I'd like my sandwich, Pronto!

Pronto! in Royal Oak was the location of this entry’s sandwich
Thanks to the prodding of my dear friend Joe, I finally got out of my “Mexican and Sushi” routine (well, for one day, anyway) and went for something I truly love: Sandwiches

Pronto! is a cute little place in Downtown Royal Oak with a bakery, bar, and restaurant
Had this place not been in Michigan, we might have been able to enjoy some April weather by dining outside; I guess I’ll have to save that for June

Dinnertime on a Thursday night meant that Pronto! was lively with all sorts of patrons
We were sat in the middle of the restaurant near a couple (who looked like they’d rather be holding hands than eating sandwiches), a young family, and a group of girlfriends
The walls are painted cranberry red, mustard yellow, and celery green, which I think incorporate in a rather interesting sandwich in my future…

Menus out, I was debating between the number 12 and the 26
12 was turkey of sorts with pesto and other accompaniments

26, on the other hand, promised a sandwich that Grandma might make, and since my Grandma seems to always offer me a sandwich (is that a grandma thing?), I thought it might be a nice pick

The 26 is Grandma’s chicken salad sandwich with green apples and capers
Truth be told, it had me at “with capers”
These days I’m incredibly interested in involving the little green goodies in everything I eat

When my meal appeared, it offered a lot of promise
The multi grain bread with speckled grain flakes on the side were definitely “Grandma Caliber”
Between the slices, large chunks of chicken were clearly visible in the salad
I remember thinking, “Oh, this is going to be good”



And it was…
…Good…
…but not great

Biting in, I could feel the crunch of the green apples between my teeth, but where was the flavor, I wondered
The capers should have offered a slightly olive bite in the salad, but alas, I couldn’t taste them either
I think too much mayo was to blame

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind mayo, but in moderation
I realize mayo is the glue that keeps the salad together, be it chicken, tuna, or egg salad, but there is such a thing as too much mayo
The flavor totally overwhelmed what should have been a delightful mix of chicken, slightly sour granny smith, and bitey capers

Instead, the sandwich was boring, a monotonous blend of chicken and mayo

Although I was disappointed with my sandwich, I did eat it all
Grandma would be proud that I’m in the “Clean Plate Club”, but next time I’m going for the number 12

I'd like to speak to Mr. Pita

It's been far too long since my last sandwich
Truly, it's a wonder I'm still alive, because I have no idea what I've eaten in the past month
I can tell you for sure that it has not been sandwich

I had to get off the tragic path I was headed down and had to consume a sandwich
My life practically depended on it

I now work on a different side of town, so part of my new challenge is finding good sandwich places
I passed by a Mr. Pita on my way in this morning, and thought, "rolled sandwiches count!"


The countdown to lunch had begun
In order to scarf sandwich at precisely noon, I got in to Mr. Pita quarter to, just in case they were slammed
They were not and my Italian pita was packed in seconds

The Italian pita claims to have Salami, Ham, Swiss, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pepper rings, and Italian dressing
Either the economy has had a serious impact on meat and cheeses, or I got an abbreviated Italian because I only caught a bite or two of salami and Swiss, and I don't even remember having tomato on mine!

What I do remember is trying to bite big enough in order to get both meat and veggies in my mouth
A bite of meat alone was OK, but to get veggies alone was a little too much for the pallet.
I enjoyed the onion, red, by the way, and the peppers, but the flavored needed to be calmed down by the ham and occasional bite salami.

I have a suggestion for Mr. Pita: put the meat down first and then the veggies on top so when you wrap the thing up, there'll be meat and veggies in every bite, and you won't have customers like me trying to stuff the whole mess in their mouth.

Plus, that might help keep the Italian dressing contained, because I'll tell you what, that constant back-and-forth biting made it especially difficult to be tidy.

I'll probably be eating at Mr. Pita again, but only because I haven't found a better sandwich shop in my new area.

Julius mmmmmMeinl

Julius Meinl in Chicago is supposedly a great breakfast place. My brother and I got there around noon on a Sunday, which may very well be the brunching prime time. We waited a short bit in the front of the restaurant, swinging our (my) feet from the high top booth. Had we been prepared, we might have brought a newspaper along to look the part of a hardcore bruncher. This restaurant was full of bustle, which I like, and everything about that early afternoon moment screamed, “let’s have brunch!”

