It's Alive!

Dear Readers,

It's been nearly five years since I started the blog here at Blogspot, but it's time I moved on to a bigger, better website to keep track of my sandwich exploits.

And one with an even easier address to remember.

Head on over to TheDangerSandwich.com for all of the past blog posts, and posts from now and into the future.

Video posts are coming soon and so much more.

I'd like to thank all of you for coming to this blog on the regular, because without your support, I would not have decided to take this writing exploit further, and strive to make it even better.

Thank you, this truly could not have been done without you.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to TheDangerSandwich.com to continue this sandwich adventure with me.

What's On The Sandwich Board?

Greetings, Readers!

I hope the past week has brought you many delicious sandwiches at new places for you.

Speaking of new places, every time I visit Philadelphia, I am amazed at the amount of sandwich shops that have sprung up in my absence. It seems that the City of Brotherly Love is embracing the art of sandwiching past just their fantastic cheesesteaks and roast pork sandwiches.

Case in point: going on a suggestion from Visit Philly (thanks btw!) I stopped at a restaurant I had heard about in whispers for awhile: Jake's Sandwich Board. A few years ago, they had a Ghost Pepper Cheesesteak on the menu which I had wanted to try, but I also did not want my stomach destroyed for a few days on vacation and so passed on it.

This time though, I wasn't going to be swayed. While I didn't see the Ghost Pepper sandwich, there were a number of options that seemed incredible, creative, and daring.

Heading there on a frigid night in late December, Jake's Sandwich Board is a small shop in downtown Philadelphia, a great place to settle in at a table, eat great food, and catch up with friends before heading out to some great bars in that part of town. We headed there one night to catch up with a friend we hadn't seen in awhile, but during dinner we weren't able to do a lot of talking because of the food itself.

I eventually settled on the 50/50, which contained half shredded pork (from locally sourced farms), half bacon, Sriracha spread and shredded provolone cheese.

The pork was plentiful, juicy and flavorful. The sriracha spread definitely gave an incredible spice kick, and the provolone was heavily present. Almost so much that it overpowered the sandwich in some areas. I really love provolone, but maybe a little bit less would help accentuate the delicious pork rather than overpower.

The roll held together until the end and was well made. A definite killer sandwich that I would absolutely have again my next time in Philadelphia.

If you're downtown and looking for a great sandwich stop, I highly suggest you check out Jake's Sandwich Board. While I had a pork sandwich (and there are others), they also offer options with brisket, turkey and veggies. You will have an excellent selection of options before you there.

Until next week...

The 50/50
**** 1/2 Stars
122 South 12th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
http://www.jakessandwichboard.com/

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

Into The Cold...For Christmas!

Greetings, Readers!

Happy Holidays and Happy Hanukkah to some of you out there!

I am heading home to celebrate Christmas this year in Philadelphia, and like any good trip back east, I am looking for some fantastic sandwiches to enjoy in the City of Brotherly Love.

I'm in the mood for some new, delicious cheesesteaks that I may not have tried yet. So, do you know a great local spot that only your neighborhood knows about? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Also, do you know of another sandwich you've had lately that you would consider a Philadelphia classic, like DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market?

Leave your suggestions in the comments below, and happy sandwiching to you all!

P.S. - If you haven't read my guest blog for Deli Fresh Threads yet, check it out here!

Until next week...

Double Dose of Deliciousness

Mo's Royale with Cheese

Greetings, Readers!

I sit here at my desk, composing this week's blog sans glasses! For those of you who did not know, I can still see fairly well without them, though reading a computer screen is mildly more difficult.

Like nose 8 inches from the screen more difficult, so I apologize for first wave typographical mistakes.

But one thing I will not be making a mistake about is the level of deliciousness provided in this week's sandwiches. 

SandwichES. Plural.

I've reviewed sandwiches from both of these places before, so this is more like a quick update. 

The first stop was Mo's in Burbank. Previously I have stopped here while sampling the best burgers of Burbank in which I thoroughly enjoyed their Menage a Trois burger. While I did want to return to that delicious offering again, I decided to switch it up with a Royale with Cheese.

The Royale is an Angus beef burger topped with tempura fried dill pickles, with cheddar cheese, Sriracha Thousand Island and crispy pancetta between two halves of a brioche bun. The pickles and Sriracha Thousand Island added great flavors of sweetness, spicy and a bit of sour pickling tastes. All were great contrasts to the mellow flavor of the medium-cooked Angus beef.

But the crispy pancetta. Wow. Little chunks of crispy-outside, chewy-inside pork not only added a delicious bacon-y flavor, but were a great textural contrast.

