A Victory For Taste

Greetings, Readers, and Happy New Year!

It's been awhile, but for the holidays I took a little trip back to Philadelphia and took some time away from the internet in order to relax at the end of the year.

But don't think this means I disappeared from the trail of a good sandwich!

I reached out to the Visit Philly twitter account for suggestions and they were fantastic (one of them will be spotlighted in the coming weeks), but for my first trip, we went out to Downingtown to visit Victory Brewing Co. for beer, a brewery tour, and lunch.

The brewery tour is great experience, and one I would highly recommend. If you also haven't ever had any Victory beer before, I would also tell you to try everything on tap.

We can't forget the food though. Settling down to a table with family after a few pints of Victory's beer (the Gose and then Storm King for me), I settled on the Pastrami with Swiss sandwich.

A simple choice, but if you've been reading this blog long enough, you know that it's one of my favorite types of sandwiches. For Victory's offering, they filled it with house-made hickory smoked pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and cole slaw between two slices of grilled rye bread.

The pastrami was fantastic. Warm, thin slices full of flavor, juice and tenderness. The smoky Swiss permeated the entire sandwich, holding it together, and the crisp cool cole slaw presented an excellent contrast to the rest of the sandwich.

The fries were crisp on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside with great seasoning. Pair these two together with a light-in-color-but-not-in-flavor beer and you have a great way to spend an afternoon with friends and family at one of Pennsylvania's best breweries.

My journey over the holidays continues next week in Philadelphia itself with a great sandwich from Jake's Sandwich Board. So for the next few days let this sandwich's savory flavors mellow in your mind.

Until next week...

Pastrami and Swiss
**** Stars
Victory Brewing Company
420 Acorn Lane
Downingtown, PA 19335

Attack of the Burger Monster!

Greetings, Readers!

Something you may not know about me, unless you follow me on twitter here, is that besides sandwiches I also enjoy reading comic books.

So, in order to fill my love of Iron Man, Hellboy, Spider-Man, Batman, etc, I tend to visit a few comic conventions a year. I've done Comic Con before, Comikaze and a number of other ones, but this past weekend was one of my favorites: Wondercon in Anaheim.

After a day of wandering aisles with friends, looking at trades, art, and numerous things that would fall under the subject of pop culture, we left the Anaheim Convention Center at the end of the day to be greeted with a number of  fantastically smelling food trucks.

Inspecting each of the trucks available, and trying not to decide just with my stomach, I ended up picking Burger Monster. Their burger selections seemed fantastic, and their logo cracked me up. For a true burger lover though, these guys take an obsession to a whole new level.

Their menu itself isn't large, but the sandwiches sure are. Scrolling down the small list of sandwiches, I settled upon the Pigzilla, which seemed to be a special for the day.

A burger topped with Sriracha-marinated pulled pork (yes!), Swiss cheese, coleslaw, a thick slice of tomato, Burger Monster BBQ sauce, and ranch all between two sides of a brioche bun.

The main problem I had with this sandwich happened to be that I didn't exactly know how to eat it. It's a very messy sandwich and not wanting to look like a five-year old after eating spaghetti-o's, this presented a real problem.

Luckily though, with the skills I have gained in eating sandwiches the past few years, I managed to escape without so much as a drop of red sauce on my clothes. The spicy and smoky pulled pork was delicious. It had a bit of tangy punch to it and was soaked with the BBQ sauce and Sriracha marinade. The Swiss cheese added a gooey texture with smoky flavor and the cole slaw added a slightly sweet crunch.

The most impressive part of this sandwich was the brioche bun. Compared to the other ingredients it didn't really add too much flavor or shine through because of the spicy, tangy, smoky barbecue flavor, but what it did do was hold together until the end. That is an accomplishment in itself for how much sauce is on this sandwich.

What made it even better is that there was some bun left over to soak up the remaining sauce.

Overall, this was an excellent follow-up to a great day at a comic book convention. If you can find the Burger Monster truck while around Los Angeles and Orange County, I highly suggest you try them. Even if Pigzilla isn't on the menu that day, the rest of their burgers sound equally delicious.

