Sandwiches

The Earl Finally Made It To The Party (Updated)

by johnk

Earl Of Sandwich. It’s open, for reals.

Despite the city announcing a November 12 opening, I was there today, November 9. It appeared to be open, unless a bunch of people broke in, took my money, and gave me a couple sandwiches in return.

And I can’t believe I waited all this time for this: a weird, grey roast beef sandwich with an equally weird, old taste. They called it The Original 1762, a roasted beef sandwich with “sharp” cheddar and an extra-weak horseradish sauce.

But Alyk enjoyed her turkey sandwich quite a bit. Recreational muscle relaxants knocked me on my ass, so I wasn’t able to steal a bite before she finished it up.

Will I go back?  Not by choice.  Alyk really liked her Earl’s Club, so I’m stuck.

UPDATE: It probably wasn’t fair that I visited the place opening day, so I gave it another chance.  Again, I won’t be going back.  The weird roast beef was still weird, and the chipotle chicken avocado thing was Panera-esque: NVG (not very good).  The Earl should stick to airports.

UPDATE 2:  Alyk just told me I ordered the wrong things, and she kindly reminded me I need to listen to her.  This means I’ll soon have a third update.

Also see:

Someday…

Earl of Sandwich
1B Charles Street
Boston, MA 02114
Boston Common/Beacon Hill

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News You Knew: Potbelly Sandwich Shop in DTX Now Open

by johnk

Potbelly opened about a week and a half ago, but you probably already knew that.

What you probably didn’t know was that they may have over-done the signs inside.

I’ll do that.

I think this marks the spot where you order your salad or sandwich.

Apparently you stand here to tell someone your topping request for your salad or sandwich.

From what I can tell, yous eat and pay in the same place.

Sign pollution: A modern problem for the sandwich-eating masses.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop
263 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02109
Downtown Crossing

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Someday…

by johnk

Someday soon, I hope

Earl Of Sandwich
Boston Common

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Al’s Harvard Square Cafe: Where Size Matters

by johnk

When I visit a sub/pizza shop for the first time, I always order one of two items: a small extra cheese pizza, or a large ham and Swiss (occasionally Provolone) sub with mayo, pickles, & hots. Those two items can tell me everything I need to know about a sandwich shop. Take a wild guess what I ordered at Al’s.

Size, sometimes matters.

Al’s uses fresh, yeasty rolls, Swiss that isn’t pre-wrapped singles (I’ve seen it.  Not in Boston, but I’ve seen it), and a perfect hot-pepper relish.

Al’s

Despite Al’s whining about food trucks and the disingenuous reviews from the douchiest TV show in Boston, I’ll go back most def.  The line wasn’t bad, but I read they get pretty long at lunchtime.  Lucky for us, each sandwich maker has his or her own complete sandwich station making for fast, efficient service.

Al’s Harvard Square Cafe
1350 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
Harvard Square

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Almost out of town: All Star Sandwich Bar

by johnk

Alyk's meatball sandwich with spinach. It was a daily special, but I forgot the official All Star Sandwich Bar name of this thing. I thought it was ok, but Alyk really like it

Bland, soggy, single-fried fries. Not my favorite. At least they served up a ton of them.

Finally, something that got me excited: the Atomic Meatloaf Meltdown.

They did a great job with the sandwich, but not so much with the slaw. It was watery and bland. Creamy slaw would have been a much-needed, cooling complement to the spicy-hot sandwich

Almost out-of-town because it’s three quarters of a mile from the nearest train station.  That’s not a long walk under good conditions, but after dinner in ninety-degree sun,the same trek would be miserable.

 
All Star Sandwich Bar
1245 Cambridge Street
Inman Square
Cambridge

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Gyros at Zo: A Pile of Flavor Wrapped in a Fluffy, Warm Flatbread

by johnk

Pork gyros at Zo. Get the pronunciation right: It's more like YEAR-oh or YEE-roh, not JEYE-roh. If you can roll your R's, it will sound even more authentic and Greek. Or you could just order an Original.

All pork and all good. This isn't the fatty meat tube of other gyro places. Don't get me wrong; the fatty meat tube can be really good, but real pork and real chicken is a shit-ton better

For those concerned with their health: a chicken gyro with a pile of tzatziki. On my last visit, some chick dressed for a workout commented to her little friend, "Oh my God, someone overdosed it with sour cream!" It probably looks like a lot of goop, but the chicken and pork are heavily seasoned, so the tzatziki is a much needed condiment.

Apparently they have stuff other than gyros. I wouldn't know.