The only problem with this sandwich was the bun. While adding its own sweet flavor, it wasn't much to write home about. It held together until the end and did its job though. 

For the second of this week's sandwiches, I returned to Philadelphia and a small tavern called Three Monkeys. My trip back east was a brief whirlwind, but there was still time to get a sandwich and beer with my dad. 

While I previously reviewed their Caribbean Pork Sandwich, this visit was all about the daily special: A grilled cheese sandwich on Texas Toast with 5 oz. of crab meat in the middle. 

I know, fantastic. 

The garlic and butter grilled toast was delicious, added a contrasting flavor to the very mellow and smoky flavoring of the melted cheddar cheese and the crab meat, which was well seasoned and incredibly delicious. 

As far as I know, this sandwich is only a weekend special, so if you happen to be in the area on a weekend, you should definitely stop in and see if it's available. It will be well worth your time. 

Well, thank you Readers for joining me on this double dose of deliciousness this week. I hope it was enjoyable for you, and inspiring as well so that you go out and either try these exact sandwiches or something close enough. 

Until next week...

Royale with Cheese

**** Stars

Mo's Restaurant

4301 W. Riverside Dr.

Burbank CA

Crab Meat grilled Cheese

**** 1/2 Stars

Three Monkeys Cafe

9645 James Street

Philadelphia, PA

One Last Night Into The Cold

Greetings, Readers!

I hope that those affected by the recent polar vortex have come out stronger on the other side it. I also hope that you took my twitter advice to stay inside and enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup as others tried to throw boiling water into the air to watch it freeze.

You obviously came out on top if you did. And with fewer burns.

When I was visiting Philly last month, it was a bit colder than I had become used to in Los Angeles, but still nowhere near what the weeks after my visit would be like. Regardless, there wasn't a better way to deal with the cold than a night out at the bar with friends for drinks and dinner.

We headed out to Kraftwork Bar, a place I had visited before on a prior trip. This time around, the bar was packed, but after waiting for a seat, we settled down and looked through their excellent dinner menu. I had gone back and forth between a few of the sandwich options, but the Beer Can Chicken Sandwich's call was just too strong to ignore. Paired with a heavy, dark beer we settled into our booth and all caught up with each other.

The sandwich came out shortly (service was excellent even with it being so busy) and looked like a challenge. The shredded chicken was piled high between the light fluffy bun. With every bite, the juicy and marinated chicken nearly dissolved in my mouth, it was that well cooked. Combined with fried long hot peppers, onions and smoky provolone, this sandwich was quickly consumed. A bit of spice, a bit of heat a bit of smoke, a lot of delicious.

The bread really was just there as a way to eat the meal, as whatever flavor it would have added to the sandwich was easily blocked out by the flavorful mash-up in the middle. The sandwich is heavy and plentiful so if you're hungry and looking to stay warm do the same as I did and pair this up with a dark beer like a porter or stout to complete your meal.

Add some old friends in and you'll complete your night.

Following Kraftwork we walked to Barcade and Frankford Hall, both of which we met up with more people, family included). I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with both of these bars as well and will plan a return visit on my next trip east.

Until next week, Readers...stay warm, and stay full!


Beer Can Chicken Sandwich
**** Stars
Kraftwork Bar
541 E. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
www.kraftworkbar.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

A Stroll through The Italian Market

Greetings, Readers!

This week, I am back in significantly warmer Los Angeles over the bitter cold that was Philadelphia last week.

During my week there, in between the snow storms, I visited the Italian Market with my family and stopped at Paesano's, a small sandwich shop tucked away on a quiet block of the market.

Despite its small size, this place is fairly well known. Recommended to me as well by the Philly Tourism Board, and visited by Bobby Flay and Anthony Bourdain, it was pretty obvious that this needed to be on my radar quite a bit earlier than it was.

Everything on the menu sounded amazing, and has a few choices for vegetarians, but the one that stood out to me the most was the Gustaio: House-made lamb sausage, sun-dried cherry mostarda, Gorgonzola spread, roasted fennel, and arugula.

This sandwich was excellent, but at first my taste buds were hit with conflicting flavors. The lamb sausage is delicious and very savory while the cherry mostarda hit with a definite sweetness that at first seemed so contradictory to the rest of the sandwich that it was...well, interesting. Each successive bite though allowed me to see how these two flavors blended so well together, giving a savory sandwich such bright spots and delicious contrast that it shone above many others before it.

The lamb sausage is delicious, did I mention that? Because it is. Seriously. It's amazing.

