Tuna Salad home....sort of.

     If you read my previous post about Spera’s seafood salad, you would have read that Christine got a tuna sandwich that was actually two sandwiches. Since there was no way she would finish both of the sandwiches, she said I could have the other for lunch. Upon inspection, I noticed that it was tuna salad and not just tuna. Some places just serve scoops of tuna right out of the can. Spera’s took the time to spice up the tuna with red onion and celery. I’m not sure where they get their tuna but like most places it has been mixed with mayo and looks like a spread more than pieces of tuna. I removed the bread because it got soggy and just transplanted the tuna salad, cheese, onions, and lettuce onto new white sandwich bread that I had at home.

     Unfortunately the blandness carried over from my seafood salad to this tuna salad. Despite the additions to make the tuna into tuna salad and the toppings of American cheese, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce, there was very little flavor. I almost thought of doing a second review but since I took the fillings from the marble rye they originally sat between and put it on regular white bread, I didn’t think that would be fair. But, no bread was going to save this wet and flavorless sandwich. The tuna wasn’t properly drained which made the new sandwich bread semi-soggy. Like I said in the previous post, go to Spera’s for meat not for fish.

***Check out my Dan in the Kitchen blog because I’m bound to put my tuna salad recipe on there some time.***

Syracuse Sandwich: Spera's Seafood Salad

Who: Spera's What: Seafood Salad

Where: Route 31, Cicero Phone: 699-4422‎ Website: Spera's
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     I hate when the temperature breaks 80 degrees. Now before you start saying “Well it could be snowing!!! Do you want that?”, just hear me out. One of the reasons I say that is because I can’t use my oven when it gets that hot unless I want to die from heat exhaustion. This post should be on the Dan in the Kitchen blog about baked ravioli but I couldn’t bring myself to turn the oven on so we stopped at Spera’s for sandwiches. I have boasted about the meats at Spera’s in past posts but have never had a sandwich made in the deli. Since I like to construct my own sandwiches, I decided to get something that Spera’s made in house to review. It took me a while to decide because there are so many choices as far as “salads” to choose from. I ultimately went with the seafood salad which looked delicious.

     Depending on where you go, seafood salad can contain a number of things. Crab, is the main ingredient and since we are in Syracuse and not on the coast, imitation crab is the norm. This is true at Spera’s, they have a great meat section but aren’t fishmongers so I expected imitation crab meat when I ordered it. I have seen recipes that call for shrimp, scallops, and even lobster to be mixed in along with the crab. I think that is a waste of lobster but I digress. Like most “salad” recipes, this sandwich had chopped onion and celery. Mayo and other spices are mixed and combined with the crab and veggies to complete the recipe.

     I ordered a full sandwich with lettuce on light rye. I had no idea how big a full seafood salad sandwich was but was amazed when I found out. The shear size of this sandwich impressed me and with a price tag of 5.99, I thought I was getting a great deal. But, Christine ordered a full tuna sandwich with onion, tomato, and lettuce which was really two sandwiches for the same price. Seafood salad is more expensive to make than regular tuna so I understood why she got more. After the first few bites, I was really into this sandwich and started thinking about what I would write about it. But once I had finished the first half, I started having second thoughts. I was able to eat about half of the second half, at which point I stopped from being full. I just sat there looking at about a cups worth of seafood salad in disappointment.

     It was so bland. I think I had psyched myself up and for the first few bites I wasn’t seeing clearly. With the time it takes to make seafood salad or any salad for that matter, you would think they would take the time to season it with some chives, dill, sweet relish, or some salt and pepper at the very least. There wasn’t an abundance of mayo to cloud the seasonings like most places make it so that wasn’t the problem. It seemed to be a lack of caring or a lack of tasting. I almost feel bad for giving this sandwich such a poor rating but I expected a deli to take more pride in their product.

Rating: Edible – Go to Spera’s for meat not for seafood salad.

Syracuse Sandwich: McDonald's Bagel Sandwich

Who: McDonald’s What: Bagel Sandwich
Where: Route 57, Liverpool Phone: 622-5883‎ Website: McDonalds
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     Yes, I know this is the third review for a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich. At least I’m ordering different ones to review; I could just get the same one over and over and have nothing to report back on. Would you like that? Huh? I’m sorry that was rude, it’s just we happen to go there for breakfast often so I don’t have much of a choice. I hadn’t had the bagel breakfast sandwich with bacon in a while so I figured, why not? McDonald’s is smart because they just change the vessel in which the fillings come in and call it a new sandwich. So like they’re other sandwiches, this comes with a meat, American cheese, and a scrambled egg patty.

