Most perfect sandwich?

In reply to JG Pasterjak :

Cuban is number one, followed closely by a Ruben.

eastsideTim said:

David S. Wallens said:

I should have taken a photo, but I was just too overwhelmed in the moment: I recently had a torta the size of a baby’s head. Maybe even bigger. Definitely an A+ sammich. (Free plug: Taco Town over in St. Cloud.)

A good Cuban is worth a drive, too. Some places make them too greasy. La Teresita in Tampa is our go-to for Cubans, but Cafe Con Leche here in Ormond is very good. The bread is a bit on the crispy side, and I like that. And now I want a Cuban....

If you get down the coast a ways, a little south of Satellite Beach on A1A, Cuban Island is really good.  They also have the Media Noche - basically a Cuban on sweet bread.

Thanks for the tip, and I’ve actually been looking for a good place to eat with a friend who lives down that way.

84FSP said:

First choice - fried oyster po boy on a fresh roll.  Second choice - a legit Muffaletta.

As of this posting, unless I missed something, you're the only person to mention sea food in nearly four pages.

For me, it's tuna, blacked catfish, or shrimp...in the case of tuna, it's minced celery & white onion, black olives, sesame seeds, and a $hit ton of fresh crushed black pepper...blackened catfish or shrimp are typicall po boy style sans mayonnaise in the sause.

RX Reven' said:

84FSP said:

First choice - fried oyster po boy on a fresh roll.  Second choice - a legit Muffaletta.

As of this posting, unless I missed something, you're the only person to mention sea food in nearly four pages.

For me, it's tuna, blacked catfish, or shrimp...in the case of tuna, it's minced celery & white onion, black olives, sesame seeds, and a $hit ton of fresh crushed black pepper...blackened catfish or shrimp are typicall po boy style sans mayonnaise in the sause.

I'm pretty sure I had tuna and sweet pickles on my list.  If I didn't, I should have.

In reply to Marjorie Suddard :

Totally agree re the BLT.  Where things get heated in my house hold is toasted or not toasted bread.   

Fried bologna was a staple of my youth  Oscar Mayer was the bologna mom got.  Passed that on to my kids.  It was some of the first "cooking" I taught to my daughters.  Oh and when you fry the bologna if you slice it from the center to the edge as it cooked it turned in to "packman". My daughters thought it was so cool to be eating fried packman sandwiches.    Some 25 years later I still smile when I call my daughter and she tells me she is making packman sandwiches.

As I was finishing up my bacon and egg sandwich this morning, and reading this, I was reminded of two very similar sandwiches I used to make for the kids.

I don't like breakfast sausage, but I do like them when served this way. Fry them up as usual, let them cool, slice them lengthwise, refry them meat side down just to heat and serve on white toast with mustard. The second is exactly the same but with hot dogs. I used to call it a burnt weeny sandwich, though I know that's actually something different. The kids loved both of them for lunch.

Back when I worked at Chili's like... uh... 34 years ago, we had a tuna steak sandwich on the menu that was absolutely amazing. No one ever ordered it except me at the end of every shift I think. Basically lightly blackened tuna, brioche bun, garlic aioli, lettuce. Throw a slice of cheese on there for some extra thrills, but the thing was near perfection as it sat. It was weird because it may have been the only menu item where almost no ingredients crossed over to other dishes. The bun and aioli were specific to that sandwich, and I think there may have been a short-lived salad that used the tuna fillet, but nothing else even used the same seasoning rub. I guess I completely understand why it disappeared, but it was still sad to see it go.

Peabody said:

I don't like breakfast sausage, but I do like them when served this way. Fry them up as usual, let them cool, slice them lengthwise, refry them meat side down just to heat and serve on white toast with mustard. 

i'm familiar with the hot dog variant, but have never done this with sausage links. i think i'll try it this weekend.

Splitting dogs, sausages and brats is pro level delicious.

Stopped for a Cuban while in Orlando this evening. Stardust Video and Coffee makes a good one. Comes with a salad, too, so it’s healthy.

“Sorry, we’re out of pork,” the woman behind the counter informed me, “but we can make it with chicken.“

“Fine, let’s try it.”

Dang. They nailed it. 

In reply to Katie Wilson :  Ever try grilled cheese & tomato with a few fresh basil leaves?

Maybe not the perfect sammich, but damn tasty!  Slice eggplant 3/8", dredge through olive oil and grill.

Also dredge and grill a quartered red or yellow pepper.  Toast a buttered Ciabatta roll.

Put a little Balsamic Vinegar on the bottom roll, add eggplant, tomato slices, red onion slices, 1/2" slab of Mozzarella, some fresh basil and more Balsamic.  I use the Balsamic that's about as thick as molasses, expensive but not as sharp and vinegary as the less expensive stuff.

No love for a Tuna Melt?

