The Twelve Days of Sandwiching

Greetings, Readers!

I hope that the holiday season has left you in high spirits without completely bankrupting your wallet.

Because otherwise, how would you afford even the most inexpensive sandwich?

Having finished my holiday shopping early (actually in record time this year) Charlene and I decided to stop in for a sandwich on Saturday afternoon to enjoy our relaxing weekend before Christmas.

Again, this is a record first for me.

Spending time in downtown Burbank we decide to stop into the Market City Caffe at the Corner of Palm and San Fernando. This spacious Italian bistro was surprisingly empty for a Saturday at lunch, but all the better for us as we were seated and enjoying their delicious breadsticks in no time.

Looking at the menu, my eyes went directly to the Panini section and stopped at the Panini Salami: goat cheese, imported salami, arugula, olive oil, baby lettuce and tomato on a French roll.

Hearing the word "panini" though I half expected this sandwich to be grilled or warm, but it was not. This was not a disappointment, but actually came as a pleasant surprise. The sandwich tasted fresher than it would have been after being grilled with butter or oil on the bread.

There was a nice amount of salami on the sandwich without being too overpowering for the other ingredients.  The arugula and lettuce added a little bit of crunch as well as fresh green flavors. The goat cheese was a great complement of strong flavor to the salami but was also not overpowering of the greens.

The French roll it was served on was lightly toasted on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and as delicious as the amazing breadsticks the Market City Caffe serves as an appetizer.

I can also guarantee that the sandwich is still delicious as leftovers hours later.

So what about you, Readers? Have you enjoyed any sandwiches over the holiday season? Is there one in particular you are looking to try before 2012 comes to a close?

Until next year, Dear Readers...


Panini Salami
**** Stars
Market City Caffe
164 E. Palm Avenue
Burbank, CA 91502
http://www.marketcityburbank.com

The Great Burbank Deli Hunt - Part 5

Greetings, Readers!

I am sad to announce some very bad news to you: this is the last entry in our Burbank adventure.

Did you think I was going to say I was ending the blog? Because that's insane. I may be on a new diet and exercise routine, but that does not mean I will give up my love of sandwiches, nor my love of reporting it.

The real problem with writing about Burbank is that there are just too many places to review, so I will have to tackle this area again in the near future.

On our last stop in Burbank, my traveling partner Bryan mentioned that the Burbank Deli & Carryout was known to have the best liverwurst sandwich in town. Now, I have never had liverwurst, nor had I even thought about it as a possibility for consumption, but I was up for the experience.

If i was going to try it, why not at the deli with the sign that says "best wurst in town"?

Sadly though (or luckily enough?) the deli hadn't served liverwurst in a few years, but had kept the sign because it had become such a staple of the shop. Speaking with the sandwich artist we were recommended two different sandwiches: The Pastrami and the Assorted Meats.

Having already tried numerous pastrami sandwiches, we decided to tackle the Assorted Meats Sandwich.

Stacked with ham, bologna, salami, roast beef, lettuce, jalapenos, peperoncini, provolone cheese, tomatoes, salt, pepper and mayo on a long Italian roll, this sandwich delivers with flavor and is filling.

Each of the meats lends their own distinctive flavor without really tripping over each other. The ham and bologna flavors blend well together with the salami and roast beef sticking out from the crowd with their own distinctive flavors. The peperoncinis and jalapenos add a spicy kick while the lettuce gives this meaty sandwich a little bit of crunch.

Oh, and the roll held up throughout the entire ordeal. Quite the feat for how much is contained inside.

So this ends this journey through Burbank to discover some of the best delis in town. Besides finding numerous delicious sandwiches to eat, I think I gained an insight into what makes Burbank a great town.

Not only did we find great neighborhood delis, but we met the people who owned them, who worked in them, and who added to the great culinary experience of Burbank.

Meeting the people was just as enjoyable as eating the sandwiches that made them popular.

So use this adventure as a reason to get out and learn about some of your neighborhood eats and learn more about your neighborhood/town/city. You'll be glad you did.

Until next week, Readers...