The arugula adds a great peppery flavor to the sandwich which was tied together in a delicious flatbread. Overall, the initial sweet/savory contrast may be intense for some, but I highly suggest you continue through and try this sandwich. It's honestly one of the best I've had in the nearly four years I've been writing this blog.

Thanks for the suggestions for Philly, more to come over the next few weeks.

Happy Holidays to all, I hope you get to enjoy many leftover sandwiches in the coming weeks.

Until next week...


Gustaio
**** 1/2 Stars
Paesano's Philly Style
1017 S. 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
http://www.paesanosphillystyle.com/

Cold Weather, Warm Sandwich (Part 2)

Greetings, Readers!

As I mentioned in last week's post, my sandwiching experience back East was cut a bit short with illness, but that doesn't mean that I didn't get to taste some of the local flavor.

On my last day back East, I headed to the Reading Terminal Market for lunch with my mother and sister. I hadn't been to the Market since I was there two years ago to review DeNic's Roast Pork Sandwich, so it was definitely time for a return visit.

Going without a particular shop or sandwich in mind that I wanted to try, it took some time to walk around the entire market and find a place that I wanted to eat at. It was definitely much busier than my last visit, and some of the aisles were near impossible to get down because they were so crowded.

Finally though, I happened upon the simply named The Rib Stand in a far corner of the Market. This stand is pretty bare bones, offering shredded ribs, slabs of ribs and three side options, but you'll still have a hard time deciding which way to go. The scent of ribs and the sides will have you salivating while you wait in line.

I went with the shredded rib sandwich and was not let down in my expectations. The rib meat is juicy and had obviously been marinated for a long time as it was bursting with flavor. There was also a distinct flavor of black pepper that permeated the sandwich without being too overpowering.

The ribs had been marinated in a thin red sauce instead of a more thick, standard barbecue sauce, but The Rib Stand provides you with a container of deliciously made sauce that you can add to the sandwich in your desired quantity.

While the rib sandwich was delicious in its own right, this addition of barbecue sauce really sends it to the next level. It's got a little kick to it, but nothing that will set your mouth on fire.

The only downside is the roll. It mostly held together until the end, but wasn't really anything spectacular. It did its job as a vehicle for delicious rib meat, so I guess we can applaud it for that.

For my sides, the green beans and mac & cheese were excellent options and complemented the sandwich so well. Definitely worth choosing these two if you happen to lunch here one time.

And so ends my trip back East, Readers. Hopefully next time I can visit more places on my list and get a better sense of the sandwiching culture there.

Next week, I finally catch up to an LA food truck I've been chasing for years.

Until then, Readers...


Rib Sandwich
**** Stars
The Rib Stand
Reading Terminal Market
Philadelphia, PA

The Smell of Spring...And Sandwiches

Greetings, Readers!

This week I decided to further explore my neighborhood of the Noho Arts District and finally stopped in a place that I have known about, but have neglected to visit, for the last four and a half years that I have lived here in LA.

Philadelphia Sandwiches is a tiny shop across from the Television Academy on Magnolia Boulevard. The inside of this shop has tons of paraphernalia from the Sixers, Phillies, Eagles and Flyers and actually felt like an authentic Philly restaurant, and not just one with the name of that fine city propped out front.

Ordering a cheesesteak with fried onions and peppers, I had forgotten to ask at first which type of cheese was used on the sandwich. Would it be slices that were melted while cooking, or would it be the sin-of-a million-heresies called "wiz"?

At first I had thought I was given this atrocity, but noticed that even though it was yellow-ish, it was not wiz. The cheese was melted through the sandwich, but I wasn't that impressed with it. There also could have been more as it was a bit sparse.  Luckily, the meat was flavorful, finely chopped, and not dried out.

The rolls were great. They held together, were soft, fresh and had great flavor.

The website for Philadelphia Sandwiches claims their sandwiches are "the best" Philly cheesesteaks. I would disagree.

While they are very enjoyable, I would still rank a number of other cheesesteaks that I've tasted above it in LA, specifically South Street Steaks and Philly's Best. But I had to admit, I do like the fact that I have a very reputable and enjoyable cheesesteak shop within walking distance.

Like last week though, my physician could not disagree with that more.

Onto this weekend though, when I will be grilling hot dogs and sausages on my rooftop as one of my favorite pitchers of all time leads my hometown Phillies against the Pittsburgh Pirates in our second game of the new baseball season.

Ah, the smell of spring...and sandwiches. Until next week, Readers...


Philly Cheesesteak
*** 1/2 stars
Philadelphia Sandwiches
11112 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
http://www.phillycheesesteaknoho.com/

P.S. - having trouble with uploading photos here. They'll be up soon. Promise.

