Sandwich Clubbers

I came across this sandwich picture while reading, Sandwich 365, a blog that I just started following and thought I had to share it.

Syracuse Sandwich: Ale 'N' Angus's Bixby's Prime Rib Cheese Steak

Who: Ale 'N' Angus What: Bixby's Prime Rib Cheese Steak
Where: Harrison Street, Syracuse Phone: 426-9672 Website: Ale 'N' Angus

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

     We had tickets to the SU basketball game given to us by Christine’s mom that came with a parking pass so we decided to go out to dinner before the game. My original plan was to go to Ale N’ Angus near the War Memorial but because there was a Crunch game the same night I switched my plan to Varsity Pizza in Marshall Square. However, there were no parking spots anywhere close to Marshall Square that weren’t in pay to park lots. I got annoyed at the idea of having to pay $5+ to park and eat so I changed focus back to Ale N’ Angus and took a chance at getting a table. We walked in and the bar was busy but the dining room was empty, but they had no free tables because of reservations. We just wanted to eat so we sat right at the bar and ordered. Christine went with the featured three cheeseburger; their burgers are what they’re famous for. I mulled over the sandwich menu and ultimately went with Bixby’s prime rib cheese steak. I was hesitant on doing this because I haven’t had many good cheese steaks in Syracuse. Luckily for me this one really turned out great.

     It doesn't look like I got much but the richness of the prime rib meat used was quite filling. The meat was very tender and not dried out which happens often when using cheap cuts of meat. Unlike most cheese steaks, this one only had onions opposed to both onions and green peppers. The onions were sautéed making them soft but still had some bite left to them. The American cheese was so melted; I originally thought it was a cheese whiz type spread that I’ve had in Pennsylvania. I really liked the extra step they took in grilling the inside of the bread where the meat and everything was going to be placed. This keeps the juices from soaking in the bread making it soggy. The French bread that it was served on had a slightly crunchy crust and a warm and chewy crumb. After we finished our meals, we were able to enjoy a quick ride up to the dome and watch the Orange crush Colgate.

Rating: Delicious – Best cheese steak in Syracuse, and their burgers aren’t bad either.

Sandwiches at home

     A couple of weeks ago during Sunday football, we decided to buy a bunch of stuff to make sandwiches. By doing this, people can choose what they want and how they want it. We bought ham, turkey, and roast beef along with provolone, cheddar, and American cheeses. Poppy seed rolls and regular bulk rolls served as the vessel to which the sandwiches be built upon. I made two different sandwiches; the first was ham with provolone and mayo on a poppy seed roll. That one turned our pretty good, the roll was bit dry so I took it a step further when I made the second one. 

     For the second one, I mixed turkey, ham, and roast beef in the middle, put a slice of cheddar on one side and a slice of provolone on the other. On the side with the cheddar I smeared on some mustard and did the same on the other side with the provolone only this time with mayo. All of this was in a poppy seed roll as well. I think this one turned out much better because of the extra moisture being on both pieces of the roll. I think next time I’ll add lettuce and maybe a thin tomato slice or two.

Syracuse Sandwich: The Clam Bar's Haddock Sandwich

Who: The Clam Bar What: Haddock Sandwich
Where: Route 11,North Syracuse Phone: 458-1662 Website: The Clam Bar

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

     If you love seafood or even like a good steak, you need to check out The Clam Bar. The Clam Bar is located on Route 11 in North Syracuse right next to Fresno’s. They tout themselves as “The biggest little place in Syracuse” and they aren’t lying. When you walk in, you are in the bar area with a few booths and tables, there is a small dining room of about ten more tables to one side and two bar style tables in towards the back of the restaurant. We were seated immediately at one of the bar style tables in the back near the back door. We always order the potato wedges with horseradish dipping sauce as an appetizer because it’s inexpensive and very tasty. Christine orders one of two things when we go tuna steak or clam strips, she chose the latter on this night. I was torn between a haddock sandwich and a haddock dinner. The only differences are you get two pieces or haddock with the dinner and there’s no roll. Since we ordered the potato wedges, I opted for the sandwich because I know the portions are quite large.

    As you can see the piece of haddock covers the whole roll so it makes it quite difficult to eat as a sandwich. Tater sauce and a lemon wedge come on the side to be added as needed. The fries that come with the entrees aren’t made in house but they’re not the reason we go there. The great thing about The Clam Bar is that everything is delivered fresh so they don’t freeze and reheat their fish. The haddock was perfectly cooked and flaked apart just like it should when cut into. The breading is a standard bread come mixture opposed to a batter. Bread crumb allows you to taste the fish more than the fried and also makes it lighter on the stomach. I barely finished the sandwich and even left some fries on the plate. With a price tag under $10, you really get a great value for your money.

Rating: Tasty – We continue to return again and again.

Syracuse Sandwich: Stella's Ham Steak Breakfast Sandwich

Who: Stella's What: Ham Steak Breakfast Sandwich
Where: Wolf Street, Syracuse Phone: 425-0353 Website: Stella's

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

     Christine and I both had Veterans’ Day off so we decided to do some shopping, but before that we had to eat so we head to Stella’s. As we pulled up we could see other people had the same idea as the parking lot was overflowing into the street. You don’t wait long for a table even if there are a ton of people ahead of you because Stella’s has a lot of seating and they get the food out quick. Despite the crowed parking lot, there were only four parties ahead of us so we were seated quickly. I wasn’t in the mood for anything heavy like pancakes or French toast so I was thinking eggs until I saw the specials menu. For $5.89 they had a ham steak, cheese, and egg sandwich with a side of home fries. I love ham steak so I took the chance and ordered it. Christine ordered an omelet which when served took up half the plate and was made with at least three eggs if not four.

