Syracuse Sandwich: Spera's Egg Salad

Who: Spera's What: Turkey Sub

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

     I have been craving egg salad for about a month but I haven’t had it because I’m too lazy to make it myself. Peeling the shells off of they eggs is tedious and I guess that’s what’s stopping me. It’s sad that I can’t bring myself to just boil water and peel some shells. Luckily, Spera’s has egg salad and while I haven’t had it from there before, I figured it couldn’t be that bad. I figured if they screwed up egg salad, one of the simplest salads to make, then they shouldn’t be in the deli business. I put my order in with one of my coworkers and waited anxiously for my sandwich to arrive. My order was egg salad on rye with lettuce. Very simple, like the egg salad and I order it this way every time regardless of where I go.

     When my received my sandwich, I was blown away at the thickness of the sandwich. Usually you have a thin layer of salad spread between two slices of bread and the bread dominates in terms of flavor. This was defiantly not the case with this sandwich. The hard boiled eggs were cut up into large chunks and mixed with just enough mayo to keep from falling apart. The mistake most places make is using way too much mayo which not only distracts from the main ingredient but I terrible for you. The eggs were boiled to perfection with the whites being soft and the yolk being creamy. The lettuce comes shredded opposed to a whole leaf which took away from the crunchy texture that I was going for but it worked to some extent. The light rye was flavorful and I think it is the best choice for any deli sandwich but especially egg salad. I added some salt and pepper to taste which made this the best egg salad I’ve ever had. Brooklyn Pickle’s egg salad, which I love, has been dethroned. The simplicity of the egg salad itself is what won me over. Most places over complicate it by putting in chopped onion, celery, or even olive.

Rating: Delicious – If you like egg salad, you must try Spera’s.

Syracuse Sandwich: Panera Bread's Chipotle Chicken

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

     If you’ve read my blog over the past few months, you’ll know that I get out of work late on Fridays which drives us to go out for dinner. This was the case this past Friday night so we went to our go to spot, Panera Bread. This is the sixth review of Panera I will be doing. While placing my order I felt like I should’ve gone to find other places for sandwiches but that got me to thinking. If a place like Panera or Spera’s has a multitude of sandwiches, isn’t it my duty to try them all so you know that to avoid and what you must have? So I quickly dismissed the idea of not ordering a sandwich to review and chose the Chipotle Chicken. The reviews I have done thus far of Panera have been hit or miss so I was taking a chance by not ordering soup to go along with my trusted BBQ Chopped Chicken salad. As usual our food came out quickly but we were stuck grabbing a table opposed to a booth on this busy Friday night. My phone battery was dying as I tried to take a picture and despite my efforts, I was unable to get a picture. In hindsight, I should have used Christine’s phone but oh well.

     When I set my plate down and saw the size of the sandwich, I was expecting some disappointment. But before I get to the flavors and all that let me describe how the sandwich comes. Small slices of pepper-mustard chicken, smoked bacon, smoked cheddar, and tomatoes come on toasted French bread with an ancho-chipotle spread. The “half” a sandwich that I got as a part of my meal seamed more like a third of a sandwich but maybe because I’m used to big thick sandwiches. This half a sandwich was quite thin and was oozing with the ancho-chipotle spread. Since it came toasted I opted to eat this before my salad because I wanted to eat it warm like they intended. The pepper-mustard chicken is the same chicken that comes in the salad I ordered as well as a few other items on the menu. While I like the taste if the chicken, I wanted more. The bacon was crispy like it normally is and not greasy which is a nice touch. The cheddar was semi melted but kept the surprisingly fresh tasting tomatoes from sliding around. I say surprisingly fresh tomatoes because I’ve had quite a bit bad luck when it comes to tomatoes at Panera. The real kicker in more ways than one was the ancho-chipotle spread. It went wonderfully with the chicken, cheese, and bacon by adding a creamy texture that the cheese failed to deliver. It had a smoky flavor with a side of spiciness that brought it up to the next level. The French bread didn’t help or hurt the sandwich but it did serve a good vessel to hold all the ingredients. I wasn’t wrong about the anticipated disappointment because had I had more sandwich and had it been toasted a bit longer, this one could have been the best one yet, from Panera.

Rating: Tasty – So close Panera, so close.

Syracuse Sandwich: Cracker Barrel's Chicken Biscuit Sandwich

Who: Cracker Barrel What: Chicken Biscuit Sandwich
Where: Pardee Road, Cicero Phone: 698-4311 Website: Cracker Barrel
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     Cracker Barrel is one of our favorite places to eat breakfast because we can have it at any time of day. We had breakfast there on Sunday, during breakfast time, at approximately 9:30 in the morning. Despite an almost full parking lot in the front of the restaurant, we were able to walk up the hostess station and were seated immediately. Christine ordered the country fried steak which is so big that I ended up eating the other half on Monday morning. I was going to get the same so it wasn’t my intention of getting a sandwich; but upon looking at the specials I decided to try one of their new entrees that had two. Along with two eggs, toast, and hash brown casserole, I received two fried chicken tenderloin sandwiches on Cracker Barrel’s famous biscuits. Whenever you order anything that has biscuits, you will get a bowl of their country gravy. I believe that you could put their gravy on a shoe and it would taste good, but I digress. Our food came out promptly and just by the look of it, it made me excited to try this southern comfort food favorite.

