Cup of Coffee

June 12, 2020: Sammiches

174 Comments

I loooove a good sammich. Love em. So naturally my stomach started to rumble when I saw this tweet that I'm sure many of you saw as well:

It's by no means exhaustive, but it's as good a list as any (here's a link to the chart if you don't Tweeter). It's so hard to limit oneself to just one choice, so how about we give everyone a bunch of choices:

What is your favorite sammich? (Six choices!)

  • 17. Reuben (7%, 11 Votes)
  • 13. Cubano (6%, 10 Votes)
  • 2. Grilled Cheese (5%, 9 Votes)
  • 3. Pulled Pork (5%, 9 Votes)
  • 5. BLT (5%, 9 Votes)
  • 1. Bacon, Egg, & Cheese (5%, 8 Votes)
  • 23. French Dip (5%, 8 Votes)
  • 19. Po' Boy (5%, 8 Votes)
  • 21. Patty Melt (4%, 7 Votes)
  • 6. Italian Sub (4%, 7 Votes)
  • 4. Bánh Mì (4%, 7 Votes)
  • 9. Turkey Club (4%, 7 Votes)
  • 18. Gyro (4%, 6 Votes)
  • 14. Meatball Sub (4%, 6 Votes)
  • 26. Roast Beef (3%, 5 Votes)
  • 30. Ham & Cheese (3%, 5 Votes)
  • 22. Egg Salad (2%, 4 Votes)
  • 31. Bagel With Lox (2%, 4 Votes)
  • 32. Falafel Pita (2%, 4 Votes)
  • 11. Fried Chicken (2%, 4 Votes)
  • 10. Tuna Melt (2%, 3 Votes)
  • 12. Cheesesteak (2%, 3 Votes)
  • 29. Monte Cristo (2%, 3 Votes)
  • 24. PB&J (2%, 3 Votes)
  • 28. Tonkatsu (1%, 2 Votes)
  • 39. Liverwurst (1%, 2 Votes)
  • 35. Bologna (1%, 2 Votes)
  • 16. Croque Madame (1%, 2 Votes)
  • 36. Italian Beef (1%, 2 Votes)
  • 20. Caprese (1%, 2 Votes)
  • 34. Veggie & Hummus (1%, 1 Votes)
  • 38. Bocadillo (1%, 1 Votes)
  • 33. Chicken Salad (1%, 1 Votes)
  • 27. Jambon Beurre (1%, 1 Votes)
  • 25. Torta (1%, 1 Votes)
  • 40. Cucumber Tea (1%, 1 Votes)
  • 7. Thanksgiving (0%, 0 Votes)
  • 37. Kentucky Hot Brown (0%, 0 Votes)
  • 8. Lobster Roll (0%, 0 Votes)
  • 15. Croque Monsieur (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 30

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174 thoughts on “June 12, 2020: Sammiches”

        1. I'm not huge on pickled veggies (outside of pickles).

          Some are more OK than others, but sauerkraut is a hard pass.

          1. My Drake roommate and I convinced Paul Revere's to carry Sauerkraut as a topping because beef, green olive, and kraut topped pie is a fantastic pizza.

            1. My roommate got Paul Revere's so often they knew his order by voice. It'd go something like

              "Hi...Yeah, it's me...Yep, the usual...ok see you in 10"

              When we went to my uncle's cabin for spring break and got back they were worried because they hadn't heard from him, not realizing it was break.

                1. I couldn't believe how different campus was when I was there for my brother's graduation in 2015.

                  I'm sure the changes since are even more insane.

                  I mean, I remember when Planet Sub was new. And The Doghouse (before it was the Double Deuce)

                  1. I tend to roll through ~ once a year. And the build up feels weird. Now they're doing a bunch of stuff to Old Main. Seems like they're pushing to get bigger like it used to be. Which is fine, the only big U in capital city shouldn't be 3,000 students when it used to be much larger.

                    2. Yeah. Varsity has been closed though right?

                      Drake owns so much land in the area. But year 1 out they don't hesitate to ask you for money.

                    3. Yes. Varsity is closed but will be reopened.

                      I'm pretty sure all colleges constantly ask for money. Harvard will never spend it's endowment but they're still taking donations.