Julius Meinl offers a great Ethiopian French press coffee, but that’s as breakfast/brunchy as I ventured. The banana French toast sounded divine, as did the vegetable crepe, or any crepe offered, for that matter, but my stomach was intent on adding some kind of sandwich to its contents, which I believe at that moment consisted solely of water and medicine. Not the healthiest combo, I know.

In any event, as delicious as breakfast sounded, the smoked salmon sandwich sounded even more delectable. Besides, people eat smoked salmon for breakfast all the time, and I’m one of those people.

The smoked salmon sandwich may sound a bit like a bagel with lox, but I assure you, this sandwich had a bit more pizzazz. The sandwich came as two open-faced slices, which is exactly how I like my smoke salmon. I like to feel like there’s more to be eaten, even if it’s all in my head.

Although I could be wrong, I think I detected a touch of butter to the lightly toasted rye bread, which created the stage for this interesting breakfast choice. The scene was first set with a slice of fresh tomato, which I can say for sure that that tomato tasted of the ripest, freshest variety. As for the main event, the salmon, it was tender and lightly flavored while maintaining an exceptional salmon taste. It’s the kind of flavor you feel OK about waking up at 9am for. (Hey, it’s the weekend- I like to sleep in!)

Quick tip: When preparing delectables with salmon, it’s important to layer a large enough slice of smoked salmon so that you must fold the fish to give the appearance, texture, and height of two slices of salmon. Why do two slices when with creative folding, you can capitalize on one?

Atop the smoked salmon were shards of red onion that provided ample flavor without overwhelming the palette. Generously dalloped above the onion, as if to secure its place, was a magnificently fresh dill sauce. Topping off the gourmet goodie was a speckling of capers, providing color, interest, and flavor to each bite.



The overall effect of the sandwich was a light, airy, summerlike indulgence. My mouth was offered a hint of each ingredient, and rather than feeling as though the different layers were competing for attention, my taste buds felt as though the sandwich were working as a team to provide the most amazing bite possible. Perhaps my favorite breakfast food would be a bagel with lox, and this was certainly an acceptable, delectable upgrade.

I would love to get the receipt for the dill sauce; the sauce and peppering of capers really brought the bite together. To be honest, what really sold me on this sandwich was the use of capers, which I’ve only recently become addicted to their usage in various foods. Of course I was looking forward to the smoked salmon, which is the star of my favorite breakfast food, a bagel with lox, but truly, the capers drew me in.

Julius Meinl is a great place for lunching ladies to ask for this delicacy while sipping mimosas while brunching outside in the summer months, or just a brother and sister to enjoy a fabulous winter meal.

Rate the Reuben - The French Laundry

The first installment of “Rate the Reuben” comes from The French Laundry

I’ve been itching to go back to The French Laundry for a while because they serve the kind of overstuffed sandwiches I love, however, for the first time in my French Laundry visiting history, I planned on ordering something different

With my loving parents driving the car, and their crazy sandwich loving daughter in the backseat, we drove off to find sanwichy goodness

The French Laundry boasts an expansive menu, however, I had already called ahead to be sure they offered the Reuben… thus my being there
While my parents perused the choices, I took in the scenery

When you walk into The French Laundry, you’re greeted by fresh baked goods like you’ve just into a French patisserie, which I’m sure is the point as they are, after all, called "The French Laundry"

The mismatched tables and chairs set atop the black and white checkerboard tile make you feel like shedding your winter wear and settling in with a warm slice of coffee cake and a steaming cup of coffee poured from the cool copper coffee contraption (I’m sure it has a scientific name, but I don’t know it)

I had to push my winter wishes aside as I was there for the sandwich
Seated in the larger dining area at an enamel topped table, not unlike the one in my own kitchen, I had the privilege of viewing the extensive beer and wine selection displayed behind the mahogany bar
There’s a great light in the Laundry that streams in from the colorful stained glass sky light

This restaurant was cozy, my food was on its way, and I was hungry

My parents opted for soup and quiche, and perhaps at a later date I may try that too, as they both looked delicious
My Reuben looked delicious too



A Reuben is comprised of boiled corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing on rye bread.
I felt almost giddy when I saw the sliced corned beef peeking out from underneath the crusty, buttered and fried rye bread. That thought alone should get your Pavlov going.

