New Site, Same Great Sandwiches

My Dear, Dear Readers.

You have made this job of sandwiching so much fun over the past few years, and I thank you for joining me on this amazing journey through food.

But now it's time for a change. It's time for a revamped blog, something that can add so much more to the experience while I stick to my life mission of finding fantastic sandwiches.

So next Wednesday, I will be launching the new version of this blog at www.thedangersandwich.com, no more blogspot, no more extended web address, just straight shootin', Tex.

I am able to keep this blog going because of you, and because of that I will need your help in spreading the word of The Danger Sandwich. So, I hope you'll come, check it out and spread the word.

I hope you're as excited about the coming changes as I am.

Until next week...

A Place Like Home

Greetings, Readers!

Lately, I've been in the process of working on the changes coming to the blog here, and os have had less time to actually pursue new and exciting sandwiches.

But that doesn't stop me completely.

Nearly three years ago, I wrote about a place called HyMart in North Hollywood. It's a great Mediterranean sandwich shop tucked into a strip mall at the south end of the North Hollywood Arts District.

It's a fantastic place, and while I've visited it numerous times since my review, I've never had the urge to write about them again since because I usually get the same sandwich.

While different from the initially reviewed sandwich, The Chicken-iliki is a real stunner. It contains hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, cucumbers, Greek olives, avocado, feta cheese, lemon, olive oil, mint, basil, pepper, tzatziki yogurt, and tahini sauce all on display with the delicious and tender pulled chicken.

The sandwich is an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Each flavor complements the other without being overpowering, and the chicken is flavorful, tender and
juicy. Despite the amount of ingredients, this sandwich is light and refreshing, perfect for a summer afternoon in valley heat.

I could go on about the sandwiches here at this excellent small business, but really the amazing added touch, and the other reason why I will always share the secret about this amazing sandwich shop, is the service.

The people who run and work in this shop always offer up a happy greeting when you walk in. From the second you step inside their door, everyone is happy to see you, as if you're a member of their family and they haven't seen you for weeks. Every time I walk in their, one of the owners always greets me by name (though most of the time it's not the right name, I thoroughly appreciate the extra welcoming).

If you get a chance to check out HyMart (also known as Georgi's Place), definitely stop in. Not only are the sandwiches delicious, but you'll immediately feel at home.

Until next week....



Chicken-iliki
**** 1/2 Stars
HyMart Sandwiches
4795 Vineland Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91602

Bird Is The Word

Greetings, Readers!

If there's one thing I've come to realize since I started this blog, it's that sometimes some of the best sandwiches you have just reveal themselves to you.

For example, this past week I was researching sandwich shops in North Hollywood when I came across a place called the Cahuenga General Store.

No one had ever recommended this place to me. I wouldn't have just found it by driving my usual routes. Heck, I wouldn't even have known it existed had I not done my research.

But there it was, a little general store in a somewhat industrial part of town, hidden in a quiet neighborhood. Even the inside looks like this shop came straight from the wild west in the mid-1800s.

Originally opened in 1995 as a place for film productions to rent props for period pieces, the General Store has moved on to sell delicious sandwiches, coffee, and baked goods to the locals.

After salivating over their menu while researching, when I arrived I decided I would choose the Bleu Bird.

This sandwich is packed with grilled chicken, bacon, bleu cheese, fresh slices of Red Delicious apples and glazed onions on a toasted French roll.

I'm going to make a bold statement here, but this sandwich is absolutely, and easily, in my top 3 favorite sandwiches on this blog.

With the first bite I was blown away by the flavor. The chicken was tender, juicy and delicious. The onions added a little bit of tang to the sandwich, while the combination of bleu cheese and thick apple slices was absolutely mind-blowing.

The cheese and apples flavors complemented each other so well with the cheese added it's characteristic flavor and the apples added a sweet, but complementary flavor.

Combining all of these ingredients on a perfectly toasted French roll, it is like the Sandwich god himself came down from the baked bread heavens and handed this sandwich to man.

Oh, and did I mention bacon? Yes, bacon.

This sandwich is amazing, and is absolutely worth checking out if you are in the North Hollywood area.

Well, now that I've had time to recover from this sandwich, it is time to move on and see what other sandwich surprises may come my way.

What sandwiches have you had lately, Dear Readers, that have blown your mind?

Until next week...


Bleu Bird
***** Stars
5510 Cahuenga Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Caribbean By Freeway

Welcome Back, Dear Readers!

Hopefully your part of the world is expecting a lot more sun and warmth than Los Angeles is this week. Despite signs all weekend that spring was coming a bit early, this week is set to prove otherwise.

So what should I do to brighten up my days when the sun won't do it for me?

Eat delicious Caribbean style sandwiches.

Suggested by reader Mike, I headed to a little shack in Santa Monica called Cha Cha Chicken, home to the very promising Mulato Cubano sandwich.

Having talked at length about my love for Porto's Cubano sandwich numerous times, I was very intrigued to try a new style of cubano that came highly recommended.

Instead of various pork products piled high, the Mulato Cubano takes marinated shredded chicken, cheese, lettuce, pickles and mustard pressed inside a crisp baguette.

The baguette was excellent. Crisp and flaky outside and a warm inside, this pressed roll is the best pair of bookends a cuban sandwich could have.

I have to admit, that on my first bite, I was nervous about the chicken. The first mouthful wasn't very tender and lacked flavor, but as I continued, its quality increased and by the end of my first half I had devoured a large portion of incredibly tender, thoroughly cooked (although not overcooked), juicy, and deliciously marinated chicken.

The mustard, cheese, and pickles added their familiar tastes to this sandwich as they do all cuban sandwiches and are definitely a delight in this mix.

My favorite part of this sandwich was the jerk sauce (appropriately timed jokes....now) which was provided on the side. This allowed me to dip my sandwich or pour on as much as I wanted. Jerk sauce is a Jamaican style sauce similar to barbecue sauce, but a bit spicier. I used all of it that I could, but the sandwich is just as enjoyable without as it already comes packed with flavor.

As a side I ordered the fried plantains. While the fruit itself was not as sweet as a banana, the deep fried batter enveloping them provided a light sweet flavor that made these an enjoyable side dish.

The Mulato Cubano is indeed another excellent cuban sandwich and should be tried by anyone visiting Santa Monica. Is it better than Porto's Cubano? That's a tough call. Both are delicious and well made. Both have fresh ingredients. It's more of an issue of whether you're a chicken person or pork person.

Either way, you will not be disappointed.

Until next week....D-A-N-G-E-R and DANGER was his name-o.

Mulato Cubano

**** Stars

Cha Cha Chicken

1906 Ocean Avenue

Santa Monica, CA 90405

chachachicken.com