     It doesn’t look like there was a lot to the sandwich but with inch thick slices of ham steak in turned out to be very filling. The ham steak was perfectly cooked, there were some crispy char spots, it was hot all the way through, and it wasn’t overly salty. The eggs came fried which is the way I like them in breakfast sandwiches. While they were cooked properly and tasted fine, I would have liked them to have been runnier because I love creamy taste of hot yolk. American cheese slices melted to the consistency of a cheese sauce which actually gave the sandwich the moisture it needed. My favorite part of the whole sandwich was the bread. It was just basic white bread but instead of just toasting it, they buttered it and grilled it on the flat top. There is no better tasting breakfast item then fried toast. It was the same taste that I get when I make eggs in a basket, my all time favorite breakfast.

Rating: Tasty – I’ll order this again and again.

Syracuse Sandwich: McDonald's McRib

Who: McDonald’s What: McRib
Where: Route 31, Cicero Phone: 698-1134‎ Website: McDonalds
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No     

     After a botched attempt to make overnight baked French toast, Christine and I had to venture out to find something to eat for dinner. We decided to go shopping first and on our way back into Cicero, grab something quick from McDonald’s. I knew I was going to order the much talked about McRib sandwich when we pulled up to the drive up window. Christine went with her usual two cheeseburger meal, number four, if anyone cares. Christine loves McDonald’s and everything they have there for the most part but she doubted my choice. I didn’t listen and went ahead and ordered it. For those of you who don’t know what the McRib is, it is pressed pork in the shape of ribbed meat slathered in bbq sauce topped with onion and pickles on a seeded bun. I ordered it for three reasons: they haven’t had it on the menu in years, I’ve never had one, and I needed to review it.

     We drove our meals home and ate them over an episode of Criminal Minds. I opened the box holding what is suppose to be one of the greatest menu items that McDonald’s has ever had and began the McRib experience. Right off the bat I was disappointed after the first bite. The bun reminded me of the buns from Burger King which I don’t care for. The meat patty was bland as all get out and the bbq sauce that coated it followed suit. The only thing I could taste was the overwhelming vinegar flavor from the pickles. I normally like a pickle slice or two on a burger but there were a handful of them on top of the rib meat. The onions were nonexistent in flavor, probably masked by the pickles. Once I finished the sandwich, I was left disappointed and confused as to why these are supposedly so popular. I ate my crispy golden fries in an attempt to salvage a poor meal.

Rating: Edible – I guess I don’t get the hype.

Syracuse Sandwich: Blue Tusk's Three Pigs and Provolone Piccante

Who: The Blue Tusk What: Three Pigs and Provolone Piccante
Where: Armory Square, Syracuse Phone: 472-1934 Website: Blue Tusk
Parking: Street Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No

     While a friend was in town to visit family and have an engagement party last week, he invited Christine and I to join him for dinner at the Blue Tusk in Armory Square. The Blue Tusk is primarily a bar but has an extensive menu that has quesadillas, salads, soups and deserts along with different meats and cheeses from throughout the world. Of course where there is meat and cheese, there are sandwiches. Blue Tusk menu is dominated by sandwiches and paninis so this place was right up my alley. To order you go up to the food only counter and place your order at which time you get a buzzer like you do at most places when you’re waiting for a table. There is no assigned seating, you just have to find room but there were many open tables in the back of the place while we were there. Christine isn’t a huge sandwich fan but she was able to find something she might like, the roast beef and Stilton with lettuce, tomato, onion, horseradish and mayo on Pastabilities’ Italian stretch bread. You might ask what Stilton is; Stilton is a mild cow’s milk cheese from England. I decided to go out on a limb and order a very complex sandwich. Three Pigs and Provolone Piccante features prosciutto di parma, mortadella, sopressata, with roasted red peppers, banana peppers, red onion and extra virgin olive oil on Pastabilities’ Italian stretch bread. There are a few ingredients listed that I will explain: mortadella is baloney with pistachio nuts from Bologna, Italy, prosciutto di parma is salted air cured ham from Parma, Italy, and sopressata is spicy air-dried salami from Calabria, Italy. So to sum up my sandwich, I had three meats, three veggies, and some cheese. For sides they have Dirty brand potato chips and homemade potato salad. I chose the latter while Christine picked from 10 different flavors of Dirty chips.

     When our buzzer went off, I ran up to the counter to grab our food because I couldn’t wait to try it. I’ve wanted to come to Blue Tusk for a while because of the menu but never go downtown really. Christine enjoyed her sandwich and ended up bringing her chips home because it was so filling. I started with the potato salad which was very light, not too heavy on the mayo. The potatoes they used were red skin and the skins were left on. A small cup was the perfect portion to go along with my large sandwich. The Italian stretch bread is the perfect vessel for lots of fillings and olive oil because while the crumb is soft and airy, the crust is chewy but not tough. This allows for it to hold a lot and not get soggy or floppy. The best way to describe the taste from the combination of the meats is if you’ve ever had an Italian meat sub. Only this tastes ten times better because the meats are of very high quality. The peppers and red onion along with the olive oil gave supplied the moisture this sandwich needed along with a Mediterranean style taste. I couldn’t get enough of this flawless sandwich but I did have one problem, I want to taste each of the meats on their own. It’s not the sandwich’s fault at all, I’ll just have to go back and get the sandwiches that feature each one on their own.

Rating: Delicious – I can’t wait to go back, Syracuse needs more of these types of places.