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.

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...

They Call Me...

Yukon Cornelius!

Greetings, Readers!

With "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" and Yukon Cornelius trending worldwide on Twitter last night because of it airing on TV, I got to thinking: I would like to create a sandwich that lives up to the name of the North Pole's most famous prospector.

To start, the sandwich has to be hearty, a meal to get a person through the harsh weather of the North Pole.

For me, the the sandwich should consist mainly of corned beef, not only because it's hearty and rich, but also because it sort of shares its name with the character.

While I try to hack out a delicious dedication to this classic character, what would you add to make this sandwich as much of a legend as its namesake?

Until next week...

The Difficulties of Sandwiching

Greetings, Readers!

This week I am busily reviewing all of my past sandwich reviews in order to rank some of my favorites. I am writing a guest blog for Deli Fresh Threads to discuss LA sandwiches. 

I have to admit that it's kind of difficult. For one, I wouldn't say there is a definitive LA sandwich. For those who haven't been to the city before, we are more like a city of cities, each with their own cultures and styles. 

So if there is an LA "style" it's that there is variation, and so this post will be filled with plenty of variety. I hope you'll check it out when it's up. 

For now though, make sure you check out his blog here and enjoy the writings of a fellow sandwich lover. 

Also, if you haven't been following me on Twitter, click here for daily updates!

Post-Thanksgiving Recovery

Greetings, Readers!

Hopefully you had a great Thanksgiving with family and/or friends and ate plenty of delicious food. I think one of my favorite aspects about the food on this holiday is the absolute variety and styles that come together, especially when friends and family members bring their own contributions to the table.

Oh, and the pies. Definitely the pies.

After the night is over though, I look forward to the days of leftover turkey and reheated mashed potatoes and stuffing. Here on a sandwich blog though, wouldn't it be good to craft a delicious sandwich to enjoy?

So here we go. Here's what I enjoy as a sandwich in the days after this holiday of eating and thanks.

I like to take a thick cut bread, something with a bit of heft to it. Sourdough is a good one to contrast a lot of the savory flavors in the sandwich, as long as you can slice it yourself so that it's thick enough to stand up to what we're about to put on it. Lightly butter what will be the outside of the sandwich and place both slices on a baking tray. Preheat to 400 degrees.

I take some mashed potatoes and spread it on one slice of one of the pieces of bread. Then I will pile on slices of dark meat turkey (add whichever type you'd like though) and stuffing. If you'd like top top that off with some thicker gravy, that would be a great addition too. I would suggest for the first few minutes in the oven that you keep the top slice of bread off so that the interior ingredients can cook faster. After a few minutes, put the top slice on and press down.

Ovens may vary, so just keep an eye on the sandwich but definitely less than ten minutes. You want nice warm ingredients and toasty bread. If the ingredients aren't as warm as you like, you might want to try to warm them a bit before crafting the sandwich.

Cranberry sauce can be added, but I suggest doing it after the sandwich has been cooked, either as a side or a cool contrast to the sandwich on top. Sweet potatoes can also be used if you'd like a slightly sweet contrast on the sandwich as compared to the savory main course ingredients.

Grab a crisp winter-style beer for the side too. Something like my new favorite Jubelale by Deschutes Brewery or Anchor Brewing's Christmas Ale.

So readers, that's my idea of a delicious leftover Thanksgiving sandwich. What's yours?

Until next week...

Sandwich Day!

Greetings, Readers!

Today is the the 295th birthday of Lord John Montagu, The 4th Earl of Sandwich, aka the man who my most favored thing in the world is named after.

Whether you believe the story that the modern sandwich was created by Lord Montagu during marathon gambling sessions or because he was so busy he wouldn't leave his desk to take a proper meal, enjoy a sandwich today and thank the Earl for his contribution to modern food.

What do you plan to eat tonight in celebration?

Until next week...

A Little DANGERous Competition

Welcome back, readers of DANGER!

In order to further my quest towards the elusive Danger Sandwich, this past weekend I decided to throw a dinner party where every guest would bring their own special sandwich to share with the group.

And I was lucky enough to be the judge.

Imagine that!

The sandwiches ranged from Savory to Sweet, but everyone of them was delicious.

But since you were all not able to attend this delicious expedition into the soul of a good sandwich, I will provide you with a quick guide to our entrants and their sandwiches:

1.) Strawberry Morning (May Wong) - delightfully sweet, and refreshing. Perfect for breakfast. Whipped cream cheese, strawberry preserves and diced organic strawberries on a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel.

2.) Spicy Chicken Sandwich (Charlene Cowler) - Spicy Chicken nuggets in a sweet hawaiin bun with honey mustard and a dill pickle. The fun and deliciousness of a trip to Chick Fil-A miniaturized!

3.) Peanut Butter and Jelly Cooked (Mischelle Vreeman) - Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches pressed into hot pockets in a sandwich press. The Peanut butter and jelly mix so well together when warm.