They even have a vegetarian option for you non-meat eaters who might be interested. So, really, you don't have an excuse to miss this truck.

So, next week I'll be in Hawaii, so I won't exactly have a sandwich review for you (sorry!) but make sure you tune in the following week as I will start the first of a few reviews from the 50th state.

Until next time, Readers...


Pigzilla
**** 1/2 Stars
The Burger Monster
http://burgermonster.net/

A Little Slice of New York

Greetings, Readers!

I am currently sitting here, thinking about the rain that is coming to Los Angeles for the next few days. There's nothing I enjoy more than a cool rainy day in the city with some warm soup, a good grilled cheese sandwich and a dark beer.

Before I get to that weekend activity though, I must recount a recent trip to a spot out in Camarillo, only a short jaunt from Los Angeles.

Stopping at the Old New York Deli and Bakery Company, I was immediately overwhelmed by the size of the menu. Even with the length of line I waited in to order my sandwich, I still didn't have enough time to take in all of the items on the menu. Immediately drawn to the Deli Sandwiches section on the menu board though I decided that it was a pastrami or corned beef sort of day.

Straying away from a straight forward option, I went for the Coney Island Style on Rye with Pastrami and Swiss. Essentially I was going to recreate a Reuben, which I had not seen on the novel of a menu until I had already ordered.

Pastrami, Swiss cheese, cole slaw and Russian Dressing stacked between two slices of rye bread, this sandwich started off in a good direction. The temperature contrast between the warm corned beef and the cold cole slaw was an interesting mix. It was slightly off-putting though since I had initially wanted a Reuben, with its warm sauerkraut, instead of this option with a cold and warm temperature competition.

The pastrami was good, though a few pieces could have been cooked a little longer so that it fell apart in your mouth. The combination of Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and sweet cole slaw produced a variety of flavors in my mouth that was enjoyable from start to finish.

The rye bread is also made in house, and is fantastic. So much so that an entire loaf was purchased on the way out the door.

Overall, the sandwich was a bit of a letdown, but I feel it was mostly due to the fact that I was hoping, or expecting, something else. Next time I'm in the area, I believe I'll just shoot straight for the Reuben and see how that sandwich fares. If you happen to be nearby the Old New York Deli and Bakery Co. though, I suggest you take your time in deciding which sandwich to take on. I'm sure there have to be some real winners on that massive menu.

Until next week, Readers...


Coney Island Style on Rye w/ Swiss
*** 1/2 Stars
Old New York Deli and Bakery Co.
4972 Verdugo Way
Camarillo, CA 93012
http://www.oldnewyork.com/

Spring House in Winter Weather

Greetings, Readers!

I hope the last two weeks of the holidays have left you satisfied, relaxed, and ready to start off 2014 with a bang.

2013 led to a lot of amazing sandwich experiences, and I'm looking to take you through another year of them.

Wrapping up 2013 with my visit to Philadelphia, I had a number of great experiences, and one of the top ones was my trip to Spring House Brewery Tap Room in Lancaster, PA.

Part of a full day of brewery tours in eastern Pennsylvania with my brother, Spring House was our first stop. To accompany the ten beer sampler, I decided to go with the Reuben. On a cool December day, this filling sandwich sounded like the perfect companion to some of the amazing house brews.

To be fair, every sandwich sounded excellent. I was also leaning towards the French Dip.

The Reuben is a straight forward affair at Spring House: Sliced Corned Beef, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese on lightly grilled rye bread. Sometimes being simple is the best way to take it. For this Reuben, the corned beef was cooked well and full of mouth-watering flavor. The spices in the meat shone through even with all of the other flavors competing for the spotlight. The Swiss cheese was melted thoroughly and offered its smooth smoky flavor, a delicious contrast to the sour bite or the sauerkraut and the sweet taste of the Thousand Island.