     The bagel came toasted but wasn’t crunchy nor was it tough. It was toasted perfectly for cream cheese to be spread on it. The egg patty, which I don’t like anyway, was over cooked and stringy on the ends. Like I’ve said before, they need to change all of their egg patties to their “fried” eggs. The two strips of bacon and one slice of cheese were as good as they could be for being processed. Overall this wasn’t much of a sandwich to write home about, or on this blog for that matter.

Rating: Satisfying – I’ll order it again, why? I don’t know, but I will.

Syracuse Sandwich: Kitty Hoyne's Naughtons Galway Grilled Cheese

Who: Kitty Hoyne's What: Naughtons Galway Grilled Cheese
Where: Armory Square, Syracuse Phone: 622-5883‎ Website: Kitty Hoynes
Parking: Street Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     One of the last plans of Christine’s birthday was to go out to dinner. I suggested maybe to go downtown since we were close, being at the mall to see Iron Man 2. She decided on Kitty Hoyne’s in Armory Square. I had never been but I am a huge fan of Irish food so I knew it would be a good choice. Getting a parking spot around 5 o’clock in Armory Square is difficult because people park down there for work and people come down for all the restaurants and shops. We were able to grab a spot about a block away. I had to pay to park for an hour but I had a mound of change in the car so that wasn’t a problem. Kitty Hoyne’s sits in an old brick building on the corner of Franklin and Fayette. We entered through the bar and were sat promptly. The menu has around 35 to 45 dishes which includes a good sized sandwich selection. Immediately I thought to go with a Rueben but I wanted something original. Their Rueben sounded like one you could get any place that sells them. I thought about a few of the choices before ultimately going with a more original sandwich on the menu, the grilled cheese.

     Grilled cheese? That isn’t original. Well actually this was more than a regular grilled cheese. Naughtons Galway Grilled cheese was the name and its description was as followed: Grilled ham, fresh basil, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and cheddar cheese on grilled sourdough. This came with a side of fruit, salad, soup, fries, or champ. From what I’ve gathered, champ is just mashed potatoes. We had ordered an appetizer of potato skins so I went with a Caesar salad. Let me just side track and tell you about the potato skins. We received 3 potato halves filled with twice baked potatoes topped with cheddar cheese and bacon pieces. One could make a meal out of these since potatoes are so filling. The only thing I’ll say about the taste is that they were so good that I will go there again solely to order them again. Our food arrived a few minutes after we finished the potato skins and we were soon to find out that the great tastes had just begun.

     Christine had ordered the Shepherd’s pie which was a safe choice but a delicious one none the less. My grilled cheese was a little on the thin side but that didn’t take away from the taste. The sharpness of the cheddar and the sweetness of the mozzarella contrasted nicely against one another. Thinly sliced tomatoes had a sweet taste which, once warmed up added creaminess to them as well. I liked the smoky grilled taste the ham brought; unfortunately there wasn’t much of it. Another sweet ingredient, basil, mixed with the tomatoes and mozzarella wonderfully. Fresh basil is a great substitute for lettuce when you’re looking to add some greens to a sandwich but don’t use as much when doing so. This sandwich reminded me of a Caprese sandwich which is made up of basil, mozzarella, and tomato. Cheddar and ham were great additions especially on buttery sour dough bread. I will be back again because Kitty Hoyne’s has given me multiple reasons to do so.

Rating: Tasty - Would have liked to have more ham. So close to greatness, but I'll be back.

Syracuse Sandwich: Thee Diner's Breakfast Sandwich

Who: Thee Diner What: Breakfast Sandwich
Where: Route 31, Cicero Phone: 699-7498‎ Website: None
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes W/Charge Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     Christine’s birthday was yesterday and we had a full day planned that included going out for breakfast. We hadn’t been to Thee Diner in a while so I thought that would be a good place to start the day. We arrived around 9 to an almost empty parking lot aside from the students from CNS that park there. There were a few people at the counter and not many people in the booths. We took a table towards the back and scanned over the menus that were already at the table. Thee Diner has pretty good prices and the food isn’t bad either. Christine ordered a cheese omelet with a side of toast and home fries. I ordered an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich with sausage on a roll along side an order of home fries. We noticed that a lot of the regulars, whose faces are on the menu, were sitting at the counter talking. The one waitress that was working seemed to be friendlier and more attentive to them than she was to us. No matter though, I wasn’t there for the service, I was there for a good breakfast sandwich.

