving me a cold but that hasn't stopped me from preparing myself delicious sandwiches. Like this multi-grain "sandwich thin" (great for toasting) filled with salami, bocconcini, tomato, basil, dijon, mayo, and salt & pepper.

I've got some sandwich photos that will hopefully be coming by media mail eventually and I'm working on a post about homemade condiments. Moving across the country sort of put this blog on the back burner. But I'm back for the time being and so is Sandwich Worldview.

BUNK IS BUNK

I'm currently in Redding, CA digesting a roast beef and cheddar sandwich on Dutch Crunch bread (post coming soon). I'm pretty low on monies so I had to chose between this kewl coat at Salvation Army or a sandwich and naturally I chose the latter. Once in awhile it's good to treat oneself, etc. which leads me to Bunk, this sandwich joint in Portland. The place was packed when Hilary and I went for lunch on Black Friday so I had a good feeling about it. All those people must be fools cuz the turkey cranberry sauce option had some nasty (gag-inducing fatty) pieces of meat in it and the Italian combo sub was so drenched in vinegar you could barely taste the other ingredients. They looked so good... and yet... such is life.

Sausage Sandwich

Pesto chicken sausage, pepperjack, purple onion, homemade rosemary garlic mayo on tuscan whole wheat bread.

BLT Egg & Cheese

This might be my favorite sandwich. Fried egg, gouda, applewood smoked bacon, romaine, vine tomato, purple onion, homemade rosemary garlic mayo on tuscan whole wheat bread. Quite simply sandwich perfection. The chemistry between the greasy bacon and egg with the lettuce, tomato, and onion is something that I've rarely encountered elsewhere.

Paired with coffee and oj.

Leftovers Sandwich

This sort of feels like cheating because what makes this sandwich good is the stuffed salmon (with brie and crab) in it, leftovers from my birthday dinner. All I did was toast a brioche bun, butter it and throw some romaine in there.

Kenny & Zuke's Reuben

I had the pleasure of visiting this fine sandwich establishment while my mom was in town for my birthday this weekend. Kenny & Zuke's is on the pricey side as far as sandwiches go so I was grateful to have my mom take me out. My pastrami reuben was about $12 (with fries and a homemade and perfect dill pickle); a special occasion sandwich if I ever had one. Anyone who's had a mediocre reuben knows that quality pastrami is essential. Take for example the reuben at the diner in Red Hook. It's huge, dripping with sauce, and has the potential to be delicious. But the pastrami they use often has these nasty fat chunks that you have to rip off or try and eat. It's enough to make you lose your appetite (and gag) so paying a few extra bucks for homemade pastrami (like they serve at Kenny & Zuke's) seems logical to me. I only wish I could afford such top notch pastrami more often.


Another great thing about this place is that they sell Cel-Ray (celery-flavored soda), an old favorite of mine. In fact, in high school I was one of five member of the Cel-Ray Club. They also sell all sorts of sodas in bottles (as they should be) and Vernon's ginger soda, which my mom got really excited about.

As a birthday present, my mom gave me her old 35mm camera and a macro lens so expect some high quality close-ups of my sandwiches from now on.

Bacon Mushroom Cheeseburger

Burger (lean ground beef with egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, hot sauce), goat's milk gouda, applewood smoked bacon, sauteed mushrooms, dill pickle, purple onion, romaine, tomato, mayo in a toasted brioche bun.

Paired with Alaskan Amber Ale + SVU.

Breakfast Sandwich

(click to enlarge)

Fried egg, cheddar cheese, spinach, onion, salsa on a sesame bagel. Nuff said.

The Burrito

What makes a burrito is pretty simple, and yet a good one is hard to find. Often I've found that my favorite burritos are the ones I make myself. Ingredient ratios are crucial to a successful burrito but what these ratios actually are depends entirely on the person making it. Personally, I tend to like a lot of cheese and sour cream and not a lot of guac (cuz I can't really digest it) but I'm sure someone else would find such a burrito disgusting.

Last night's burrito: black beans simmered in pepperoncini brine with serrano peps and onion, white rice, a lil cheddar, tempeh, greek yogurt, homemade guac, really hot salsa, tomato, purple onion, and baby spinach. The photo really doesn't convey this.

Paired with: Miller high life and Chasing Amy.