The 100th Post - A Look Back

Dearest of all Dear Readers!

Hello and welcome to the 100th post here at The Danger Sandwich!

100. What a number. Truly crazy that I have gotten this far, but it is because of your support that I have been able to do so. This little blog keeps getting more and more hits every month, so I thank you for pursuing your love of sandwiches along with me.

100 weeks of sandwiching with friends, exploring cities, and finding out what it takes to make a delicious sandwich. It has been an experience that I have thoroughly enjoyed, and I am looking forward to the next 100 entries.

As I mentioned last week, I thought there was no better way to celebrate 10squared than by looking back at my top 10 favorite sandwiches on the first part of this sandwichology journey.

Problem is that I originally came up with about 35. So it took me a bit of time to whittle it down.

Each sandwich name will be clickable to take you back to the original post. Enjoy!

10.) The Winter Chicken Melt (Melt, Cleveland, OH) - My first stop in Cleveland was also rewarding on the sandwich hunt as this chicken melt warmed its way into my stomach.

9.) Mediterranean Madness (HyMart, Noho Arts District, CA) - Grape leaves stuffed in a wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, olives and hummus. What isn't good in this sandwich?

8.) The Stray Dog (The Wien, Los Angeles, CA) - a hot dog truck with high end vision for their dogs? This place is an awesome addition to any warm summer night in LA.

7.) The Schmitter (Citizen's Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA) - At one of my favorite places in the city, this new Philadelphia staple is the perfect complement to a night at the ballpark.

6.) Banh Mi Sandwich (Banh Mi My Tho, Alhambra, CA) - it may be a trek to get to this shop in a strip mall, but the banh mi makes the drive worthwhile...and the price can't be beat.

5.) Hammer and Pickle (The People's Sandwich of Portland, Portland, OR) - A random find in Portland turned out to be the best sandwich I had in the town. An amazing cubano that will knock your socks off.

4.) Lavender Duck Confit Sandwich (Sweetsalt, Toluca Lake, CA) - The only sandwich I've reviewed thus far that uses duck, this sandwich is delicious, and doesn't fall victim to the usual duck problem: greasiness.

3.) Oinkster Pastrami (Oinkster, Eagle Rock, CA) - I talk about a lot of pastrami on this blog, because frankly it's one of my favorite sandwiches. Notable mentions are Brent's Pastrami in Northridge, CA and Paty's in Toluca Lake.

2.) South Street Steaks Cheese Steak (South Street Steaks, Burbank, CA) - No it's not from Philadelphia...technically. This shop, owned by two Philly transplants, is a great dose of home near the studios in Burbank. The best cheesesteak in town.

1.) The Cubano (Porto's, Los Angeles CA) - It's not the only cubano on the list, but it is the best (though not by much, Portland!). This is the sandwich I always go back to whenever I want something good for lunch. It is the standard by which all are measured.


What do you think of the list? Did some entries surprise you? Which of my reviews would you have put up in this list instead?

A Challenge To The Throne

LO AND BEHOLD seekers of DANGER!

We have a challenger stepping into the ring this week.

A sandwich that looks to topple one of the top rated sandwiches here at The Danger Sandwich.

Recently, I had a run in with the South Philly Experience, a food truck that stocks up on Herr's chips, Hank's colas, Tastykakes, and of course a variety of styles of cheesesteaks. But would this mecca of food from my home city be DANGERous enough to top the sandwich styling of South Street Steaks in Burbank?

Continue reading...IF YOU DARE!

To start, the roll is a true, flown in from philadelphia, Amoroso roll. But i have to admit, that something got lost at customs, because these rolls were a bit too doughy, heavy, and a little too chewy.

Definitely not fresh enough for my liking.

The steak is chopped up rib-eye, and it was amazing. I've never had a cheesesteak where the meat itself was so full of flavor. It's just a shame this was the only highpoint of the sandwich.

And that brings me to the cheese.

So i chose the provolone, since cheez wiz is an abomination to man, and boy did they get this essential part of the sandwich so wrong.

Instead of placing the cheese on top, and allowing it to melt down into the sandwich, effectively mixing it, the cheese was placed first on the roll.

Underneath the meat.

And so I was left with delicious steak on top of four slightly warm, but not melted, slices of cheese.

Also, the truck was out of tastykakes too. How'd anyone let that happen?

Fail.

Overall, the excellently seasoned grilled steak was not enough to make up for the serious shortcomings of the rest of the sandwich. You tried South Philly Experience, you really tried, but it wasn't enough to become top cheesesteak in LA.

Until next time, DANGERites...

** 1/2 Stars

South Philly Experience

http://www.southphillyexperience.com/