     When our breakfasts came, I could tell that this sandwich just wasn’t going to do it. The roll it came on was right out of the bag and it wasn’t toasted. I assumed it would come toasted or at least warmed up, but I guess one shouldn’t assume. I had the choice of a bagel which in hindsight should have been my choice. The sausage had no spice to it which made it rather bland and the slice of American cheese did little to compliment it. The one saving grace of this sandwich was that the egg wasn’t a scrambled patty but a folded fried egg. It was cooked to over hard so there was not runny yolk but at least it was a fried. The sandwich didn’t fill me up but I had the home fries to eat still. They were okay, certainly not the best I have had. Christine couldn’t finish the huge omelet that was filled with mozzarella cheese so I had a few bites of that as well. Next time I’ll have to stay away from the breakfast sandwich.

Rating: Satisfying - Change the sausage to bacon and the roll to a bagel and we may have something.

Roast Beef from home

     This week’s sandwich from home was taking a turn for the better but fell short in the bread category. I stopped at Spera’s to buy some ground beef to make chili with this up coming week and picked up some roast beef while I was there. It’s no just any roast beef though, it’s Spera’s cooked in store roast beef. Boar’s head is the best lunch meat you can buy but nothing beats meat that has been roasted in store. To go on the roast beef I bought some horseradish cheddar per Christine’s suggestion. I’ve purchased it before but never had any because it was for Christine. I topped the meat and cheese with the Dijon horseradish sandwich shop mayo that I bought last week. I thought the horseradish from both the mayo and the cheese would be overwhelming but it wasn’t.

     Roast beef goes well with cheddar and the sharper the cheese the better. I’ve never had a roast beef without mayo and frankly I don’t think it is right to do so. The Dijon in the mayo didn’t really go well with the roast beef but it didn’t ruin the sandwich. The bread on the other hand almost did just that. I bought a loaf of white bread made with whole grain from Wegmans. If you are making a sandwich, do NOT buy this bread. It is very flimsy and doesn’t hold the fillings in very well. With each bite the bread flattened down and even though I only used a little mayo, the bread became soggy. I should have bought regular sandwich bread but I wanted to try something a little bit healthier. I will not make that mistake again…just kidding. There are healthier breads out there, Wegmans just doesn’t make good ones.

Syracuse Sandwich: McDonald's McGriddle

Who: McDonald’s What: McGriddle
Where: Route 57, Liverpool Phone: 622-5883‎ Website: McDonalds
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     If either of us has to work on a Saturday, we usually go out for breakfast. We had both eaten cereal all week and there was no way I was cooking an elaborate breakfast in the 30 minutes or so we had before we had to go. Bruegger’s, Dunkin Donuts, or McDonald’s are our normal breakfast spots if we don’t have time to sit and order. McDonald’s was sounding good so we went there. I’ve gotten pretty much everything on their breakfast menu because of the frequency of our visits. *Cough*Christine’s fault*Cough* Christine ordered what she always gets, biscuit with bacon, egg, and cheese. I had to scan the menu quickly because cars began pulling up behind us. I went with the bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddle. For those of you who don’t know what a McGriddle is, it is egg, cheese, and meat in between two mini “griddle” cakes. The griddle cakes are flavored to make them taste like a pancake with butter and syrup on it. So if you look at each piece that makes up the sandwich, it is essentially a hotcake breakfast that you can hold with one hand.

     I have had McGriddles before so I knew it was going to taste good. What I didn’t expect was how good this specific McGriddle was going to taste. I’m never impressed with the egg because it’s the scrambled egg patty that they use on most of their sandwiches, this time wasn’t any different. I’m not sure their “fried” egg would fair any better. It would be better to just omit the egg if it weren’t for the protein. The saltiness of the cheese and bacon combined with the sugary sweetness from the griddle cakes is what really makes this sandwich. I loved every salty-sweet bite of this sandwich but the egg holds it back from greatness. The problem is you can’t just take the egg away, something needs to go in place of it but I haven’t figured out what yet.

Rating: Tasty – So close McDonald’s, so close.

Syracuse Sandwich: Chili's Steakhouse Sandwich

Who: Chili's What: Steakhouse Sandwich
Where: Route 31, Clay Phone: 652-6799 Website: Chili's
Parking: Shared Lot Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     After a frustrating late afternoon yesterday which included going out to Great Northern mall after work, I was in no mood to cook. We took care of our errand at the mall but the food court has been lacking at Great Northern for years so we left in order to find somewhere to eat. We were both hungry so we decided to go somewhere close, Chili’s was right down the street and we hadn’t been there in a while. The parking lot was only half full which was expected on a Tuesday night. We were seated promptly and found that nearly a third of the menu had changed. Some of our favorites had been taken off and a bunch of new items had been added. A few sandwiches were take off the menu including Christine’s favorite, the chicken Caesar pita, but four new sandwiches appeared in their place.