My only complaint, and it's minor in this situation, is that I would have preferred the bread toasted/grilled just slightly longer. This factor should in no way deter you form this sandwich though.

This was a delicious choice to accompany the beer sampler we had and a great way to keep warm on a cold December afternoon.

If your'e able to swing by the Tap Room, I highly suggest getting this sandwich as well as their extensive ten-pour sampler so you can try every one of their offerings. My favorite was the Big Gruesome Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout. It's a real knockout and thoroughly delicious.

One more stop to go in my trip back to Philadelphia, but we'll continue that next week.

Until then, Readers...


Reuben Sandwich
**** Stars
Spring House Tap Room
25 West King Street
Lancaster, PA 17603

http://www.springhousebeer.com

The Burgers of Burbank (Part 11, Finale)

The 7 oz. Burger

Greetings, Readers!

So, here we are. The end of the burger road. We've reviewed a few more here than what I've posted about, but I feel like I've discussed all the ones worth discussing with you.

So what are your thoughts? Did you enjoy the...

Wait a second.

One. More.

That's right, for old times sake, let's just do one more, one FINAL burger review on this burger tour of Burbank.

For this final review, we visited Not A Burger Stand.

What's that you say? Wouldn't that mean there aren't any burgers at this place?

Well, not really. It's mostly not-burgers (beef brisket, crab cake and portabella sandwiches, etc.) but there is one on its menu: the 7oz. Burger.

This burger is a straightforward, minimalist affair: A little bit of mayo, a little bit of mustard, a 7 oz. all beef 80/20 patty with two slices of Swiss and lettuce. Despite being so simple, this was one of the most enjoyable burgers on the trip.

Not A Burger Stand is known for their "Deal of the Day" chalkboard signs

There wasn't an overload of flavors fighting for my taste buds' attention, just delicious beef flavor with a few supporting flavor friends. The beef itself was simple, with a prominent, yet simple, flavor. Speaking with the cook between bites, we found out that he uses simple 80/20 mix ground beef, hand shapes them himself into patties and only seasons with a little bit of salt and pepper.

Simple, yet delicious.

A great and simple burger, and a great and simple restaurant in Burbank. Seems like the best way to end this journey.

It can be a little tough looking back on so many burgers and trying to decide which one was the best or worst, but the fact is that out of the many we've tried each one had its own bright spots. Some were delicious, some were risky, but all of them had one thing in common: a love of the art form of the burger.

So if you're in Burbank in the future, and looking for a good burger, hopefully the past few weeks of reviews can lead you in the right direction. Maybe you even find one yourself that you weren't expecting to enjoy and you can share with me and the other Readers for our mutual benefit.

Many thanks to Bryan for proposing the idea and then joining me on this excellent adventure through the art of Burgering.

Which Burgers were some of your favorites, Readers?

Until next week...


The 7 oz. Burger
**** Stars
Not A Burger Stand
1221 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91506

The Burgers of Burbank (Part 4)

Greetings, Readers!

Recently, while in the pursuit of the best Burgers in Burbank, Bryan (@818NewGuy) and I embarked on our most dangerous leg of the tour.

We tried FIVE different burgers in one day.

Actually FIVE different burgers in about two hours.

But that's another story for another day...well, the next five weeks I should say.

For this week though, I wanted to focus on a restaurant that I have passed by numerous times while living in the area but never actually got around to stopping in until recently: Mo's Fine Food.

While burgers aren't the only thing on their menu, or even the biggest section, it is obvious that this restaurant treats crafting their burgers like an art form.

We selected the Menage a Trois burger, a thick and juicy patty topped with a healthy dose of avocado, Swiss cheese and bacon (the Trois).

From the first bite of this burger, it was evident that it was bound for greatness. The half of an avocado on the top provided a very subtle buttery flavor with an incredibly smooth and creamy texture. The bacon with its smoky flavor was well cooked, but not done to a crisp. The Swiss cheese was thoroughly melted and added its signature smoky flavor. The lettuce on top of all of that added a bit of textural crunch and freshness.