     I started by eating my hash brown casserole, which is a must have whenever we go. I ate some of my eggs with knife and fork before turning the rest into a simple breakfast sandwich by putting the egg between two slices of toast. I saved the sandwiches for last so I could savor their flavors alone instead of mixing them with the rest of my meal. I ate the first one all by itself, just chicken tenderloin in a biscuit. The biscuits are by far the best that you’ll find anywhere around Syracuse. They are warm and buttery with a hint of saltiness that puts them above any I’ve ever had. The chicken tenderloin was a good size for the biscuit, sticking out of either end. The breading had a slight pepper taste that reminds me of southern fried chicken; I’m not talking KFC either. For the second sandwich I went a little bit different by slathering it with the country gravy. It’s a sin to waste country gravy for those of you who didn’t know. The gravy added another level of pepper flavor that goes so well with the saltiness in the biscuit. When I thought about what I was eating, it reminded me of McDonald’s McGriddle sandwiches because it combined two different entrees into sandwich form. Where as a McGriddle combines pancakes with bacon and eggs, I was eating southern fried chicken paired with biscuits and gravy. It was truly a match made in food heaven.

Rating: Tasty – It took some extra steps but I made a delicious sandwich, perhaps an email is in order to Cracker Barrel’s HQ.

Syracuse Sandwich: Subway's Turkey Jalapeño Melt

Who: Subway What: Turkey Jalapeño Melt
Where: Route 31, Cicero Phone: 699-6700 Website: Subway
Parking: Shared Lot Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No
     August must have been a complete blur for me because I just remembered another sandwich that I had. Thinking back on it, there were some reasons for me to forget this one in particular. I get out of work late on Fridays so Christine and I often pick up something quick on the way home; this was the case a couple of Fridays ago. For whatever reason I thought going to Subway would be a good idea when Spera’s is right across the street. Christine isn’t a huge sandwich fan but likes the meatball subs on Italian herb and cheese bread. So we walk into a virtually empty dining area and order almost immediately. I scanned the menu looking for something new to try when I come across the Turkey Jalapeño Melt. 

     The blueprint for this sandwich is sliced turkey breast, Monterey cheddar cheese, jalapenos, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions and Chipotle Southwest sauce. Now if you have ever been to Subway, you know that they don’t make them like the picture shows, they want to know what you want on it. Since I wanted it the way they intended, I was forced to look at the picture and attempt to reconstruct the sandwich as it showed on the menu board. For the type of bread I went with Italian herb and cheese because even though it is terrible for me, it is one of the only fresh ingredients Subway uses.

     I didn’t take a picture of this sandwich but if you want, just type subway sandwich into Google and you’ll know what it looks like since they all look the same. We only live down the road from Subway so our subs were still warm once we sat down to eat them; this was probably the only redeeming quality of my meal. I like my food to have some kick to it but I think the girl making my sub was trying to kill me by putting twelve jalapeno slices per half of my sub. Twelve! I picked about half of them off and continued eating. The vegetables were less than fresh and I could tell they had been sitting in a walk in fridge for a while. What makes me mad is that you can see the ingredients in the containers that clearly have frost on them and they don’t see anything wrong with that. It may just be me but I think their bread isn’t what it used to be but it could be this particular location. The Monterey cheese, turkey, and southwest sauce were only mildly better tasting than the vegetables. As I said the last time I reviewed Subway, it’s my own fault for not going across the street to Spera’s.

Rating: Edible – Why people think this place tastes good it beyond me.

Syracuse Sandwich: Spera's Chicken Salad

Who: Spera's What: Chicken Salad

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

     The second sandwich I forgot about was eaten on the last day of the month when I decided I didn’t want the soup I brought to work for lunch. I decided to hit up Spera’s for a sandwich since it is close and good. This is my third review of Spera’s and if you’ve read the other two you will remember that there was one good review and one not so good. Spera’s redeemed themselves after the first review and I was hoping this trip would continue the upward trend. In the first review I got seafood salad which was very bland but because I love “salads” I went with another one only this time I chose chicken. I ran the risk of having a bland sandwich again but I figured the first time had to be a fluke or nobody would buy their food. Learning from past orders, I only got a half of a sandwich because it equals more than a sandwich using regular sandwich bread from the store. I ordered it on rye, added shredded lettuce and American cheese to the chicken salad, and crossed my fingers as I headed back to work.

