Syracuse Sandwich: Applebee's California Turkey Club

Who: Applebee's What: California Turkey Club
Where: Route 11, North Syracuse Phone: 452-5670 Website: Applebee's
Parking: Shared lots Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     After a long day of registering gifts for the wedding and then going to church on Saturday, we decided to hit up Applebee's because they are pretty reliable and we all liked their food. I found myself immediately scanning over the sandwich selection so I could do two blog posts for this past weekend. Check out my post on Sardo's. I really wanted the Oriental Chicken Rollup but wraps are not sandwiches so that was out of the question, luckily Christine ordered it and I was able to snag a bite of hers. The promise of bacon, jack cheese, and an avacado ranch dressing drew me to the California Turkey Club. After about ten to fifteen minutes of conversation, our food arrived and the sandwich was just loaded with turkey.
 

     Okay so this isn't the best picture but it looked better in the dimly lit restaurant when I took it. Served with some seasoned crispy fries, the sandwich was looking good; but could it stand up to my expectations? The bread was perfectly toasted and held up well, even with the weight of piled high turkey. The bacon was nice and crunchy, just the way I like it. Jack cheese played a nice roll while being melted to the top slice of bread. All signs pointed to a tasty sandwich until I got to the turkey. The turkey was your run of the mill deli cut and you could tell it came from the fridge because it wasn't completely warmed through. The usual suspects, shredded lettuce and sliced tomato came along for the ride but added very little to the overall taste. My biggest issue with this sandwich came in the avacado ranch dressing which it seemed to lack much of to start. I didn't expect the dressing to be oozing all over my plate and down my arms but a little smear of it on the bread just doesn't cut it. Also, adding avacado dressing and jack cheese isn't enough to make a sandwich "Californian". Serving this on a nice ciabatta roll with a few thin slices of avacado and then some sort of dressing would have made this a much better sandwich. I might order this again but only if I'm craving a turkey sandwich and I'm sitting in an Applebee's.
Rating: Satisfying - More dressing, sliced avacado, and different bread please.

Syracuse Sandwich: Sardo's Haddock Sandwich

Who: Sardo's What: Haddock Sandwich
Where: Route 31, Cicero Phone: 699-6955 Website: none
Parking: Shared lots Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: Yes

     Lent has started which means I can get plenty of fresh haddock sandwiches on Fridays. Luckily for me there are quite a few places near both my work and my home that serve the light and flakey fish known as haddock. This past Friday I wasn't feeling macaroni and cheese or peanut butter and jelly which are my usual standbys for Fridays during lent. So I decided to try Sardo's which advertises themselves as a pizza and fish fry establishment.

     I entered Sardo's a little after 1:30 and to my surprise there was nobody else in there. I decided that it was kind of late to expect a lunch rush but I expected atleast some kids to be hanging out in there after grabbing a slice or somthing since school was out last week. It only took a few minutes for me to get my sandwich which was packed on a plate inside a paper bag. I opened the package when I got back to work and was amazed at the size of the fish. It was certainly long but was kind of on the thin side. The breading that they used was nice and crispy and didn't absorb a lot of the oil that a thick breading normally does. The lack of grease was generous on the stomach which I appreciated being at work and all. The roll that it came on was nice and airy but a bit too chewy for my taste. I think a smaller roll would have complimented the haddock a bit more because of how thin it was. I felt like I was eating mostly bread, which wouldn't normally bother me if it was really good bread, but it wasn't. The sandwich doesn't come with any additional sides but does come with a good amount of tartar sauce. The sauce was a little heavy on the mayo but had a nice tang to it. I would have liked to have seen a lemon wedge thrown in, to squeeze over the fish. All in all for $6 it is not a bad sandwich for the money but certainly not the best haddock sandwich for your money in Syracuse.
Rating: Satisfying - For a place with fish fry in the name I was disappointed.

Syracuse Sandwich: Vince's Gormet Imports's The Italian

Who: Vince's Gormet Imports What: The Italian
Where: Route 11, North Syracuse Phone: 452-1000
Website: Vince's Gormet Imports Parking: Yes
Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     The day started off at Denny's and this review was almost going to be for their Moon Over My Hammy breakfast sandwich. However, I knew spending the day with my dad that we would possibly end up at Brooklyn Pickle. Which I believe is the mecca of deli sandwiches in Syracuse. We never ventured into the city but we did hit up a handful of stores and I made some great purchases that included: painter's masks, shower loofahs, and a mini garbage can for my kitchen counter. While none of that has anything to do with my sandwich, all of that power shopping made us hungry so we hit up Vince's Gormet Imports for some subs. I love Vince's and really need to start doing some serious shopping there with all the pasta that I eat. If you have never been you must go because they have some of the best meats, olives, homemade pastas, and premade dinners. Their subs aren't bad either which brings me to The Italian.

     The Italian is provolone, salami, capicollo, and mayo with italian dressing on a standard sub roll. The usual shredded lettuce and tomato slices were present as well. I'm not sure where Vince's gets their bread but I didn't think it was all that great. The crust was a bit too crunchy while the crumb wasn't as airy as a sub roll should be. The meats and cheese that filled the sub more than made up for the lackluster bread. As expected the meats and cheese are imported from Italy and couldn't have been better. I love Boar's Head brand but when it comes to Italian meats, they should let the pros do what they've been doing for hundreds of years. The tomatoes, although not fresh, were much better than I have had at other places as of late which suprised me. They didn't look like beefsteak tomatoes which is probably why they weren't grainy tasting. If the bread had been better this sub could have been a go to sandwich, especially for the $3.99 price tag.