All of that was delicious, and we haven't even discussed the main star of the sandwich: the beef.

A little pink on the inside, this was one of the juiciest and most delicious burgers I've had in quite some time and definitely the best burger thus far on this adventure. The flavor of the certified Angus beef here is stellar and despite the flavorful other ingredients, shines through at the same time as blending well with everything involved in this sandwich.

This was a handmade patty that was crafted with love for the art of burgers and it shows in every aspect of this sandwich. Even an excellent bun was selected for this as it held together easily until the end.

Applause is in order here as Mo's not only rocked with the burger, but also provides a great place to relax and enjoy some food after work. Low key atmosphere and dimmed lighting topped off what was already a great burger outing.


But let's not stop here simply because we've found an excellent example of a burger. There are still so many yet to come.

Until next week, Readers...


Menage a Trois Burger
*****
Mo's Fine Food
4301 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91505

San Diego Sandwich-Con 2012

Greetings and welcome back for another week of delicious sandwich profiling, Dear Readers.

This past week, I made a trip down to San Diego for something that I have been putting off far too long: Comic Con.

My group of comic book aficionados only had tickets for Saturday and Sunday, so having arrived on Friday evening, what could we end up doing?

For those that have not been to SD before, the Gaslamp Quarter, right next to the Convention Center where Comic Con was, is a great section of town for drinks and food, and that is where we found The Field.

This place was packed on a Friday night during one of the busiest nights of the year for the city, but it didn't take long for our drinks and food to come to us. The only thing that happened faster was my selection of a sandwich from the menu: a corned beef sandwich on rye.

Set between two slices of lightly buttered, and lighted toasted rye, this corned beef sandwich was one of the best ones I've had in a long time. It absolutely lived up to the standard that a true Irish pub should have for this kind of meal.

The corned beef was very thinly sliced, very warm, and piled very high between the slices of crisp bread. Lightly grilled onions blended in between the layers of meat along with melted Swiss cheese that permeated the sandwich a smear of dijon mustard.

Wow. Absolutely delicious. The flavors blended together to give a smoky and spiced sandwich that mellowed with every bite. The meat was tender and juicy, and overall well cooked.

An excellent way to start a fun weekend at Comic Con. For those of you who have yet to attend the event, it is an absolutely incredible time. Comics, artists, video games, movies, cosplayers, and fans all crammed into an area the size of two square miles can be a bit overwhelming, but if you have an interest in any of the things I mentioned above, it's a must see event for you.

I for one know I will be back next year...and I will have this sandwich again to kick off my weekend.

Until next week, Readers...



Corned Beef Sandwich
**** 1/2 Stars
The Field Irish Pub & Restaurant
544 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
http://www.thefield.com

The Great Burbank Deli Hunt - Part 3

 Welcome back, Dear Readers, for our third week of trekking through the city of Burbank, CA.

For this stop, Bryan (@818newguy) and I headed over to Moore's Delicatessen in downtown Burbank. This deli is a hot spot during lunch hour for people who work at Cartoon Network, which is just around the corner.

If you get to stop in here one time, definitely make sure you take a peek at the back dining room, as cartoonists from CN mark up the wall with sketches from the shows that they work on.

Talking to Ollie at the counter of Moore's we inquired about what their best sandwich was. It didn't take her long to suggest the City Hall, a customer favorite.

The City Hall is essentially a Reuben, although in this case, you have your option on which meat you would like to include. Your choices range from the typical corned beef to pastrami, turkey, ham, or roast beef. For this time around we went with straight up pastrami.

It had been a little while since my last pastrami sandwich, and I have to admit that I was itching to get some.

Generously added to the sandwich with cole slaw, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and grilled rye bread (make sure you ask for it to be grilled), the City Hall is a real winner in Burbank.

This pastrami had some excellent flavor. All of the usual spices were in play, but without being overpowering. Pastrami really does have a fine line between perfect and sadly over/under flavored.

