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...

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/

Sandwich Island Fever (Part 1)

Greetings, Readers!

How have you been? Have you been sandwiching in my absence? Last week, I spent my honeymoon in Hawaii, but have no fear, I still had plenty of time to be sandwiching on the islands of our 50th state.

There were plenty of options for burgers and other sandwiches that I've had on the mainland, but while I was in a new state for myself, why not try something inspired by the tastes of the islands.

Did you know that at one point, the Hawaiian Islands were called The Sandwich Islands, named after John Montagu, the legendary creator of the sandwich? How fitting then that I would have so many to review after my trip.

I've got five sandwiches to review for the blog here over the next few weeks, so let's get started with the sandwich I had only a few short hours after landing in Honolulu.

After we checked into the Outrigger Reef in Waikiki Beach, we headed down to the Shore Bird, a restaurant/bar on the main floor of the hotel overlooking the beach.

Wanting to just unwind, we ordered some beer form Kona Brewing, a delicious pale ale called Fire Rock. To accompany this slightly bitter beer, we added some of the pork sliders with mango salsa. The pork itself had been slow cooked and yet was still moist and delicious. Each bite melted in your mouth.

The slightly savory flavor of the pork was paired with the slightly sweet flavor of the mango salsa, which wasn't overpowering but still shined through the delicious pork. The small, sweet buns that encased this delicious pork (one of many times i'd eat slow roasted pork this past week in the 5-0) were delicious and easily held everything in until the end.

This wasn't the best sandwich of the week (so many other fantastic ones), but it definitely was a great late night eat, paired with a delicious beer, for the first night in Hawaii. The beach location didn't hurt either.

Until next week, Readers...


Mango Pork Sliders
**** Stars
Shore Bird Restaurant (inside of the Outrigger Reef)
2169 Kalia Road
Waikiki, Oahu
Hawaii 96815

The Art of Sandwiching

Greetings, Dear Readers!

This week I took a break from the summer burger hunt and decided to enjoy a warm Sunday afternoon at the LA County Museum of Art.

As if the sandwiches are stalking me, I was greeted with a line of food trucks in front of the museum, each one beckoning me with their delicious works of sandwich art.

After pacing the line for a few moments, I settled upon the Cali Banh Mi Truck (@CaliBanhMi).

Banh Mi is a type of sandwich that I have missed for quite some time now, as my last one was from the time I ran into the Nom Nom Truck in Studio City.

The Banh Mi is such a simple sandwich, sliced pork, cilantro, pickled carrots, cucumbers and jalapenos, but it's flavor is incredible. The pork on this particular version was very tender with a smooth, smoky flavor. The accompanying vegetables all threw in their competing flavors. In one bite you'd get sensations of smoky, hot, sweet, and tangy. It was a full of flavor experience with every bite.

The baguette was delicious, golden, and even was allowed to have its sweet, bready flavor join the flavor parade with all of the other ingredients.

My only complaint, and it's a small one, was that the cilantro stalks were a bit hard to chew occasionally. A minor annoyance, and not something that should turn you away from this truck if you happen to see it around Los Angeles.

Overall, this Banh Mi definitely is sitting pretty near the top as one of the best I've ever tried. There are still many more Banh Mi shops in LA to sample, but I have a feeling that this one will continually place near the top of the pack.

As a side note this week, please head over to LA Weekly's Best of Web poll and vote for The Danger Sandwich in spaces #20 and #21. You don't have to fill in any other categories if you don't want to, but I'd appreciate you taking the time to fill in those two quick entries.

Until next week, Readers!


Cali Banh Mi Truck
**** Stars
https://twitter.com/CaliBanhMi
Los Angeles, CA

Home Again, Pt. 2

Greetings, Readers!

I was wondering this week, what is your favorite local place for eating? Sandwiches or not, I imagined all of my dear Readers showing me their favorite restaurants and imagining it would take years to visit them all.

Three Monkeys Cafe has become a bit of a favorite place away from home (although it's technically home since I am from Philadelphia).

Visiting this place three times in a long weekend probably could solidify that statement.

On the Sunday that I was heading back to Los Angeles, I sat down at the cafe and perused the specials menu. Today something definitely caught my eye: The Caribbean Pork Sandwich.

The sandwich consisted of a slap of roasted pork topped with a healthy dose of sweet mango salsa. The pork and mango pair incredibly well, and this sandwich is no exception. My only problem with it was that the pork wasn't as tender as I would have liked. It wasn't exactly tough, but a longer roasting/marinating time could have made the pork a more standout component.

The roll was a lightly toasted sesame seed roll that didn't add too much to the mix, but wasn't bad either. I definitely preferred the Blackened Tuna Steak sandwich from their regular menu, which is also much more frequently available. If you make your way to Three Monkeys sometime, I can highly recommend that sandwich instead.

Despite this sandwich not living up to the promise of their other offerings, It is very easy to see that the standards that Three Monkeys' menu lives up to a very high, and delicious standard. It is absolutely worth the visit the next time you are in the Philadelphia area.

Until next week, Dear Readers...


Caribbean Pork Sandwich
*** 1/2 Stars
Three Monkeys Cafe
9645 James Street
Philadelphia, PA 19114
http://www.3monkeyscafe.com/index.php

Reading Terminal Sandwich Roundup

Welcome back dear seekers of DANGER!

This week's entry wraps up my trip to my hometown of Brotherly Love.