Rating: Satisfying - Change the bread and we'll talk

Syracuse Sandwich: Zebb's Pastrami Special

Who: Zebb's What: Pastrami Special
Where: Kmart Plaza, Mattydale Phone: 455-5131 Website: Zebbs
Parking: Shared lots Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No


     First we were on for dinner, then we were off. Minutes later we were on again, I wish people could make a decision and stick with it. I made a very good decision when I decided to try the special when we walked into Zebb's on Friday night. We arrived a little after 6p.m. and there was a short wait. It was okay because there were fresh cookies in the bakery and they were looking good. I knew that I had to get a sandwich...not a burger because burgers are NOT sandwiches, but that's a discussion for a different day. I looked at the menu and nothing really was looking review worthy on the menu as their burgers and wings are more what they are known for. Luckily there was a pastrami special and I knew that's what it had to be. 

     Okay this photo wasn't from Zebb's but I just got my memory card for my phone. However, this was a close as I could find on the 'net. Served with a side of gravy fries, this sandwich was exactly what I was looking for. The sandwich came toasted with mustard, swiss, and banana peppers. Banana peppers? I know I was surprised as well but they really complimented the sandwich. I took a few off because they went a little crazy with them. This was one of the best meals I have had in a while when going out to eat. I would highly recommend getting this if they have it because it isn't on the daily menu.
Rating: Tasty on the verge of Delicious....more meat and less peppers would have made this sandwich soar.

Colts lose but do we all win?

     As I watched Peyton throw a pick six in the fourth quarter I knew my team was going to lose Sunday night to the New Orleans Saints. As hurt as I was, I knew that it was just a game and that next year could bring better results. Over the past few weeks I read article after article about the game, the teams, and their respective cities. As most of you know New Orleans has a very rich food heritage that includes dishes such as gumbo, Cajun blackened fish, and beignets just to name a few. Indianapolis on the other hand...not so much. Sure they have St. Elmo's Steakhouse and an open faced sandwich called a horseshoe which is essentially cheese fries on meat and bread. But, people aren't clamoring for cuisine from Indy as they are from The Big Easy.
     So what I bring to you my friends are two sandwiches: one from Indy, one from New Orleans. In many online polls New Orleans took the sandwich crown but I say not so fast. I think that everyone should sit down make both of these and really try them before making their judgement. So without further ado, your choices:
     First, the Po Boy from New Orleans:

     This tasty treat is traditional submarine sandwich in Louisiana usually filled with fried oysters, shrimp, or other seafood. Often served with mustard either regular or cajun-style. Served on Louisiana French bread, which I think is the key to the greatness of this sandwich, the interior is very light and airy while the outside is very crunchy. This is certainly a sandwich to contend with but up next is one that interests me very much.

     The Pork Tenderloin Sandwich from Indianapolis:

      I find this sandwich much more appealing. While this picture doesn't really do it justice, I feel that pork tenderloin is one of the best meats around. You take pork tenderloin and pound it out to about 1/4 inch thickness then bread it with your favorite bread crumb recipe. The next part is key to this sandwich, you MUST deep fry the breaded cutlet. If you pan fry it you are making wiener schnitzel. Toppings include lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and either mayo or mustard. This sandwich can be made with fresher ingredients here in Syracuse than the Po Boy.
     Whether you like the Po Boy or the Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, we all win when it comes to having a great sandwich.

Syracuse Sandwich: Panera Bread's Napa Almond Chicken Salad

Who: Panera Bread What: Napa Almond Chicken Salad 
Where: Route 11, Cicero Phone: 458-9436 Website: Panera Bread
Parking: Shared lots Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     We pulled into the parking lot that houses a few other businesses and when we saw two school buses from Mexico we knew we were in for some...fun. As we expected the place was absolutely mobbed with a bunch of twelve to sixteen year olds. But the line wasn't long so we regained some hope. I don't love Panera's food but their bread is very good. I decided for the sake of the blog to try something I have never had, the Napa Almond Chicken Salad. Despite all the children running around talking about Twilight and Myspace the guys behind the counter were able to produce our sandwiches in a timely manner. We took them home to save our sanity.
     I almost wish we stayed because I regretted my decision after the first bite. I don't claim to be a chicken salad expert but I'm pretty sure you're suppose to put some seasoning into the dressing. After a few dashes of salt and pepper, some taste returned. I know tomatoes are standard on sandwiches but they are not in season and won't be for a while, my mistake for not leaving them off I guess. The sesame white bread was the only thing saving this sandwich from the garbage. I could have eaten the bread with just butter. Hell, I could have eaten it by itself and I would have enjoyed it more. The pickle spear and chips that came with were good but didn't help save the sandwich.
Rating: Edible - Only because I loved the bread

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting Syracuse Sandwich. Over the next few days I'll begin to post national and local sandwich news as well as the first of many sandwich reviews. The 'Cuse has so many hidden gems when it comes to making a great sandwich and I plan to find them all. Please stay tuned if you share in the passion for sandwiches that I do.