4.) Bet On Black Turkey Sandwich (Nate Anderson) - Black Pepper Turkey, Pepper mayo spread, munster cheese, and alfalfa sprouts on toasted sourdough. An excellent blend of ingredients, and the sprouts add a nice contrast in flavor.

5.) Hunka Hunka Fried Up Love (Yours Truly) - my homage to the King of Rock and Roll. Just like Elvis enjoyed them: butter fried sandwiches filled with creamy peanut butter and sliced bananas. Dusted with a sweet sprinkle of powdered sugar, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon.

6.) Sloppy Jenna (Jenna Freyenberger) - smokey, spicy sloppy joes packed between two delicious slices of garlic bread.

7.) Italian Beef (Melanie Folk) - Slow cooked Italian Beef with onions, peppers, and provolone cheese in a hard Italian roll.

8.) The Giant Phillie (Chris Lightbody) - east meets west in this Bay Area inspired take on the Philly Cheesesteak. Roughly chopped steak with provolone, onions, red pepper aioli stuffed into a thick sourdough roll. Philly native approved.

After we had all sampled the sandwiches, I asked that everyone in attendance vote on their favorites. After the votes were tallied, here are the top three audience favorites:

1.) Italian Beef Sandwich

2.) Sloppy Jenna

3.) Hunka Hunka Fried Up love (thanks for the votes, everyone!)

But you have come to this blog to read what I have chosen to be number one!

As you may have read above, all of the sandwiches were very delicious, each with a different flavor. So it was very hard to narrow down, but I think I agree wholeheartedly with my fellow voters.

The Italian beef sandwich takes first place. The beef was incredibly tender, full of flavor, and fell apart in your mouth. the combination with onions, peppers, and melted provolone cheese added with a italian roll made this an excellent treat, and eating the leftovers the following night was just as delicious.

The Sloppy Jenna came in a very close second. I'm a big fan of sloppy joes, and this sandwich had the right combination of BBQ flavor, smoky taste, and the garlic added from the garlic bread was a nice contrast that really brought this sandwich to life. Make it for yourself at home!

Well, that is all for now followers of Danger. I hope that the sandwich entries above inspire you to try to replicate one of these or to create your own concoction. Either way, be sure to leave comments below about your ideas, and wish the winners well!

Until next week readers...Ciao, DANGER!

Cleveland does, in fact, rock.

The life of a Sandwichologist is not an easy one. Sometimes you are required to leave your area of comfort and head off into the great wide open in search of elusive sandwiches that may be ripe with DANGER.

For my first adventure away from Los Angeles, I decided to make a stop at Melt Bar & Grilled in Cleveland, OH (note: technically it's Lakewood).

Now this being my first time to Cleveland, I had no idea what deliciousness lay in hiding from me. Thank you to reader, Melanie for the suggestion.

Upon arriving at Melt, I was greeted by a half hour wait to be seated. But trust me, if you're ever in Cleveland, the wait is worth it, so mark this down on your GPS.

The menus are almost overwhelming at first. Printed on the back of old LPs, there are quite a lot of variations of grilled cheese sandwiches and melts to take in. Thankfully, with the King on the back of my menu, I picked "The Winter Chicken Melt" which contains grilled chicken, honey tomato chipotle sauce, and pepper jack on toasted sourdough bread.

I feel like i should take a moment to explain something about my sandwich preferences.

Sourdough is my absolute favorite type of bread. Nothing tops it. Yes, rye is good in certain situations, and challah has its moments as well, but nothing is as delicious as well made sourdough.

Seriously, if you gave me a sandwich on Sourdough, we could have Northridge (the famed 6.7 magnitude 1994 earthquake) Part 2, and as my apartment collapsed around me i would blissfully munch away on its deliciousness.

That being said, this sandwich had the most perfectly grilled, lightly buttered sourdough. It got your fingers a little greasy when you picked the sandwich up, but not too overpowering to make the taste overpowering.

The chicken has been lightly grilled, and is incredibly tender and very juicy. After it's been cooked, it is bathed in a very light honey tomato chipotle sauce. While chipotle can sometimes be overpowering, and even too spicy for some people, this sauce is a smooth smokey flavor that adds a nice bit of pep to the sandwich. Top it all off with melted pepper jack and you have one delicious melt.

If you get the chance to go to Melt, i also highly recommend the fries (perfectly crisp and lightly seasoned) and the sweet slaw (cole slaw...but sweet).

That's it for this edition of The Danger Sandwich oh faithful followers. Speaking of which, if you're reading this, and haven't clicked the "Follow" Button the left, please do so!

And keep your suggestions coming, I'll be following up with more of them in the coming weeks.

Melt Bar & Grilled

14718 Detroit Avenue

Lakewood, OH 44107