Not in sandwich form, I don’t care for corned beef and sauerkraut. I have unpleasant childhood memories of the two cooking together and giving the whole house a “stinky feet” smell.

However, in sandwich form, I love corned beef and sauerkraut, and The French Laundry's Reuben was quite wonderful
The corned beef was slightly seasoned and expertly sliced. You have to appreciate perfectly sliced meat. Placed on top of the generous mound of meat was the sauerkraut; it was an ample amount, but not so much that you were overwhelmed by the sour flavor. Underneath was the melted Switzerland Swiss cheese, and above it all was a drizzle of Russian dressing.

I liked that the Swiss cheese was placed at the bottom, as with each bite your tongue tasted the cheese before the corned beef, before the sauerkraut, before the Russian dressing.
If fact, I believe “cheese, beef, kraut, dressing” should be considered the official order for Reuben tasting.



This sandwich was good but I have two complaints.

The first was the sauerkraut flavor; it was a little bland. At first I thought I might prefer a less flavorful kraut, but the truth is, if you’re ordering a Reuben, you’re expecting the sauerkraut flavor. On any other sandwich I think I may like the light sauerkraut flavor, but I have high expectations for my Reubens.

The second complaint was the drizzle of Russian dressing. While I agree there is such a thing as too much dressing, I still like to have enough that my meal requires extra napkins.
What can I say? I enjoy messy meals!

Overall, the sandwich truly was a good one, and it was darn tasty toasted the next day.
I give the Reuben at The French Laundry three out of five pickles.

mmmmmmm...Mati's Deli

My newest favorite coworker had the brilliant idea to take this sandwich eater to Mati’s Deli

He supplied me with a menu and I began studying… like two weeks ago
Pavlov’s dog over here, I saw photos of sandwiches to come at www.matisdeli.com and instantly started drooling

Here’s what I was debating:
The Reuben (A classic. Maybe I could do some kind of Reuben eat-off someday?)
Carol’s Temptation (If it tempts Carol, it’ll tempt me.)
Brian’s Wish (I would wish for that too, Brian)
Brittany’s Ticket (to heaven, I’m sure)

When the time came to go to lunch, I still had no idea what to do. I seriously considered ordering all four and pulling something similar to the party sub escapade…

A time comes in everyone’s life when they must order, and the best thing to decide among choices is to close your eyes and point your finger, or, do like I did, and ask what’s the most popular sandwich.
It’s popular for a reason; plus, I like to be part of the “in” crowd.

And the winner is……..
Carol’s Temptation

The service at Mati’s Deli is great, but it still felt like forever as I sat at my retro dinette table and tried to hide my anxious foot taping and slight mouth drooling

The interior of Mati’s Deli is pretty cool with its black and white tiled floor and teal chair coverings at the tables and the lunch counter. I had plenty to look at out the big front window and I wished every order that was called was mine.

When my number came up, I was more than ready. Carol’s Temptation is mounds turkey breast piled high with crisp cole slaw and Russian dressing.
Next up after the slaw is the Swiss cheese that was melted beautifully and safely tucked into the sandwich.

What really brought the bite together were the gloriously grilled slices of rye bread. There’s something so delicious about the crispy crunch of lightly buttered bread that makes for one of those closed eyes “mmmmmmmmm” moments.



As you can imagine, this was one messy meal and with each big bite, I had juice from the cole slaw running down my fingers, making its way to my elbows.

I love magnificently messy sandwiches.

Bite after bite, I was in sandwich heaven. Had I not been in the company of my coworker (as not to be rude), I absolutely would have scooped up every last bit of fallen slaw with bread crust spoons.

Carol’s Temptation was the perfect sized sandwich for lunch as I left with a sort of Three Bears “just right” kind of feeling.

With my trusty GPS in hand, I will definitely find my way back to Mati’s Deli again. I mean, I owe it to myself to eat all four of my choices.