David S. Wallens said:

I should have taken a photo, but I was just too overwhelmed in the moment: I recently had a torta the size of a baby’s head.

Was that an homage to Imus?

In reply to RX Reven' :

Oh, wait... fish sandwiches?

The fried grouper sandwich at The Hurricane in Pass-a-Grille is amazing, when it's available. Any time I'm in the area I find my way there. 

Big fan of bahn mis and dressed shrimp po' boys here.

I've started sandwiching leftovers.  If we have leftover steak, I make cheesesteaks out of it.  I typically shred pork and make some sort of pulled pork kind of thing using barbeque sauce of choice.  I will do chicken like a cheesesteak too.  Leftovers are great for sandwiches if you get creative with it.  I find a good thin slice from a sharp knife allows most anything to be mixed with onions and cheese.  I hate green bell peppers after working at a pizza place.  I use poblanos, red or yellow bells though.  The red bell peppers in our garden were looking really good tonight. 

We have a meat slicer.

We always buy a bigger prime rib roast than we need and thinly slice the leftovers to have on buns the next day with sautéed peppers and onions. Pro tip, add a little Montreal steak spice to the veggies as they're frying. 

In reply to 914Driver :

Tuna melts are pretty awesome. My mom makes the best ones. 

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

Peabody said:

I don't like breakfast sausage, but I do like them when served this way. Fry them up as usual, let them cool, slice them lengthwise, refry them meat side down just to heat and serve on white toast with mustard. 

i'm familiar with the hot dog variant, but have never done this with sausage links. i think i'll try it this weekend.

Try it with Andouille.

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to 914Driver :

Tuna melts are pretty awesome. My mom makes the best ones. 

Made with fresh cooked tuna, or the stuff that's a thinly veiled attempt to make eating cat-food socially acceptable?

I have a hard time choosing a favorite sandwich, but like Woody, I have an easy way to tell if a place is going to be good or a place I'll never go back to.

Up here in MA, we have tons of "sub shops" that sell pizza, subs, and other stuff. They are constantly opening up all the time or changing ownership, and I like to try out the new ones to see if they can beat the old favorites. And the first thing I try every time is the Chicken Parm Sub. It's a basic sandwich with bread, cheese, chicken, and sauce, but doing it right can be harder than you think. To quote former New England Patriots Super Bowl Champion and radio host Jermaine Wiggins: 

“First things first, the thing about a good chicken parm sandwich is finding a place that has a good chicken parm sandwich.”

There are 4 major factors that make a good Chicken Parm for me:

Bread: It has to be good, and it has to be up to the task. If it's a light, crappy baguette that falls apart once the sauce hits it, you're gonna have a bad time. There are a few local Italian places that actually make their own bread, so they rank highly. If not, a quality "spuckie" roll will do from one of the local bakeries. Mega bonus points if you have good Scali bread, but that's rare. 

Sauce: No jarred stuff, and it can't be too acidic. Gotta be the real deal. Bonus points: if the owner's mom is the one making it out back, then you know it's gonna be good. 

Chicken: There are three ways to approach this, and only one is right. Either you get a hand-breaded cutlet, a fried chicken tender, or the dreaded patty. One place I know does the cutlet but they chop it into strips so it fits better, and that rules. Trust me, it's cutlet or GTFO here. One local place does tenders, but they get a pass because they are breaded Italian style like a cutlet, but if you are tossing the same tender in there you would serve dipped in Buffalo Sauce, that should be illegal. And lastly, if I wanted a McCartilage with sauce on it, I'd go to McDonalds. Keep formed patties out of my Chicken Parm! 

Cheese: Mine has to have at least provolone and a little parmesan on top. Bonus points if it's smoked/sharp provolone for that extra bite. Mozzarella belongs on pizza, but I'll accept it in a pinch. Shaved parmesan gets you a high five from me. 

I also rank Italian restaurants by how they do traditional Chicken Parm and pasta, but that's for another thread. 

OK folks, I really like BLT, muffelettas, rubens, pastrami on rye with mustard and swiss, rare roast beef with horseradish, but my favorite (gotta put a plug in here for the Southwest) is a really good green chile cheeseburger.  Not many make the grade out there, but a really good one is, as Jimmy would say, "heaven on earth with an onion slice".  Best one I ever had was at a little smoky (from the wood stove) bar in Carrizozo New Mexico.  Has to have some serious kick, with Big Jims, or any of the good Hatch varieties, medium rare.  Chips and guacamole on the side.

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Details?  Sammy, not Mom please.

In reply to Jim Pettengill :

While I agree that a burger is a sandwich, there's so much in the burger space that I like to form my idea of the "perfect burger" apart from the "perfect sandwich".

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to 914Driver :

Tuna melts are pretty awesome. My mom makes the best ones. 

No I do. Unless... Son? Is that you?