Unless you're looking for it, you'll probably never stumble across this place. It's in that weird, curved building at Court Street, Cambridge Street, and Tremont Street. Zo is on the inside of the curve. Good luck... They also opened a new location, but it's only a couple hundred yards down the street and probably open the same lunch-time-only hours

Not a lot of seating, so most people take it to go. I tried to eat my gyro while standing in the courtyard, but that was a big mistake. I managed to get it all over every article of clothing I wore.

 Zo
3 Center Plaza
Boston, MA 02108
Government Center

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Formaggio Kitchen in the South End

by johnk

Formaggio in the South End. Good luck with the parking: on-street only. And mostly resident-only, too.

 

A Formaggio sandwich. They fill the avocado torta with queso blanco, guacamole, and black bean spread. I loved the hot, spicy fillings, but the bread was too much. In an attempt be all gourmet 'n shit, they used a heavy artisan bread, but it detracted from the fillings.

More sandwich. Damn bread. It wasn't just too heavy, it was also over cooked. That's a common problem with any dough that isn't made with plain old white flour. Once a dark dough changes color during baking, it stepped past the line of perfect done-ness.

Cheese at Formaggio. People bitch about the prices, but I found they're reasonable. Staff knows what they're talking about, and they don't sell Cracker Barrel cheese. If you just want Kraft cheddar, go to Stop & Shop.

Spice tins. And lots of them.

 

South End Formaggio
268 Shawmut Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
South End

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Great Sandwiches and Cheesey Affectations at the Parrish Cafe

by johnk

One of the last nice days for patio dining on Boylston Street

Sean's Meatloaf Club: fork and knife required. This picture doesn't give any sense of scale; it stood at least five inches tall.

Some clown sat on the patio, washing down his fifteen dollar sandwich with a couple cans of PBR.  Clearly he could afford better (he bragged how drunk he got last time he went to Parrish Cafe), so I have to assume it was some kind of stupid affectation.  What a tool.

Egg Sandwich Lyonnaise: the lightly toasted bread sopped up the perfectly runny yolks. perfectly.

Parrish Cafe
361 Boylston Street
Back Bay, Boston

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Sam Lagrassa’s: Surprisingly Good Despite Dubious Endorsments

by johnk

Grilled Chipotle Pastrami: pastrami, swiss, house-made cole slaw, and chipotle mustard.

Despite the insincere accolades from the clowns at Phantom Phuc-Tard and a segment on Food Network’s Diner, Drive-in, and Douche Bags, I took a walk to DTX for lunch at Sam LaGrassa’s.

Asiago Turkey Sandwich: turkey, pepperjack cheese, chipotle mayo, onion (thin sliced), and roasted peppers,

Alyk and I shared an Asiago Turkey Sandwich and a Chipotle Pastrami Sandwich.  Both count on chipotle for flavor and heat, but they serve the Pastrami on a grilled sesame-seed roll and the turkey on a soft Asiago roll. Both are wicked good.  I preferred the Pastrami sandwich; it has little more fat and it’s much sweeter than the turkey. It’s an extra-sweet Reuben.

Sam Lagrassa's

So, the big question:

Will I go back?  Hells yeah!  Although lunch at Lagrassa’s runs a bit more than I like to spend for lunch (I try to stay under $10) it’s well worth the extra couple of bucks. Next time I might even try the house-made clam chowder

Sam Lagrassa’s
44 Province Street
Boston, MA 02108
617.357.6861

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Best Hot Dog in America, Said Wall Street Journal

by johnk

That's a big damn hot dog, ain't it? It's a half-pound dog on a big-ass sub roll.

Hidden in a little industrial park that caters to Boston’s food service industry, Speed’s stands out as one of the best lunch options in the area.  A few other places exist for the workers in the South Bay industrial park, but none are like Speed’s.  First, it’s a trailer.  Second, it only has seating for four.  Third, it has a limited menu. A very limited menu. Two items: hot dogs and brisket sandwiches.

Speed’s serves their amazing half-pound hot dogs on toasted sub rolls ($7).  Toppings are limited, but delicious: sweet barbeque, sweet honey mustard, sweet chili (no beans), sweet onion, and sweet relish. I sense a theme…

Unlimited seating options at Speed's, provided you bring your own chair..

And Speed’s liberally adds those toppings to your dogs, so be prepared for a huge mess.  The easiest way to eat at Speeds is to eat standing up.  I tried sitting, and each time I ended up with toppings all over my clothes.  Standing works best.

Boston Speeds

The only flaw I could find is location.  It’s a pain in the ass to find, and the only nearby public transportation is the bus. But if you have a car, put Speed’s on your to-do list.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: A!

Boston Speed Dog
42 Newmarket Square
Roxbury, MA
617.839.0102

 

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