The Great Debate

Many have asked if a hamburger/cheeseburger qualifies as a sandwich.
While I enjoy grabbing a bun just like the next guy, my first and only instinct is to say “No”.

Let’s start with the obvious, shall we?
A hamburger is called a hamburger and a sandwich a sandwich.
Really, that should suffice as my argument, but to be nitpicky, a Reuben isn’t called a sandwich and that’s one of the best sandwiches there are.

Both foods may be described in the same fashion, so I think that’s where the confusion comes from.
Both are usually comprised of bread, meat, a vegetable of some sort, cheese, and toppings.
This simplified ingredient list could easily be for a sandwich or a hamburger/cheeseburger but the main difference is the choice of meat.

When you order a hamburger, you are expecting to receive some kind of ground beef like ground chuck, sirloin, or if you’re really lucky, you’ll get Piedmontese beef. You’re expecting your burger to be slightly greasy, piping hot, and topped with tomato, lettuce, ketchup, and maybe a special sauce. Maybe even accompanied by a side of fries.

If you order a sandwich, you’re only expecting a few of the same things.

Right off the gate you are not expecting grilled hamburger meat of any kind. You might be expecting shaved turkey, ham, corned beef, hard salami, and the list goes on and on, but you are not expecting hamburger meat.

A hamburger comes on some sort of hamburger bun, be it sesame seed, wheat, or whatever, the type of bread is us usually followed by “bun”. How many sandwiches do you order on a “bun”? Sandwiches are more versatile here (and other places which make sandwiches superior; one woman’s opinion) as they may be ordered on a variety of bread options ranging from regular bread slices to fancy rolls.

You may or may not expect your sandwich to be greasy, but I’d like to know what kind of sandwich you’re ordering.

You may order your sandwich hot, but you may also order it cold. Your hamburger can’t (and shouldn’t) do that.

You may top your sandwich with lettuce, cheese, tomato, and a special sauce, but unless you know something I don’t, you probably won’t be topping it with ketchup. Mustard, however, is acceptable.

Both sandwiches and hamburgers are delicious hand foods, and I agree they are rather similar. I say we settle the great debate by claiming them cousins; from the same family, but definitely different.

After Thanksgiving Special

Just because I didn’t write about it immediately does not mean I didn’t eat a sandwich after thanksgiving

Oh goodness, heavens no!
I had myself an amazing after thanksgiving day sandwich!

While the world was going crazy and fighting over DVDs and TVs, I was fighting my own little battle at home
Was it wrong of me to hide my intended sandwich ingredients in the back of the fridge?
Perhaps, but it made my sandwich oh-so-much better!

This year’s after Thanksgiving spread was much more sparse than previous years, so I’m left wondering if we ate more on T-day or if we made less food
If the fit of my jeans are any sort of indication, we ate more

Regardless of the shortage, I still had my favorite ingredients for my sandwich
I like to start with toasted, buttered homemade white bread

This year, my dad tried to pull a fast one and used frozen loaves of breads
While looks may be deceiving, upon first bite I knew I was chewing an imposter
We baked fresh, homemade bread later that evening, and what a difference that made in my late night sandwich snack

After you’ve got your slices slathered, I lay the slices side by side and build each side of the sandwich separately
It doesn’t make a difference in the sandwich flavor, but it does set you up for open-faced sandwiches should you build too high

In one corner we’ve got garlic mashed redskin potatoes and in the other we’ve got sausage stuffing

The stuffing is absolutely key to the sandwich
Not only does the mushy goodness provide a food glue to bind everything together, but the stuffing itself is full of flavors like celery, onions, sausage, and a hint of pumpernickel bread. I believe the sausage and pumpernickel are imperative to a good stuffing, but I’m certainly not knockin’ yo’ momma’s

Load your turkey on top and if you’re lucky, which I was not, drizzle gravy over the mess



Pop it in the stove for some warming, or the microwave if you’re impatient like me, slice, and devour



I wish I had enough leftovers for more than one sandwich, but alas, that was not meant to be
“Leftover” sandwiches are great, but nothing compares to the after Thanksgiving special