“Our menu has always been eclectic and out of the norm,” explains
Tyler Kord, owner and chef of New York City’s No. 7 Sub. “We like
playing with ingredients to give our guests something that they can’t
find somewhere else.”
For a lot of New Yorkers, that something is No. 7 Sub’s broccoli
sandwich, which has the unusual-but-inspired addition of lychees pickled
in ginger and chiles.
Travel + Leisure set out to find other wonderfully strange sandwiches
across the U.S., bypassing classics like the Reuben, the po’boy, and
the cheesesteak in order to toast (pun intended) one-of-a-kind
creations.
The Cheesycake Melt: The Grilled Cheese Truck
Founder Dave Danhi opened the world’s first mobile grilled cheese
truck back in 2009 and now operates out of California, Texas, and
Arizona. While he’s still tinkering with the savory grilled cheese
original, he recently turned his attention to a sweet version. The
Cheesycake Melt’s backbone is brioche bread, created specifically for
Danhi, with large pieces of Oreo cookie baked into the loaf. “We like to
overcook the cheesecake just a bit,” Danhi says, “so it gives a
golden-brown toast flavor to the richness of the cheese.” The cheesecake
is whipped into a spread, layered with premium raspberry preserves,
sprinkled with crumbled Oreos, and plopped on a griddle until crispy.
thegrilledcheesetruck.com
The Ramen Burger: Smorgasburg, Brooklyn, NY
“The best way to describe the ramen burger is a bowl of shoyu ramen
that you can eat with your hands,” says Jeff Shimamoto. Created by his
brother Keizo Shimamoto in 2013, the sandwich combines Keizo’s favorite
foods from Japan and America. An all-Angus beef patty has arugula,
scallions, and Keizo’s secret shoyu glaze. It’s the buns, however, that
have earned it all the attention (
Time named it one of the 17
most influential burgers). They are formed entirely from ramen noodles.
“Our buns are lightly seared on both sides, giving you a slight crisp
when you bite into it, but they then remain chewy on the inside…much
like a regular bowl of ramen noodles,” explains Jeff. “It is currently
only sold at Smorgasburg on weekends, but we are opening a full-time
operation this spring at Berg’n Beer Hall in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.”
smorgasburg.com
The Full-Bellied Pig: Café Patachou, Indianapolis
What mother ever said, “Hey, Johnny, you want raw jalapeños on your
PB&J”? While it’s unlikely to hit lunchboxes anytime soon, Café
Patachou’s newest sandwich is selling just fine with grown-ups. In
between slices of toasted whole-wheat bread, there’s thick-cut
Indiana-sourced bacon, creamy peanut butter, strawberry jelly, and a
heavy handful of raw jalapeño slices, with seeds intact for ultimate
spice impact. It’s fiery, creamy, sweet, salty—and big hearted. Owner
Martha Hoover will open her 11th restaurant in 2014, and it will be a
nonprofit to feed the city’s at-risk population. Sales of the
Full-Bellied Pig at all Café Patachou locations will go toward that
philanthropic endeavor.
cafepatachou.com
The Redneck: Kitt’s Kornbread Sandwich & Pie Bar, Jefferson, TX
“It took two years of tweaking the recipe and a custom-made pan to
make the perfect corn bread for our sandwiches,” says co-owner Kitt
Williams. Once that was settled, she opened a dedicated restaurant—and
it hardly took her two minutes to size up the hungry East Texas crowd
and create The Redneck. It’s made with 1950s-style, thickly sliced fried
bologna and charred on a grill until the edges curl, perfectly burnt.
There’s melted American cheese, and if you want to get fancy, onions,
mustard, and mayo. But don’t you dare pick up a fork; it’s called The
Redneck, not The Debutante.
kittskornbread.com
The Pastrami Sandwich: Butcher & Bee, Charleston, SC
Don’t let the simple name fool you. This is
no Jewish deli standard, but rather the southern-influenced product of
sous chef William Mote. Pasture-raised beef brisket is brined for a week
in coriander, black peppercorns, and garlic. On day eight, it’s smoked
for an hour, then braised for six. The sandwich gets dressed in grain
mustard and horseradish aioli with a scoop of collard greens and a pinch
of pickled mustard seeds—all between rye bread slices. “The idea of
putting collard greens on a sandwich was not part of some master plan,”
admits proprietor Michael Shemtov. “We had two cold spells in Charleston
this year; collard greens were among the only produce available, but
they were a great fit.” The popular sandwich is so labor intensive that
it’s on the rotating menu an average of only 10 days a month.
butcherandbee.com
The Hoecake: Papa KayJoe’s BBQ, Centerville, TN
The Boston butt shredded pork is legendary,
and the vinegar-based barbecue sauce is made daily from scratch. But
the claim to fame at Papa KayJoe’s is what they do with those two
staples. “We are in the South, and corn bread is a big deal,” explains
owner Devin Pickard. “The Hoecake sandwich starts with a mixture of
white, self-rising cornmeal, eggs, and buttermilk, whipped up to a
pancake consistency. We then take a large helping of lard and cover the
griddle, ladle out that batter, and brown it on both sides.” The Hoecake
comes standard with a scoop of the shredded pork between the two
pancake-styled buns. But most patrons opt to dress it with the fixings
of mayo-based coleslaw, pickles, and a drizzle of that tangy red
barbecue sauce.