The other positive about the meat was its tenderness. Even some of the best pastrami tends to have a problem when its cools down (if you've cooked it) in that the fat re-congeals or becomes tough, making the meat somewhat inedible. This was not a problem here. If anything, the meat may have been a little dry, but overall was very well prepared for this sandwich.

The Swiss cheese and Russian dressing blended together in a creamy melange of smooth, smoky flavor which matched the pastrami well. The cole slaw added a sweet crispy crunch to the sandwich that contrasted well with its savory interiors.

And the grilled rye? Well that held together until the end with excellent rye flavor, brought out by the light toasting.

Let's face it, I have a true bias when it comes to pastrami, and in that sense I tend to judge those types of sandwiches on a tougher scale. Despite that, I have to highly recommend this sandwich. While the pastrami could be a little less dry, overall it is a can't miss sandwich in downtown Burbank.

I have to say that before this sandwich journey with Bryan even began, I knew of some great sandwich shops in Burbank, but I have to admit that I never thought there would be so many! So far, we've either hit all of the best places in town, or every sandwich shop should be on par with a five star restaurant.

It seems like the city of Burbank does not disappoint.

Until next week, dear Readers!


City Hall Sandwich
**** Stars
Moore's Delicatessen
271 East Orange Grove Ave.
Burbank, CA
http://www.mooresdeli.com/

Eating My Way Through Portland, OR (Part 1 of 5)

The coolest logo ever.

Hello, Readers!

This past weekend, I made a trip up to the northwest for the first time since my 2009 trip to Seattle. This time I stopped in the city of Portland, Oregon, which is a city I've always wanted to visit since I fell in love with the northwest on my last trip. Coincidentally, this trip was also my last state on the West Coast to visit (and 31st overall).

But what is one to do in the city of Portland? Besides visiting a few historical and sightseeing spots, Portland is well known for its food and beer. Breweries and restaurants are on every corner, and it made the selection of sandwiches for this blog so difficult.

This may be why it'll be a five part series.

Prior to my trip, I had planned out a few spots that I wanted to visit and review for the blog, but today's entry came from a chance wandering through the north part of the downtown area. Passing by an awesome sign with a sickle and a hand holding a sandwich (akin to the former USSR logo), I decided I had to stop into The People's Sandwich of Portland.

Being drawn in by the awesome logo and posters outside, the first challenge of the weekend came in choosing which sandwich to eat. Each with its own cool name, I decided to go with the Hammer & Pickle.

Why you ask? The Hammer & Pickle is a cubano sandwich, and we all know how I feel about cubanos.

I frequently reference the cubano at Porto's in Burbank as being the top sandwich I have eaten since starting this blog, so this sandwich from TPSP had a lot to live up to.

The sliced ham and pork loin were grilled and joined with melted Swiss cheese, crisp pickles, homemade mustard (all condiments are made in house) and mayo (made with organic eggs) and pressed in a french roll on the grill.

The ham and pork loin were tender and delicious. The Swiss was melted throughout the sandwich lending a delicious smoky/savory flavor. I think one of the best surpsises in the sandwich came from the homemade mustard which reminded me a bit of horseradish with that slight burning feeling at the back of your nose.

Note: I love the taste and feeling of horseradish. It is always a good compliment, and that mustard-y feeling is present here in all its delicious glory.

So you stack all of these delicious ingredients into a french roll that's pressed on a grill with a crispy, flaky and golden outside with soft and fresh insides and you have...

The best cubano I have ever eaten. Hands down. All of the flavors blended together incredibly well and were each prominent on their own, contributing their portion of deliciousness.

Oh yeah, and they even threw in a tiny tootsie roll for after your sandwich.

Sorry Porto's of Burbank, you had an excellent run as the top sandwich of the blog, but I will now find other reasons to visit Portland, just to have this sandwich again.

Part 1 of my trip to Portland ended on an incredibly high note, could my other stops live up to the hype?

Until next week...

Hammer & Pickle
***** Stars
The People's Sandwich of Portland
53 NW 1st Street
Portland, OR
sandwichofportland.com