                    5. Have you listened to Gladwell's podcast on the Harvard endowment? It's pretty good. Calls out a lot of rich people making donations to satisfy their egos instead of actually helping anyone.

            2. Replace the beef with krautwurst and you've got one sour, yet extremely delicious, pizza.

                1. Back in college we'd bike to a neighboring town to a small bar that made pizzas and order pitchers of creamy dark, that pizza, and play pool all afternoon. Good times.

            1. I haven't tried that, but whenever I make fish tacos I do a quick 30 minute pickling of some onions and jalapenos. I'll have to add some radishes into the mix next time.

              1. I don't like pickles, and Kruat is a hard no, but I do love a pickled radish on a taco.

            2. We just harvested a ton of radishes from our garden... recommended pickling recipes? What kind of tacos are we talking about?

              1. OMG.

                There are some things that we just don't want to know about our neighbors and friends.

            2. Now cucumbers - there's a good snack. I'll just gnaw on one, usually eat it in one sitting.

                  1. I'm moving this weekend/next week and it'll be the first time I'll have a yard in a while. I already have tomato plants ready.

            1. I am of the opinion that everything, not just veggies, should be pickled as often as possible.

              1. This. When I order my printer toner, I immediately put it in a vinegar bath so it's ready when the existing toner runs out.

                2. That would probably work better than not doing it, tbh. (not scientifically proven)

          5. I can't eat sauerkraut

            because you don't like it, making you a Communist, or because you've never had good Sauerkraut, making you oppressed?

            1. My leftism and distaste for sauerkraut are two distinct items.

              And my very German grandmother has tried since I was yay high to get me to eat sauerkraut, good stuff from the Pennsylvania Dutch. But I just can't.

              1. Good luck with that. You're talking to the guy who is willing to pick and choose which sandwiches belong in a family based on his personal prejudices... They're all sliced-beef served on a long roll to me, but I guess if you're not descended from Roast Beef then you don't have the right ancestors to get into the club... 😉

    2. I laughed when I saw Gyro and bagel+lox on the list, but no hot dog OR hamburger OR taco/burrito.

      I mean, a Gyro is normally served in pita, kind of like a wrap. All of these could fit the "sandwich" definition. If you were a commie.

  3. Sandwich is probably my favorite food group. Though po-boy is more of an experience.....

    1. I'm with you on this.

      I keep a running list in my head of some of my more memorable sandwiches...

    2. Sandwich is easily my favorite food type. I make one every day for lunch, and minor tweaks to the formula (12 grain bread one day, pepper pickles the next, maybe an aioli another) can keep a person happily on their toes for just about forever. My co-workers keep joking that they're going to start stealing them.

    3. I hear tell of delicious bánh mì/po’boy fusion things that happen down your way, meat. I must try them.

      I could probably vote for bánh mì six times and be happy. I did vote for the po’boy, however, as it’s as close as the list got to a catfish sandwich.

        1. Dido. It's hardly a sandwich. Au jus is a gimmick to make up for the fact that the whole thing is incomplete from the get-go. And it isn't a successful gimmick at that.

      2. Damn, dude. I thought we were friends. But after these betrayals, I dunno man.

        1. the problem with most French Dip sandwiches is that the jus is salty, bouillon-cube based garbage. But I'm with magoo. A good French Dip is good.

          now, the sauerkraut hatred...that's. just. wrong.

          1. The problem for me is most french dips have crappy bread and beef that rely on jus to make you not hate it. I do love one done well.

            1. so, I think we need some ground rules for this whole thread. Badly made sandwiches are bad, no matter what kind of sandwich. I think we can all agree on that.

        2. Maybe I'm just bummed that the philly isn't getting more love.

          I've probably eaten the most Russians in NW DC than than any other sandwich. But that wasn't a choice to vote for.

            1. Phillys are overrated.

              roast beef po boy with debris > > > Beef on weck > > > Philly steak

              the French Dip is the effete version of the roast beef po boy with debris.

              1. I'm with you on the Philly being overrated, but only slightly so. It's still a good sanwich, it's just that French Dips are better.