119 W. Ward St.; (931)729-2131.
The Tsunami: The Blind Squirrel, Round Rock, TX
Taking ingredients one might find in a
sushi roll and reassembling them inside of a fried pancake to then serve
as a sandwich to Texans came naturally to owner Jack Raia. His creation
begins with a warmed scallion pancake. He smears wasabi cream on the
base, with a second layer of pickled ginger. The proteins are
Scotch-smoked salmon and poached, chilled red shrimp—all topped with a
garnish of spring mix, alfalfa sprouts, and raw, sliced red onions. It
gets a last touch of Sriracha and unagi sauces before being wrapped and
cut on the bias.
blindsquirrelsandwiches.com
The Chicken & Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich: Coolhaus Ice Cream Trucks
“Although we have done many
sweet-meets-savory flavors, fried chicken and waffles posed a particular
challenge,” admits Coolhaus founder, Natasha Case. “You don’t want
pieces of actual chicken in ice cream.” Her popular dessert sandwich
begins with creating fried chicken, spiced with cayenne, sage, and black
pepper. The skins are removed and placed in her proprietary caramel and
left to infuse, leaving behind the flavor once they are strained out.
That crazy caramel is then swirled through a brown butter ice cream
base, and crumbled, crispy waffle pieces are added for texture. Choose
two cookies—perhaps double chocolate sea salt or maple sugar—to act as
the bread slices. Try it for yourself at one of the Coolhaus trucks (Los
Angeles, New York City, Austin, and Dallas) or at the two storefronts
in L.A.
eatcoolhaus.com
The Pig Ear Sandwich: The Big Apple Inn, Jackson, MS
Many, many people have become converts to
this unusual sandwich, which focuses on a part of the swine most menus
never promote. Pig ears are an old-South item that the Big Apple Inn has
served since the 1930s. The ears are plucked from a pressure cooker
when super tender and hit with a bit of slaw and mustard, then
sandwiched between thin, slider-style buttered buns. When the joint
first opened, the now-famous sandwich was priced at a dime. Today, it’s
still a bargain at $1.05 with tax and still comes in the wax-paper
wrapper. The meat is sliced thin and has a taste similar to grilled ham.
As for the spice, it’s your choice of not-hot, mild, or hot.
509 N. Farish St.; (601) 354-4549.
The Doh! Nut: PYT Burger & Bar, Philadelphia
It’s part burger. It’s part breakfast. We
aren’t sure how to classify this invention, but we do know it’s insanely
delicious. The beloved Doh! Nut has been on the menu for more than two
years and starts with a fresh glazed Krispy Kreme donut that’s cut in
half and put on a grill to toast. Staff lay down an all-beef, grilled
hamburger patty with American cheese. The finished donut-burger comes
with several strips of bacon that have been covered in Hersey’s
chocolate. And in case that’s not decadent enough, for $13 you also get a
big pile of waffle fries.
pytburger.com
The Boricua: Belly Shack, Chicago
The Boricua delivers crispy, sweet, and a
bit of spice in equal balance. “It’s like taking a trip through
Chicago’s neighborhoods in one bite,” says Bill Kim, chef/partner of
Belly Shack. The sandwich substitutes traditional bread for thinly
sliced plantains that are crispy-fried to order. You can have it with
tofu or lemongrass chicken, but we’re partial to the marinated Korean
bulgogi beef. It’s sliced then hit with a little miso sauce, chopped
mushrooms, and brown rice. “Our Boricua combines some favorite food
items from two cultures, using Korean BBQ beef and plantains,” says Kim.
crgchicago-public.sharepoint.com
The Big Easy: Ajax Diner, Oxford, MS
To make this down-home dinner in a bun,
fried steak (tenderized steak dredged in flour and pan-fried) is covered
in a layer of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes with a roux-style,
beef-stock gravy. Another layer of butter beans, with tiny bits of bacon
and butter from the cooking stock, is the finishing touch. The sandwich
has a cult following—and traces its origins to New York Giants
quarterback Eli Manning. “Back when Eli was at Ole Miss, he would eat
with his family at Ajax on Fridays before home games. He almost always
ate the same thing,” explains owner Randy Yates. Now you can have that
exact meal between two buns.
ajaxdiner.net
The Broccoli Classic: No. 7 Sub, New York City
Chef/owner Tyler Kord has been
experimenting with broccoli sandwiches since high school. And this weird
love affair has blossomed into one of
America’s best sandwiches.
Broccoli is diced and lightly steamed, “with a little salt so that it
stays bright green and crunchy,” explains Kord. “We pile it onto the
sandwich and toast the sub.” Next it’s sprinkled with crumbly ricotta
salata cheese and crispy fried shallots, with a smear of cold mayo. The
final, oddly harmonious element is chopped, sweet lychees that Kord
pickles Korean style, using the heat of ginger and chiles. “I love an
egg and cheese sandwich from a bodega as much as the next guy,” says
Kord. “But you can get that anywhere.”
no7sub.com
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