This Ain't No Bull

 Greetings, Readers!

While my first day or two back in Pennsylvania wasn't exactly chilly, considering the fact it was December, by the time of my second sandwich stop, it was downright frigid.

Heading into Croydon on a cold Monday evening, we stopped by a small pub called the Dog and Bull House.


Standing right next to the local train stop, The Dog and Bull just oozes atmosphere. The restaurant is small and cramped, a little dim with low ceilings, but really on a cold night when you want good food and a high ABV beer, you couldn't ask for a better place.

After settling in with some fantastic beer from The Bruery, I ordered the Black and Blue Burger. Granted the suggestion is to drink a nice IPA with this sandwich, but on this cold night, nothing but a 9% or higher beer will do.

The burger, a thick beef patty, comes topped with blackened seasoning, blue cheese crumbles, all topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions between two sides of a toasted bun.

The sandwich was flavorful, the beef patty incredibly juicy and savory. The blue cheese brought a little funk, smoke and contrast to the overall savory flavor of the burger. The mushrooms and onions were cooked to perfection providing mild flavors of their own while also bringing a textural pop and bite to the sandwich.

Overall, The Dog and Bull provides excellent food complemented with fantastic beers. If you're in the Croydon area, you should definitely stop by. It might be an even better visit for you if one of their musical acts is playing that night too.

That's all for this week's review. Next week I have a really dangerous sandwich to write about, so I hope you'll join me back here next Wednesday for that.

Until then...


Black and Blue Burger
**** Stars
Dog and Bull Brew & Music
810 Bristol Pike
Croydon, PA 19021
www.dogandbullhouse.com

A Horse Thief Among Us

Greetings, Readers!

Today, before I even get to discussing the sandwich of the week, there's something I must get out in the open. This week's blog is an incredibly special milestone, one that I could not have achieved without all of you reading my blog each week.

This is the 200th entry on the blog. Seriously. 200.

That's insane. When I first started this blog, I couldn't have imagined that the blog would still be going this long, despite my strong love of sandwiches. So I owe a great deal to you and your readership.

Now, onto the sandwich of the week.

While in downtown Los Angeles this past weekend, I stopped into one of my favorite spots to eat down there: Grand Central Market. It had been a little while since I last visited, and the changes that have happened since then were noticeable.

The market still had lots of its old taco stalls and produce sellers, but now there were a few newer places that had opened. One of the most noticeable was Horse Thief BBQ, on the edge of the market.

On this warm and sunny Saturday afternoon, the idea of authentic Texas barbecue with a refreshing lemonade sounded like a spectacular idea. When I saw that there was a brisket sandwich on the menu, I couldn't pass it up.

The bun here is nothing special, but really would I have expected it to be? The bread simply serves as a delivery mechanism for the delicious brisket. It's obvious through the taste that this brisket was given ample love through the cooking process. The meat was full of a deep, rich and savory flavor with a smooth infusion of smoke and burnt ends. Each bite pulled apart easily and nearly dissolved in my mouth while chewing.

All brisket should be made like this.

For the sides, I chose the cornbread (slightly sweet with some crispy edges) and the absolutely phenomenal bacon and blue cheese potato salad.

Yeah, I said that.

The blue cheese imparted its characteristic flavor, but not with the usual punch that accompanies it. This is a good thing though as too much blue cheese flavor would have been way too intense. Along with the crispy bacon bits and well cooked potatoes, this was an excellent side to have along with the brisket.

If you're downtown in LA, I would always recommend stopping for lunch at Grand Central Market. Now with the revamp, along with the classic taco stands and produce sellers, I recommend it even more. A visit to Horse Thief BBQ should be your first stop.

Thanks again, Readers, for your following over these past 200 posts, I hope to keep you engaged and hungry for 200 more and beyond if you'll allow me.

Until next week...



BBQ Brisket Sandwich
**** Stars
Horse Thief BBQ
324 S. Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
http://www.horsethiefbbq.com/

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

A Burger Paradise

Greetings, Readers!

The temperatures have finally started to drop in Los Angeles, and it's actually beginning to feel quite a bit like fall here.

Granted, "fall" in Los Angeles really just means that it won't be 90 degrees every day now.

Craving a delicious burger recently, I was surprised to find in my sandwich research that a Studio City branch of Stout Burgers and Beers had opened a short walk from my apartment.

Sitting down in the restaurant and perusing the menu with New Belgium's Peach Porch Lounger (a delicious peach flavored saison), I knew I had picked a great spot to dine with a friend. The menu is short and sweet, but this did not make choosing a burger any easier. It was even more difficult to decide on what to order when we were informed of the special: a burger with truffle aioli.

I decided to go with the Stout Burger though (maybe it was because it had bacon), which came out in a delicious medium rare (it's the standard by the way make sure to ask for it to be cooked longer if this isn't your thing).

The Stout Burger, a delicious beef patty topped with blue cheese, Gruyere, rosemary bacon, caramelized onions, horseradish cream and roasted tomatoes, is an excellent combination of elements for a burger.

According to Stout's website, the burger meat is ground daily, in house.

According to this website, the beef is delicious.

The blue cheese, along with the Gruyere, adds a smooth dry flavor with a mild tanginess that complements the savory meat. The cheeses, especially the blue cheese, were also a bit more muted than usual, but this wasn't a bad thing.