     The steakhouse sandwich was my choice because I love steak and I eat chicken most of the time so it was a change of pace. Slices of grilled sirloin steak came on flat bread with caramelized onions, mushrooms, provolone, arugula, and horseradish cream. Everything but the horseradish cream came in between the flat bread. It’s not often the spread or dressing comes on the side rather than already on the sandwich. It seems Chili’s does this with all of their sandwiches because they did the same for Christine’s Santa Fe chicken wrap. This allows people to use as much or as little as they want which is great, especially with horseradish.

     The flat bread is about a half an inch thick and was heated up in some fashion but not crispy. After a few bites this sandwich reminded me of steak sandwiches that I’ve had in the past. Mushroom, onions, and provolone are pretty standard when it comes to making a steak sandwich. The arugula gave the sandwich some color but did little else to help the sandwich along. There wasn’t much arugula to begin with and what was there became soggy from the juices and grease of the meat and vegetables. The onions and mushrooms were sautéed until soft and they both held up on their own in means of taste. The steak was a little tough, but not too chewy and it had the fire grilled taste that I was looking for. The horseradish cream was the real kicker that made the sandwich, with out it the sandwich would have been like the many others I have had. The horseradish gives the sandwich a creaminess and moisture that combats the dryness of the flatbread. My only complaint about the cream was it was too much cream and not enough horseradish, but then again I like it spicy.

Rating: Tasty - I will get this again but ask for the meat to be a little under cooked if possible.

PB&J w/Honey from home

     Peanut Butter and Jelly is as American as apple pie and baseball. Everyone at one time or another has had a PB&J sandwich and most people enjoy them. I am one of those people so from time to time I will make one for lunch or dinner. There are many types of peanut butters, jellies, preserves, jams, and other spreads that could go on a PB&J sandwich so the possibilities are endless. One of my favorite variations is to add about a tablespoon or two of honey. The honey adds some sweetness to the sandwich and the way it hardens into the bread gives it a little crunch. I wanted PB&J but I also wanted just PB and honey. So I had both by making a triple decker sandwich.

     The construction went as follows: bread, PB, jelly, bread, honey, PB, bread. The filling to bread ratio was very one sided toward the bread but that comes with using just spreads to assemble a sandwich. You don’t need a lot of PB & jelly to fill you up so spreading a thin layer of both on the bread will be enough. I went a little crazy as you can see, but by the time I was done I was full and didn’t finish the rest of my lunch.

Syracuse Sandwich: Dunkin Donut's Breakfast Sandwich

Who: Dunkin Donuts What: Breakfast Sandwich
Where: Route 11, North Syracuse Phone: 452-1545 Website: Dunkin Donuts
Parking: Shared Lot Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     Having to go to Zebb’s after church in order to grab a mother’s day gift, we decided to stop in between to grab some breakfast. We didn’t have a lot of time so we stopped at the very busy Dunkin Donuts which sits in a plaza in between Route 11 and South Bay road. People were lined up at the drive-thru which was wrapped around the building so we went inside, this was a mistake. It was packed inside and the employees were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Seeing as it was now after 11a.m. and we hadn’t eaten since about 7 the night before, needless to say we were hungry. After a short wait in line we were up to order and the girl helping us looked clearly confused, a bad sign of things to come. Christine got a poppy seed bagel with cream cheese along with a cheddar cheese bagel twist. I saw that they have a new breakfast sandwich on a biscuit so I ordered that with a cheddar cheese bagel twist as well.

     We waited about 2 minutes for our order; this seemed too quick and sure enough it was. There was nowhere to sit so went out to the car; this was when I discovered the problem. My sandwich was supposed to be sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit. What I had was a sausage patty sitting in between the two pieces of the biscuit. This wasn’t what I ordered nor was it what I wanted. But after looking at it for a minute, I decided it was for the better that they left off the egg and cheese. I don’t like the microwaved egg patty that fast food places serve so it wasn’t a huge loss. I would have liked to have had the cheese but McDonald’s makes a sausage biscuit which is very tasty so this could be too.