                1. Philly's are fine, but roast beef po boys, French Dips, and Italian Beef are all vastly superior

              2. Having lived in two of the three, I’ll take a debris poboy, again it’s an experience not just a sandwich (and truth be told you ain’t doing it right if you’re not eating the surf and turf or peacemaker variety.... ), over the beef on weck any day. The philli..... I mean I’ve never had one executed right I suppose, though I’ve had both the famous iterations and was left meh about the whole thing.

                1. the Philly is an experience too, I suppose.

                  but then, so is a 4-hour broadcast of a 9-inning Yankees-BoSox game.

                  1. One thing I would admit is that the Philly is often done poorly. Peppers and onions often overcooked, gristly meat, bun not toasted, poor balance on the cheese, etc. But I've had truly excellent ones too.

                    2. oooh, TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION.

                      Bad French Dips are bad. I might even generalize to the whole Phylum 🙂 of sandwiches (or Order of beef-related sandwiches) to say that bad ones are bad.

                    3. The list has "thin sliced steak, cheese, onions."

                      Personally, I think of a Philly being thin sliced steak, melted cheese, served on a long roll. I'd suggest, but wouldn't presume, peppers and onions.

          2. what's a Russian? pickled beets between two hash brown patties, with a vodka shot?

            1. That would probably count.

              Wheat bread, butter, turkey, some type of cheese, coleslaw, russian dressing.

          3. Philly would have been my #7. Why anyone would choose a french dip over a Philly is beyond me. The Philly is the completed version of the French Dip. It is marriage to the French Dip's Tinder account. It is MLB to the French Dip's Little League. It is the London Philharmonic to the French Dip's your nephew's 7th grade orchestra concert.

              1. Heh. I almost posted a link to my comment to your comment.

                But also, in response to your other comment, this is why we can't be friends. You are demonstrably, unequivocally, completely, and thoroughly wrong about the Philly v. French Dip issue. Probably a few other adjectives too.

                1. really, I was just trying to get FTLT to show up by throwing beef on weck in the mix.

                  But you are still wrong, wrong, wrong. Wrong philosophically (the French Dip is a pure, ideal type; roast beef po boy IS its master; the Philly is just not the same creature), wrong morally (I mean, my GOD! have you had a roast beef po boy with debris???), which adds up to wrong categorically!!!111one111!!!

                  1. This is my favorite CoC in quite a while. Soon we might start arguing about DC (or in Brian's case Rockville) places.

                    1. not Rockville. I lived in DC (Cleveland Park), then between Bethesda and Silver Spring (intersection of East-West Highway and Rock Creek Park), then Rosslyn (near the Quarterdeck).In-laws lived in Bethesda at the time (my wife went to h.s. at Walt Whitman). Pines of Rome, white pizza.

                    4. We lived in a lot of the same places. I never lived in MD though. Cleveland Park, Logan Circle/Shaw (12th and N) a hot minute in Cherrydale and finally Rosslyn.

                  2. Your whole argument is flawed. Your argument for French Dip over Philly rests on reference to a third sandwich - the Roast Beef Po Boy. But that's a different thing all-together.

                    If I claim MLB is a higher-quality form of baseball than Little League, it is no defense of Little League to say "But have you ever seen baseball played in Japan?" But that's exactly what you're doing here.

                    Straight up, Philly vs. French Dip, the French Dip is an incomplete, amateur sandwich.

                    1. pfft. Again, wrong.

                      The roast beef po' boy with debris is the natural evolution of the French Dip. The Philly is just bad meat covered up in fried onions and peppers and drenched with cheese whiz.

                    2. Again, your argument is non-responsive. It is no defense of the French Dip to say that a third thing is better. If anything, your argument confirms my initial assertion that the French Dip is an incomplete sandwich. Even your defense of it rests on reference to a more complete version of the same.

                      I can see the argument for the Po Boy vs. Philly. I cannot see the argument for the French Dip vs. Philly.

                    3. Non-responsive??

                      Calling the Philly an "improved" French Dip is like calling beer "improved" bread. The roast beef po boy w/debris is very much in the same family with French Dip at least.

                      where the hell is meat? We need to get you straightened out on these vital issues, Phyllo.

                    4. I don't think you're hearing me. It doesn't matter what family the Po Boy is in. A French Dip is not a Po Boy. If you want to argue Po Boy vs. Philly, that's a different question. Stop calling in the big brother to defend the French Dip. Defend it on its own merits.

                      If you can.

                    5. The Philly is just bad meat covered up in fried onions and peppers and drenched with cheese whiz.

                      I made some halfway decent faux Phillies the other day by slow cooking stew meat for about 6-7 hours. So yeah, it's a good junk meat sammich.

                    6. I don't think you are hearing me. A French Dip is much more closely related to a roast beef po' boy with debris than it is to a Philly. A Philly is a dramatically different sandwich. You cannot talk about elevating or perfecting a French Dip by making it a tuna melt. Or a Philly.

                      But you CAN talk about elevating a French Dip by staying in its close family. Like, say, a roast beef po' boy with debris.

                    7. I hear you just fine. The problem is your position is non-responsive to the question of whether a French Dip or a Philly is superior. Your argument is that something that you think is more closely related to a French Dip is superior. That's simply not a response to the question.

                      Moreover, your analogizing a Philly to a Tuna Melt is completely, and blatantly, false. Philly, French Dip, and Roast Beef Po Boy are all very closely related - some type of beef, sliced, served on a long roll. Those are the base elements. Your willingness to clearly demarcate between French Dip and Po Boy on one hand, and Philly on the other, such that Philly ends up in the same category as Tuna Melt, is absurdist, plain and simple.

                      All of that aside, I say again, defend, if you can, the French Dip on its own merits. So far your efforts demonstrate that you cannot.

                    8. The Philly is the completed version of the French Dip.

                      --Words on Phyllo's Tombstone.

                      I was and have continued to be directly responsive to your "argument."

                      The Philly is a dramatically different style of sandwich from the French Dip. It is not a "completed" French Dip any more than a Tuna Melt is a "completed" French Dip. It is a different type of sandwich. You could just as easily say it is a cheez sandwich or onions and pepper sandwich as to say it is a beef sandwich.

                      So, is the Philly the completed version of a cheese sandwich?

                    9. The base of a sandwich is the bread and the meat (or main filling, if meatless). The Philly has those common elements with the French Dip (sliced beef, long roll). You assert that they are "dramatically" different, but provide no concrete indication of the same. You'll forgive me if I don't take your baseless assertion as credible - after all, you prefer the French Dip to the Philly.

    1. ooo! Though often I'd just prefer walleye without the bread.

      One that would have made my Top 6 would be the simple "fried egg" sandwich

      1. it was the first thing as a boy I ever learned to cook and I still make it regularly when I just want some quick carbs and protein

    2. also, where is the fried walleye sandwich on this list?
      It's at zoomie's establishment, and I recommend you get your butt there and have one. I'm going to do my darnedest to get one next month on the way through.

  7. At one point, I would've put Monte Cristo on my list, but that thing is an intestine bomb, and plus, I've discovered that the Croque Madame exists.

    I had a Croque Madame in Portland while slightly hung over and despaired a bit, because I knew right then that I'd eaten the best sandwich I'd ever have.

    2. The Wood House in Bismarck makes a cheese sandwich similar to a Monte Cristo called a Frenchie, but I don't remember it being overly greasy. I probably haven't had one in 30 years, but suddenly I really want one.

    1. We can remember and acknowledge history without putting controversial figures on a pedestal!

  9. I'm pretty sure this was the weekend that the Twins were to be in KC and I was planning to go to a game or perhaps even try to organize a mini-caucus.

    Alas.

  12. Hats off to the Earl. I like a pretty wide range of sandwiches, but a good clubhouse is probably my favorite (I sure do miss Peter's Grill). I make a killer breakfast sandwich - fried egg, ham and cheese on grilled English muffin toasting bread - that's also one of my faves. Growing up I would refuse any sandwich with mayo on it, but not in it, so egg salad and tuna salad were fine, but I insisted on mustard on my meat/cheese sandwiches. I've since come around on the mayo thing as long as it's not overdone.

    1. have you had and enjoyed a good banh mi, Twayn? Excellent application of mayo in service to the sandwich.

      Also, i have found that mayo works pretty good as an exterior coating for frying a grilled cheese. Somebody around here probably tipped me off to that technique.

        1. Last fall I did a grilled cheese & turkey using mayo, chili lime hot sauce, and fresh sliced jalapenos from our garden. That one's on the list of memorable sandwiches.

          1. I've done it on the inside (and frequently mustard too), though I don't see why it couldn't be the outside as well.

              1. Tabasco mayo outside, jamon and pimento cheese inside ( slide some super thin slices of green apple after you’ve crisped your the outside for oh la la)

                1. That sounds good, printer.

                  I've done a triple stack 3 cheese, olive tapenade, and green onion thing of late that is muy bueno.

          2. I'm with you on this, very intriguing concept! We don't have any Tabasco at the moment, but maybe I'll try a Cholula-infused mayo for a grilled cheese lunch tomorrow and report back on the results.

      1. I grew up on Miracle Whip, so I have a soft spot for it (in narrowly defined circumstances). Mayo was mysterious, fancy stuff I only saw rarely at certain relatives' houses.

        I still prefer it in my mom's potato salad, tbh. (not ALL potato salads, just my mom's)

  15. Back when I had an office to go to, I kept most of the ingredients for a liverwurst/braunschweiger sandwich in our fridge. Just needed fresh bread (or a rye bagel, if bread wasn’t close to hand).

    The list is missing the pan con chicarrón & the butifarra, and that’s a shame.

    1. braunschweiger was a regular in my house growing up. Pumpernickel, thick slices of Hormel braunschweiger, raw onion, cheddar, brown mustard. Dill pickle and Old Dutch potato chips on the side.

      1. I always associate braunschweiger with college football. Dad would work until noon on Saturdays, then come home and make a braunschweiger sandwich and eat while watching a college game. None of my brothers would touch the stuff, but I liked it so he always made one for me, too. I preferred Fritos with mine, but potato salad was also a great side.

        1. Braunschweiger was the sandwich we ate out of the trunk of the caprice classic during deer season. Special place for it in my memory.

  16. (In the Squirrely Dan voice...)
    Montreal steak spiceDoner kebab really should be a part of this conversation!

      1. First time I had D-Kebab was in Istanbul. To. Die. For.

        But IMHO best street food in NYC is 1) Shawarma, and 2) Italian sausage/roast peppers sandwich.

        1. as long as we are doing city street food, I will throw in that I still think about half-smokes from vendors in DC. Mmmm.

  17. #30 variation is the Parisienne, available in every train station in France. Ham, brie, lettuce, tomato, mustard on a crusty baguette.

    1. Heh. When Younger Daughter, a notoriously picky eater, took her first trip to Europe, she raved about this exact sandwich, said it was the best thing she ate on the whole trip. But she's grown. A couple of years ago when she was doing the Roman villa dig in Croatia, they got her to try octopus. She didn't like it, but at least she tried it, which is more than I would do.

      1. ZOMG. Grilled octopus, when done properly, is fantastic. Makes for great tacos.

        If you can get past the "eating a highly intelligent species" thing. Which, apparently, I can. I mean, I am not gonna start eating bush meat or monkey brains, but....

  18. Also worthy of mention is Smørrebrød - an open-faced Danish sandwich with buttered rye bread covered with cold cuts/meat/fish, cheese, microgreens. The Smørrebrød shops are everywhere in København. My fav is with smoked salmon/onions/cream cheese.

  19. Throwing this out there in sandwich talk... brown sugar ham, egg, melted pepper jack, on waffle. One of the best things I've ever done.

    1. if you battered it, deep fried it, and then covered it in syrup..... I'd eat that.

  20. We do the Alpine Men's bonspiel in Monroe, WI every December and make sure to hit up Baumgartners for limburger and onion sandwiches. Good eatin. This past year I had some braunschweiger added and it was terrific.

  22. So NBBW went thru the list and picked:
    BLT, Lobster Roll, Reuben, Gyro (we call it Wheel), Grilled Cheese, Chix Salad.
    When we got to Bologna, Liverwurst, and Cucumber Tea, it was "Hell No!"

    1. The real question is, French dip or Philly?

      Spoiler SelectShow

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