     As you can see, I almost forgot to take a picture but realized it after a few bites. Thick chunks of chicken mixed with celery, dressing, and some light seasoning were sandwiched between two slices of American cheese. I liked the way they put a slice on either side of the salad so the dressing didn’t soak into the bread. Shredded lettuce on top added some crunch but I honestly didn’t taste much of it because the salad was packed with flavor. Unlike the seafood salad, the chicken was seasoned when it was cooked and then seasoned again after being mixed into the dressing. Cubing the chicken is essential when making this sandwich because if you shred it, you lose a lot of the flavor especially once the mayo is added. Rye bread is by far the best deli sandwich bread and most salads, like this one, taste great on it. I was very happy with the taste of the sandwich and even happier with the $3 price tag.

Rating: Tasty – I love Spera’s and their sandwiches

Syracuse Sandwich: NYS Fair's German Stand Fried Bologna

Who: German Stand What: Fried Bologna on Rye

Where: NYS Fairgrounds Phone: Unknown Website: None

Parking: Kind of Accepts Credit Cards: No Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     If you read my last review I said I hadn’t done a lot of sandwich eating. I think I may have fibbed a little. Thinking about what I ate in August I realized there were two more sandwiches. I guess the heat was making me too lazy to write and too forgetful to remember (yeah that seems like a good excuse). This first sandwich was from the German stand in the international food pavilion at the NYS Fair. Most people will tell you that a sausage sandwich is a staple of any fairgoers list of must eats while the fair is going on. I am here to dispute that and suggest a sandwich that you shouldn’t be eating every weekend like you could a sausage sandwich. Here in Syracuse you can get Gianelli sausage at any meat market or grocery store, so why waste your money on something you’ve probably already had a few of this summer? 

     Last year while saving seat for Christine’s sister and brother-in-law, I happened to be sitting next to a man eating what looked to be a fried bologna sandwich. I don’t make a habit of talking to strangers in public but I had to know if I was right and if so, where could I get one? It was in fact a fried bologna sandwich and he got it at the German stand which was directly behind where I was sitting. The stand has a name but it isn’t coming to mind, it is the only one there so you won’t be hard pressed to find it. Christine is partially German and loves German food so she joined me in line figuring she could find something she would like. Oddly enough they had perogies (I have a funny story about that but I’ll tell it some other time) which Christine loves so she got those while I got fried bologna on rye.

     I forgot to take a picture for some reason; I blame being pumped to see Styx for free. Now I’ve eaten quite a few fried bologna sandwiches using Oscar Meyer bologna on white sandwich bread, which are good but aren’t nearly as flavorful as this one was. Lightly toasted light rye bread is the perfect vessel for bologna that was cut an inch to and inch and a half thick. Toasting the bread not only strengthens the bread to hold the heavy cut of meat but it also brings out the earthy flavor of the caraway seeds that are baked throughout the bread. Pan frying bologna draws out some of the fat and juices that get packed together during the preparation process. This makes the bologna kind of greasy but smoky at the same time. There is no need for condiments because the juices dampen the bread enough to keep it from tasting too dry. A single slice of regular bologna at the deli is absolutely horrible for you and the cut you get is probably equal to four or maybe five of those slices at least. So needless to say you don’t want to be eating these regularly, which is why this sandwich trumps the sausage sandwich when looking for something to eat at the fair.

Rating: Tasty – So simple, so fattening, so looking forward to next year’s fair so I can have it again.

Syracuse Sandwich: Barbagallo's Breakfast Sandwich

Who: Barbagallo's What: Breakfast  Sandwich
Where: Molloy Road, East Syracuse Phone:  437-7715 Website: Barbagallo's

Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     August was national sandwich month and oddly enough I didn’t do much sandwich eating. That explains why there hasn’t been a review in over a month. I did have a beef on weck sandwich at Hafner’s but I already reviewed that, it was awesome by the way. I think I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich but there wasn’t anything special about that. There was a breakfast sandwich that a coworker picked up for me but for whatever reason I didn’t review it. That is, until now. The coworker in question gets a breakfast sandwich at the gas station they drive by every so often. Sounds gross right? A breakfast sandwich from a gas station, how could that possibly be any good? Well, let me explain. The sandwiches are actually made in Barbagallo’s restaurant and brought over to the gas station. The gas station is owned by the family who runs Barbagallo’s. I really wanted to try one and finally got the chance a few weeks ago. The sandwiches are made on large bagels with American cheese, fried egg, and varying meats. I wanted ham on mine but they didn’t have any so they got me bacon. It wasn’t a huge deal because bacon is always a good choice.

     The picture I took doesn’t really do justice the size or show the fillings off well so I’ll try and be descriptive as possible to make up for it. The bagel had the width of a softball and was, as you can see, somewhat charred in a few spots. It was toasted evenly on the inside unlike most places where it is still white but kind of hard. White American cheese was melted over what had to be two extra large fried eggs. The yolk was cooked entirely through which isn’t how I make them at home but it did keep from making a mess. Some salt and pepper could have brought the familiar flavor of homemade fried eggs that I’m used to eating. The bacon was definitely the star of the show. Two thick slices of thick juicy bacon were split in half and layered evenly along one of the bagel halves. The greasy saltiness of the bacon reminded me that I shouldn’t eat too many of these, but one every once in a while won’t hurt.

Rating: Tasty - It was very filling and I will order one again