     Unfortunately, it was not tasty like the one at McDonald’s. We almost went to McDonald’s but since it was past 11, they were no longer serving breakfast. The biscuit was thin to begin with but when split in two, each piece was only a half an inch thick or so. I’m not looking for bagel sized thickness but I’d like something to hold when I take a bite. I believe that they come frozen and are reheated without even being sprayed with butter or oil. It was very dry which made the outside crust very hard. The sausage patty wasn’t much better and with only two ingredients to this sandwich, it needed to be in order to save it. The patty was pretty generic tasting, greasy with a hint of spiciness. However, it was moist which combated the dryness of the biscuit to some extent. I should have known better to order a breakfast sandwich from a place that specializes in doughnuts.

Rating: Edible - Poor service doomed this sandwich from the start.

Syracuse Sandwich: Euclid's Chicken Stinger Sandwich

Who: The Euclid What: Chicken Stinger Sandwich
Where: Route 31, Clay Phone: 622-2750 Website: The Euclid
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

The later in the week it gets, the less likely it is that I’m going to cook. There are many places to eat between Christine’s work and home so, often it is just easier to stop and let someone else do the cooking. On Friday when I picked up Christine from work, we headed out towards Route 31 in search of somewhere to eat. We’re not really fans of the “big box” restaurants so we are always looking for a mom and pop type place to eat.

     The Euclid restaurant is very much like a diner with large portions and reasonable prices. You probably aren’t going to have the best meal you’ve ever eaten here but we’ve never had a bad meal there. It was packed when we got inside but were seated immediately in their upstairs dining room. We scanned our menus and Christine knew she would have the clam strips which always taste fresh. I had some trouble finding something I really wanted but found something on the sandwich menu that caught my eye.

     The Chicken Stinger sandwich was the only original sandwich on a menu filled with sandwiches that most diners carry. Chicken breast, peppers, cheddar cheese, onion rings, tomato, lettuce, and chipotle sauce made up what would be a colossal sandwich when closed. When it came to the table I was thrown off a bit when I saw a fried butter flied chicken breast. I though it would be a grilled chicken breast, but the description didn’t specify so I guess there wasn’t a reason to second guess.

    It is hard to see but the cheese melded the onions rings to the chicken. You can also see how large the sandwich is when closed. I almost had to dislocate my jaw to get my mouth around it but was able to get a few bites in before everything fell apart. The chipotle sauce, which had a smoky and spicy flavor, made everything slide off the bread so I resorted to using a fork and knife for the rest. The roll was toasted with butter which gave it a crunch, not something you see everywhere, was appreciated. The peppers were roasted red peppers, which were not fresh, tasted like they came out of a jar or a can. My guess is a jar because they didn’t have the metallic taste that vegetables can get from being stored in cans. The fried chicken breast was lightly breaded and was cooked perfectly but was kind of greasy. The cheddar cheese and onion rings added quite a bit of extra grease; paired with the chicken breast this sandwich was turning into a heart attack on a plate. If not for the lettuce and tomato, this would be a more of an unhealthy sandwich than it already was. I managed to eat about half of it before the greasiness was just too much for me to handle. It was too bad the chicken wasn’t grilled because I would have like to have eaten the whole thing.

Rating: Satisfying – I was hoping for grilled chicken, perhaps that change would have made it better. 

PB & Jealous

Since this strip is relevant, it is the perfect opportunity to plug one of my favorite comics...

Ham from home

    It brings me back to my childhood when I have a ham sandwich on white bread with American cheese and yellow mustard. So in an attempt to bring back some of those childhood memories, I went out to buy the necessary ingredients. I have been craving ham for a few weeks so while I was at Wegmans I grabbed a half of a pound of their 97% fat free ham. I know that this kind of ham is packed with water and other fillers, unlike other kinds like ham off the bone, but it just tastes so good. For the bread I bought seeded Italian sandwich bread, this is very much like regular white bread but a bit larger and has sesame seeds in the crust. I almost bought yellow American slices to exactly duplicate the sandwich I used to have, but I knew we had white slices at home so I didn’t waste my money. We had yellow mustard at home but when I got to the condiment aisle this mission took a detour. In the mustard section I saw a new product by Kraft.

     There were three different kinds of these sandwich shop mayos. I went with the Dijon horseradish version because it had the mustard flavor I wanted and I love horseradish so it seemed like a perfect fit. Over the years I have switched out the mustard for mayo when making ham sandwiches so this was a kind of happy medium.

     The mayo had a great taste and you can pick out each of the flavors if you take your time to investigate. The ham was just as I remembered it and American cheese compliments it well. The Italian bread was good but I think it makes a better toast than it does sandwich bread. My mission for recreating the sandwich I remember will have to wait because it is my responsibility to try new condiments, breads, cheeses, and meats in order to report back to the masses.