Give us our daily bread… and fillings, too

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/02/2003 (8258 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A few weeks ago, I found myself getting very hungry while watching a PBS documentary on (what else?) food.

Sandwiches, as it happens, to which I’m addicted.

There’s probably some deep psychological reason for that addiction, or possibly it’s just the atavistic enjoyment of eating with one’s fingers. All I know is I find something deeply satisfying in the contrasting textures and flavours of bread and savoury fillings.

The documentary roamed the U.S., featuring some wonderful sandwiches that, alas, we don’t get here.

I suspect I could live without the one that had fries as part of the filling, but oh, how I’d love to find a Maine lobster roll, or a New Orleans po’ boy with fried oysters, or, for that matter, a hand-sliced hot pastrami from Katz’s Deli on New York’s Lower East Side.

That last one evoked memories of the nights when a friend from the Daily News and I would interrupt our cruising of the Times Square area in a nearby deli where a white-tuqued cook behind the counter would carve thick, glistening slabs from a corned beef brisket or a rosy-pink roast of beef and layer them between slices of substantial New York rye bread. To this day, it’s my measure of a great meat sandwich, and I still get misty-eyed at the memory.

I do realize, however, that our city has some remarkable and little-known sandwiches of its own, available at the following restaurants, listed alphabetically.

A Vietnamese sandwich, for instance. No, I’m not kidding, and it’s not so surprising since the form, if not the fillings, is part of the French colonial legacy. Most of Asia City’s business is for takeout, but there are a few little tables where you can do your sampling on the spot. The prices are unbelievable — most $1.75 to $1.95 for a crusty roll with assorted fillings — the one I like best is the wonderfully flavourful steamed minced pork (they call it siu mai here, and it is reminiscent of the dim sum of that name), but the soy-glazed barbecued meats are also delicious. Great Vietnamese coffee, too, and the city’s best bubble tea.

At Chave d’Ouro there are three unusual Portuguese sandwiches: The bifana of wine-marinated pork tenderloin with sauteed onions; another of the great house-made chorizo sausage; and a third of the city’s best roast chicken — spit-roasted with the only slightly spicy piri piri glaze (say yes when they ask if you want it spicy; it’s not that hot), then sliced and packed into a roll. With all, a huge side of glorious roasted potatoes that are finished in the rotisserie, absorbing the chicken juices — more than you think you can eat, but chances are, you’ll finish them.

I couldn’t find a New York-style hot corned beef sandwich, and I’m not about to venture into the world of our own cold, classic mouth-stretchers — there are too many to choose from. But Oscar’s — a name almost synonymous with the genre — also does another sandwich that, more than any other, reminds me of that Times Square experience — hot marinated brisket, redolent of garlic, packed thick in a kaiser bun. It comes with a little container of clear dipping jus on the side — nice, but the meat is so moist and tender you may not need it. With it, a choice of either tangy cole slaw or potato salad, both good. Open to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday, to 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

There are pita sandwiches all over town, and there are cured meat sandwiches all over town, but I know of no restaurant other than Quatro Staggione that not only makes its own pita but cures its own meats, as well. Among them, an extraordinary Bosnian sausage, bursting with spicy-sweet flavour and juices, as well as excellent prosciutto, pancetta and another kind of sausage that tastes like salami. There’s also a lovely fresh meat sausage called cevap, and a doner kebab that is closer to the real thing than any others I have found — outside slices carved from a roast on a vertical spit — alternately lamb or chicken, depending on the day.

Those wee, two-bites, rolled or stacked tea sandwiches may not sound exotic, but they are certainly rare in these parts. In fact the only restaurant I know that serves them is Two A Tea, which is also the only one that serves a genuine afternoon tea, with more than 100 fragrant loose leaf teas to choose from. The sandwiches are filled with egg, salmon, chicken and egg salads, and cucumber and cream cheese with dill, and can be ordered on their own or as part of a set afternoon tea, the bonus of which is a two-tier platter of assorted dainties plus a nice hot scone. Open to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, to 9 p.m. Thursday.

Exchange area artists, and others, flock to the funky little Underground Cafe for the sunburger, a hefty compilation of (among other ingredients) toasted sesame and sunflower seeds, mozzarella, rice and eggs, served on a toasted bagel with lime-dill sauce, romaine, green peppers, onion and tomatoes. For those who are only semi-vegetarian there are other interesting favourites (sold also in half portions, bless them) such as egg salad with dill pickles, mozzarella and cheddar or spicy tuna zapped with garlic and curry. Open weekdays only, to 4 p.m.

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca