ink.sack, Los Angeles, CA

 I visited Los Angeles last month, and on my first evening in town, I went to Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio's sandwich shop, ink.sack for dinner. It had a surprisingly affordable menu, with each sandwich costing between $4-$6. I decided to get two sandwiches.

 First was the C.L.T., consisting of chicken liver mousse, curried chicken skin, lettuce, and tomato. The bread was good, but I would have liked it to be a little more crusty. However, the chicken liver was pretty great.

My second sandwich was a banh mi made with pork pork butt, pork belly, chicharrónes, and pickled vegetables. It was really nice and fatty.
We also shared a few sides: housemade BBQ pork rinds and Old Bay seasoned potato chips.

8360 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90069
323) 651-5866

Arleta Library Bakery Cafe, Portland, OR

I visited friends in Portland, Oregon last week to attend the First Thursday opening of their Hellion Gallery. Lucky for me, they also love good eating.
My friend Matt took me to the Arleta Library Bakery Cafe for my first meal after touching down in town. Even though it was lunchtime, I took a page from Redneckhunter's must-orders and got the Arleta Library's Portland’s Best Biscuits-n-Gravy.

The dish has house made biscuits topped with a wonderful creamy pepper & rosemary sausage gravy. It is then topped with some thin sliced roasted pork loin. It was surprisingly a lighter dish than I expected. Matt recommended I have the house made ketchup with the potatoes.
He ordered a beautiful Cuban sandwich, and we also shared the house made coffeecake. The cake was warm and had a great crust of sugar on top.
Oh, and here's the second post in a row of a place that's been featured on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives.



5513 Southeast 72nd Avenue
Portland, OR
(503)774-4470

The Pambazo at La Fiesta Mexicana, Rosedale, MD

I dropped into Fiesta Mexicana, a small Mexican eatery in Rosedale, just outside of Baltimore for lunch.
I ordered their Pambazo, a sandwich that is thought to have originated from Veracruz. It started with a roll brushed with a red guajillo suace and then pan seared. It's stuffed with chorizo, potatoes, lettuce, crema fresca, & queso fresco. It's really hearty and filling.
I also enjoyed a small lengua taco. I like Fiesta Mexicana also because they do not pull punches on their salsa.

8304 Philadelphia Rd.
Rosedale, MD
(410)686-0134

The Chivito at Fast Gourmet, DC

Forget hoagies, tortas, and banh mi, the hot new sandwich in DC is the Chivito, a sandwich originally from Uruguay.
Located in a Lowest Price gas station on the corner of 14 st NW & W is recently opened Fast Gourmet which has been getting serious buzz on food boards as well as the Washingtonian as the next big thing.

I drove down this past weekend to try this remarkable sandwich. The Chivito consists of beef tenderloin, Black Forest ham, bacon, mozzarella, hard boiled egg, olives, escabeche (onion, garlic, peppers in olive oil), lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise served on a soft roll that is also grilled. It makes for a knockout taste combination.
It was very big and came with very thin fries that reminded me of Steak & Shake fries from the Midwest. I already want to go back as Fast Gourmet's menu includes a Cubano, lemongrass coleslaw, and empanadas. Locals are lucky in that they deliver.


1400 W St NW
Washington DC
(202)448-9217.

Lunch at the DC Danish Holiday Bazaar

I went with the annual Danish Holiday Bazaar held by the Danish Club of DC a few weeks ago with my buddy Claus. As usual, we stocked up on kringle and marzipan candies. We were disappointed to see that the new Danish ambassador was not as suave as his predecessor.
For lunch this year the frikadeller (meatball) sandwich was the highlight. I always get the fisk filet with remoulade (fish filet) which is always delicious.

Touch of Italy, Rehoboth Beach, DE

While we were down at the shore last weekend, we went to Touch of Italy in Rehoboth Beach, DE for lunch. The guys at the shop are from the Bronx and they have created a real Italian deli and pastry shop. We were told that their mother makes all the pastries.
We had a couple of their sandwiches which were served on homemade semolina Italian bread.
I had their #2- the Don Orazio which had hot capicolla, handmade mozzarella and sun dried peppers. I kind of wish the bread were more "crusty", instead it felt more "toasty", but the spicy meat, homemade cheese and sweet peppers were delicious.
Some of our group also ordered the #9- Italian combo- with mortadella, parma cotto ham, genoa salami, capocollo, provolone, and olive oil. Most everyone added hot peppers, too. This was also a pretty great tasting sandwich.
We picked up some great Italian dried sausages from Taste of Italy. It will now be a must-go place now whenever we're down at the shore.

33 Baltimore Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE
(302)227-1500

Italian Beef at Portillo's, Chicago

While visiting Chicago, I finally had my first taste of its famous Italian Beef sandwich. I went to Portillo's. My friend, Skillet Doux, an Italian Beef authority, considers the beef at Portillo's consistent but not spectacular.
I ordered mine wet with hot and sweet peppers. Instantly, I became a fan of this local sandwich: great bread, juicy, beefy, and spicy all together.

L'Olivier, Marché Jean-Talon, Montreal

When we were at Marché Jean-Talon, everyone was shopping at the grocery store when I felt compelled to check out L'Olivier because of the line for sandwiches. Everyone was getting the Agneau (lamb) sandwich, so I decided to do the same. Served in a split roll, chunks of lamb are placed inside with green olives and sweet peppers. It was an incredible sandwich- the lamb was so juicy and delicious and the combination of salty-sweet from the toppings was great.

260 Place du marché du Nord

La Belle Province, Montreal

After grazing a little at the Marche Atwater in Montreal, we met up with our cousins from NYC who were hungry after a long wait at the US-Canada border.
We went to La Belle Province, a diner a block from the market for a snack. I ordered their poutine. Their version was solid- great fresh cheese curds and tasty gravy.

Redneckhunter tried their version of the Michigan hotdog. We had heard that the Montreal versions of the Michigan sauce were a little more runny than the ones in Plattsburgh. This was true in this case.
Stephen ordered a wonderfully fatty smoked meat sandwich. Xtine got a pogo, which basically was a corn dog.

3001, Rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Montreal, QC
(514) 931-2574

The Pickled Pig, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Went for lunch at the Pickled Pig, a gastropub which opened in Rehoboth Beach last year. They specialize in serving good local craft beers like Dogfish Head and Evolution.
We started with a set of appetizers. I could not resist trying their fried pickles. They use kosher dill pickles, batter dipped, fried and served with a spicy dipping sauce which reminded me of the Outback Bloomin' Onion sauce. It was yummy.
Fougoo also ordered a cheese board. We got a nice 5 year Gouda and a sheep's milk cheese from Cypress Grove called the Lamb Chopper.

For entrees, I just wanted to stay light, so I ordered a simple bowl of Price Edward Island mussels in a broth of Belgian ale, leeks, and garlic sausage.
Redneckhunter got their Classic Reuben sandwich.




18756 Coastal Highway
Rehoboth Beach, DE‎
(302)645-5444‎

Sandwiched at the Whitney Biennial

As part of this year's Whitney Biennial exhibition, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group designed a special menu with items created by the group's chefs.
I ordered the Chicken Schnitzel- a hot sandwich served on toasted brioche with black truffle & celery slaw and Gruyère. This was pretty good. The chicken, although fried, was light and juicy.
Fougoo was disappointed in her Knoll Crest Egg sandwich which had slab bacon, cheddar curds and tomato marmalade. It just seemed like an overpriced breakfast sandwich you can get at any takeaway in the city.
For dessert, we did like the lemon whoopie pie, but for the price of the items, I'm not sure it's worth repeat business.

Primanti Brothers, Pittsburgh, PA

We couldn't go to Pittsburgh without eating at the famous Primanti Brothers sandwich shop. Located in the Strip District (a neighborhood of markets and other foodie delights - more on that later), the restaurant started out as a lunch stand in 1933. Apparently the lore is that they sold sandwiches to truckers on the go. One day, a trucker drove up with a load of potatoes that he worried had frozen in his truck. So Mr. Primanti fried up a few of the potatoes, determined that they were good, and went ahead and put them on the guy's sandwich. And thus the perfect trucker meal was born - an entire meal between 2 pieces of bread.

I ordered my sandwich with knockwurst and cheese, redneckhunter got pastrami and cheese. All Primanti sandwiches are served on thick slices of Italian bread, with tomatoes, french fried potatoes, and homemade cole slaw. Cheese is provolone only - no American, no cheddar - just provolone. And Italian bread only - no wheat, no rye - just Italian. For me, the cole slaw is what made the sandwich. Instead of mayonnaise, the slaw is vinegar-based, and was the perfect thing to go with salty meat and starchy potatoes.

Primanti Brothers
46 18th Street
Pittsburgh, PA
(412) 263-2142

Sandwhich in Chapel Hill, NC

While visiting Kelly in Chapel Hill, NC, she took me to Sandwhich, a lunch place that specializes in amazing sandwiches which also rely on local ingredients.
On the first day we went, I got the day's special, a banh mi with roast lamb and pate. It was great. The bread had a crispy crust, and the fresh ingredients were just delicious.
Kelly's favorite sandwich was the Avocado sandwich with tomato, greens, onion, and garlic mayo. One nice thing about her sandwich was that it was toasted lightly on the inside faces of the bread so as to prevent sogginess from the ingredients.
Sandwhich also make their own potato chips as well as fries- both of which were tasty.
We went a second time, and that time, I got the Morgada sardine sandwich which was also outstanding.


Courtyard of Chapel Hill
West Franklin at Roberson St. (behind Penang)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
(919)929-2114

Domini's, Spokane, WA

You know how there are those great local places where you either know the drill or you don't? Redneckhunter and Gallup spent their early years in Spokane, so they knew the drill at the institution Domini's Sandwich Shop.

Only meat and cheese on bread. Don't bother asking for lettuce or tomato. They'll give you a pickle on the side if you want one. And popcorn - as much popcorn as you can eat.

Domini's
703 West Sprague
Spokane, WA
(509) 747-2324

DeFonte's Sandwich Shop, Red Hook, NYC

This weekend in Brooklyn, we drove over into the Red Hook neighborhood to go to DeFonte's Sandwich Shop. The place is a favorite for cab drivers in the area, but since it's not near a subway station, having a car makes it much easier to get to.

Lamphole and I shared two small sandwiches - the first had an omelet with peppers and onions - delicious with a little Sriracha sauce. The bread was nice- the crust a little crisp with sesame seeds.

Our second sandwich had roast turkey, fried eggplant, mozzarella, peppers and onions- a great combination of flavors. There was also just the right amount of juiciness such that if you weren't careful, it'd drip down your arm.

379 Columbia St
(between Coles St & Luquer St)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 625-8052