Assorted Meats Sandwich
**** Stars
Burbank Deli & Carryout
1414 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA 91506

The Great Burbank Deli Hunt - Part 1

Greetings Readers!

I am very excited to start this week's blog because it is part one in a series of entires that will focus on sandwiches in the town of Burbank, CA.

For those of you who don't live in the area, Burbank is home to studios like NBC and Warner Bros. as well as many other production companies. Despite being a hub of the industry in the Valley, it is also a quiet suburban town with a tight-knit community.

I've visited a few places in Burbank for this blog in the past, but this trip was going to be different. It began when I was contacted by Bryan Mahoney (@818newguy on Twitter) who writes the column Burb's Eye View for the Burbank Leader. We decided that we join forces and take on various delis and their sandwiches in Burbank, giving us insight not only into what sandwiches are popular there, but also giving us a chance to meet some of the colorful characters that make up this great part of Los Angeles.

For our first stop, we visited a well known mom-and-pop deli called Otto's Hungarian Import Store and Deli tucked away on a quiet street corner.

Besides a wide variety of meats, cheeses, import beers and other deli offerings, Otto's also stocks a number of European sweets that tempted me during our visit. Most notable Kinder Happy Hippos. It was hard not to buy a box of them, but then that would ruin the first leg of our trip.

On suggestion from the owner, we ordered the Otto's Special. This sandwich is a true meat lovers sandwich. Ham, bologna, forest ham and three different types of salami all packed in a long Italian roll with Swiss cheese and Hungarian peppers.

Wow.

All of the meat was very fresh and bursting with flavor. Despite all of the competing flavors though, you could easily tell each of the meats apart from the other, and without the combination becoming overpowering. It was amazing, as I had half expected it to just be a singular combined flavor. Even with all of the filling, the roll stayed intact until the end, never once yielding to the massive amount of meat inside.

It was great.

While the sandwich was delicious, the owner added to the enjoyment of this stop. He talked to us about the history of Otto's, suggested numerous options for our sandwich, and even presented us with slices of Hungarian sausage to sample and a lotto ticket for each.

Otto's is known in the neighborhood as Otto's Lotto because of the large number of people who have won after buying their tickets from them. I was not so lucky with my ticket.

So, if you love Hungarian food, or are just looking for a superb deli in the Burbank area, you would be best served to head to Otto's whenever you can (they're closed on Sundays though). The delicious sandwiches, fresh deli meats, world beers and European sweets will appeal to everyone with good taste.

That's all for this week, dearest Readers. Join me again next week as Bryan and I take on another local deli in Burbank!

(For Bryan's article on our Burbank sandwiching, click here.)


Otto's Special
**** Stars
Otto's Hungarian Import Store and Deli (closed on Sundays)
2320 West Clark Avenue
Burbank, CA 91506
http://www.hungariandeli.com/

Potato Chips Are Always A Good Thing

Greetings, Dear Readers!

I should tell you that there is one thing in life that I love almost as much as I love sandwiches, and that is potato chips.

Hands down, 1000% love affair with those crispy snacks. So when I heard about a restaurant called Potato Chips, I had to check this place out.

The selection isn't expansive, but everything on the menu sounded amazing. Particularly amazing sounding was the Spicy Salami sandwich.

Salami, goat cheese, red onions, reg peppers, avocados, and shredded lettuce piled onto a flaky golden roll. Sounds delicious? Sounds right.

The roll was excellent. Golden, flaky, crispy, and slightly toasted, this roll was the best choice for this sandwich.

The goat cheese was a bit dry, and its pungent flavor contrasted well with the strong flavors of the salami, which was equally delicious.

The lettuce, peppers, and avocado were all incredible fresh, flavorful, and added an excellent crunchy contrast that really helped tie the whole sandwich together.

Every ingredient in this sandwich stood out on its own, but also contributed to an amazing overall flavor. This sandwich was excellent.

So the lesson I've learned this week is that my love of potato chips can now extend to places named Potato Chips, and both of them lead to my tastebud nirvana.

Until next week, Readers!

Spicy Salami Sandwich

**** 1/2 Stars

Potato Chips

7613 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90036