The rosemary bacon was delicious. Not only was it crisp (adding a different texture to the sandwich) but it also added a smoky flavor which was an excellent contrast to the savory meat flavor and smooth cheeses. Add to this the slightly sweet caramelized onions and roasted tomatoes, along with the garlic flavor from the aioli and you have a delicious, savory burger.

Add to the delicious food the fact that we had excellent service, and that the low light atmosphere is relaxing and enjoyable, and you have an excellent experience out for burgers.

You know, for all the praise of Umami Burger here in Los Angeles, I have to step out of the typical LA thought here and say that Stout Burgers and Beers is leaps and bounds better than Umami. It is a hands down, knockout decision for Stout Burgers and Beers.

There, I said it. I don't think I'm the only one in the entire city who thinks this, but let's start this conversation for those that have tried both: Stout is better than Umami.

Argue for or against in the comments below.

Until next week, Readers...


The Stout Burger
*****
Stout Burgers & Beer
11262 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
http://www.stoutburgersandbeers.com

Delicious Combinations

Hey Readers!

You ever sit and think sometimes how certain combinations come into existence?

Peanut Butter and Jelly? Milk and Cereal? Burger and Cheese?

Well this week while taking part in Mystery Beer Night at Good Microbrew, I had the Lagunitas Chicken Sandwich which combines buffalo chicken wings and sandwiches.

The thick chicken breasts were breaded, fried and covered in spicy buffalo wing sauce on a potato roll, topped with bleu cheese dressing.

The chicken was juicy, thickly cut and not too greasy. it also lacked the fried flavor that so often ruins fried chicken.

The buffalo wing sauce was also very spicy, but not too hot, and actually did have excellent flavor. I really do have a problem with making something too incredibly spicy for the heck of it. My tongue can be on fire from a hot sauce, but if it at least tastes good, or adds something to the flavor profile, I'll accept it.

It's when you make something so hot that you can't taste anything for days that makes no sense, and usually disqualifies a dish for me.

The bleu cheese dressing on top of the chicken also added an excellent flavor and heat contrast making this delightful sandwich with a lot of flavor depth.

I've stopped at Good Microbrew before and I've always enjoyed my time there, but this classic sports food, transformed into a sandwich, and with the addition of $3 mystery beers, makes this time so much better. This sandwich truly surpassed the name of its maker.

Until next week...

Lagunitas Chicken Sandwich

*** 1/2 Stars

Good Microbrew

3725 Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90026

http://www.goodmicrobrew.com/

Which Came First? (Part 1)

Hello again dear readers!

This week's blog is the first of a DANGERous two part story.

As you may know, I've started to compare different cheesesteak restaurants as I discover more and more in my sandwich journeys. Inspired by this, I wanted to take on a rivalry that is very well known in Los Angeles: Which is the better french dip place? Philippe's or Cole's?

French dip sandwiches are incredibly popular in Los Angeles, and there is a restaurant serving them in every neighborhood in the LA Metro area, but these two downtown LA locations are the most popular, and for good reason.

Both Phillipe's and Cole's argue back and forth as to which was the first french dip place in Los Angeles. Whether or not you have proof to either side of the story, or even care which is the original, each place has their own diehard fans.

Before tackling the French Dip in Los Angeles, I had only eaten at Cole's.

So to see what the other side is talking about, I decided to take on a French Dip sandwich at Phillipe's and compare the two sandwiches. Phillipe's this week, Cole's next week.

Showing up at 6pm on a Saturday night, I was greeted with 4 lines to the front counter, each one stretched to the back wall. A cafeteria style setting with wood chips on the floor, this place looked like it hadn't been updated in 80 years.

But the decor is not the sandwich, and for this sandwich I ordered the Lamb French Dip with bleu cheese.

The lamb was delicious. Roughly chopped into delicious, flavorful, and moist chunks, this sandwich is packed with meat, and definitely will fill you up.

The bleu cheese isn't used sparingly either. My first bite filled my mouth with about half of a block of cheese. They top the meat with two thick slices of bleu cheese. As I've mentioned before, Bleu ranks highly with me just like feta and goat because of the texture and taste. It was an excellent choice for this sandwich. Pungent, dry, and creamy, it is the perfect choice for the succulent chunks of lamb.

The home-made mustard is an excellent condiment to use with this sandwich. Prepared in-house, it is blended with horseradish and is quite a kick if you use too much.

The roll was light, flaky on the outside, and doughy on the inside, a great combination for a french dip sandwich.

And speaking of which, here comes my one complaint.

Phillipe's dips the sandwich for you.

Yeah, that's right.

You don't get a separate cup of au jus to dip your sandwich in, and decide how much should be dipped, or not dipped.

A few problems arise from this.

1.) it could be dipped more than you want, creating too soggy of bread.
2.) it could be dry by the time you sit down if it's not dipped enough
3.) you can't choose how much you'd like to dip it.

Is this really a huge problem with the sandwich? Not entirely. I feel like I would enjoy the sandwich even if it wasn't French Dip, as the meat and cheese paired perfectly. But I do enjoy a French dip sandwich now and then, and I do like to dip and then not dip, depending on my mood.

Overall, this is truly a DANGERously delicious sandwich that should be on the list of any sandwich fans checklist.

But the eternal question: Is it better than Cole's?

Well dear reader, for that answer, you'll have to check back here next week.

Until then...


**** Stars
Phillipe The Original Restaurant
1001 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
http://www.philippes.com