Philadelphia has far too many spectacular eateries to visit in one week, so I will have to visit even more on my next trip home. Sadly I was not able to review any cheesesteaks from my favorite places or even try the cult famous Schmidtter (next time, sandwich!).

Regardless, I chose to tackle a sandwich that was recommended by about 15 people before I even showed up: DiNic's Roast Pork Sandwich.

I can't remember the last time I was at the Reading Terminal Market, but it's been at least a decade. And for whatever reason, it seemed even more packed than I remember it being years ago.

After wading through people to find DiNic's amid the Christmas Chaos, I was surprised to find a line so long that I waited in line for nearly half an hour. Would it be worth the wait?

I ordered the roast pork on an italian roll with sweet peppers and provolone. The roll was fresh, soft, and delicious with an amazing golden color. When I bit into the sandwich, the roll had just the right amount of give so that it wasn't too mushy or tough. Just right for this sandwich.

The provolone cheese was placed on the roll itself, underneath the pork. Normally, I prefer it to be on top of the sandwich, so that the cheese can melt down into the sandwich, but the pork was just hot enough when added to create a gooey layer of cheese along the roll.


The pork is roasted in a gravy throughout the day, and was very tender from the hours of marinating and cooking. As tender and juicy as the roast pork was, I expected a slightly stronger taste. Something that screamed "I'm marinated for hours and full of flavor" but my expectations were not met.

Did the pork taste well? Yes. Was it as overflowing with flavor as I would have liked it? Not quite.

The strong taste of the provolone and the roasted sweet peppers produced a smoky and then sweet taste to the sandwich, but definitely overpowered the taste of the pork. If I hadn't taken a slice off of the sandwich, I wouldn't have been able to sample the true roast pork flavor. It was great, I just wish it had been more prominent.

Overall, I enjoyed the Roast Pork Sandwich at DiNic's. I think it's worth a try, and I'd definitely give it another shot because maybe I just came on an off day. I'm just not so sure I'd wait another half hour for the sandwich next time.


Roast Pork Sandwich
*** 1/2 Stars
DiNic's Oven Roasted Beef and Pork
Reading Terminal Market
51 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA

A Five Freeway Adventure

Welcome back DANGER fans for another exciting adventure.

Lately, as you may know, I have not had much good luck with sandwiches.

They've been subpar at best, and for this I apologize to both you and my tastebuds.

While deciding on my next entry for this most delicious of blogs, I felt the best way to get back on track would be to again sample something from LA Magazine's 17 Best Sandwiches of Los Angeles.

It just so happens that one of these sandwiches was recommended to me awhile ago, and now I know why.

This week, I tried a Pork Banh Mi sandwich from Banh Mi My-Tho in Alhambra.

Truly an adventure into the dark recesses of Los Angeles, it took my five different freeways to reach the tiny corner strip mall that housed this mecca of Vietnamese sandwiches. Starting on the 405s, I traversed the 101s, 134e, 5s, and finally the 10e. It may sound like a lot there dear readers, but continue reading because I think you may be interested in taking this pilgrimage into the San Gabriel valley as well.

One thing I've learned since moving to Los Angeles is that food made in strip malls tends to be quite excellent. Tacos, falafel, sushi, whatever. It all provides a delicious dose of DANGER, and this Pork Banh Mi sandwich was no different.

For those that don't know, Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich on a french baguette, with roasted pork, and pickled vegetables, typically cilantro, shredded carrots, onions, and jalapenos.

Let's start with the bread, shall we DANGERites?

Flaky. Slightly crisp. Delicious. It's deliciously golden and almost melts in your mouth with each bite. A terrific match for the enticing insides.

The pork is served hot, and is slightly sweet, as if it were slow roasted in honey. Not only is it sweet, it's incredibly tender. The meat easily pulls apart and is really one of the best pieces of pork I have ever tasted.

The pickled vegetables add a nice crunch to the sandwich. Even though they've been pickled in vinegar, the flavor isn't as pungent as one would think. In fact, the pickled crunch is a nice complement to the sweet pork and soft bread.

The jalapenos were the final piece to this delicious puzzle.

Jalapenos are one of my favorite peppers, and for two reasons: 1.) they have one heck of a kick. I love them when they're hot. 2.) remove the white membrane inside and they're not so hot anymore, just smoky and delicious. The Pork Banh Mi's jalapenos fall into category two. Crunchy, slightly smoky, and just a slight bit of heat, these peppers perfectly counterbalances the sweet roasted pork, while adding more crunch to the sandwich.

Despite its relative distance to most of Los Angeles, this sandwich is definitely worth the trip. Even better, the sandwich and a drink only costs $4 total! I couldn't believe it when I was rung up. That is truly an unheard of price for such a delicious sandwich.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, and up for trying out a well hidden Vietnamese sandwich, you'd definitely be in store for some serious DANGER.

Lastly, with the past weekend being a holiday weekend, I of course attended a BBQ. And I wanted to give a shoutout to Chris Reiser, who crafted this delicious smoked brisket sandwich (smoked for 10 hours, topped with barbecue sauce and a soft hamburger bun). Tender and full of flavor, this is truly a DANGERous treat.

Until next week, DANGERites.

Pork Banh Mi Sandwich

**** 1/2 Stars
Banh Mi My-Tho

304 W. Valley Blvd

Alhambra, CA 91803