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.