Category Archives: Sandwiches

H-Dogs

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***** (5 stars)

Chicago is looking for the successor to Hot Dougs, and not only is H-Dogs a candidate, I think it’s even better, because they make the single best salmon sandwich I have had anywhere! In fact, when I go back, I’ll just skip right past their excellent dogs, and get me another one. It was a perfectly grilled salmon filet with crisp greens, red onions, and a zesty horseradish infused dressing, all on a wheat bun.

I also sampled the Greek, vegetarian and French dogs. The Greek was essentially a gyro, with lamb, tomatoes, onions and a their version of “tzatzki” sauce. The Healthy Hound is a vegetarian dog that’s a bit more in the style of a Chicago dog, but without the pickle, and with roasted peppers. The French was the richest dog I tried, duck sausage smothered in caramelized onions.

All the dogs were good, but I kept going back to that salmon burger!

Everything comes with excellent French fries, served crisp and piping hot. The inclusion of fries makes the pricing of the dogs and burgers much more attractive.

There’s also a rich chili, available in both vegetarian and turkey versions. I got this to go, and it was great reheated later.

H-Dogs is definitely worth the trip south, and it’s pretty convenient to get there on Lake Shore, so I’ll certainly be back… for more salmon burgers!

H-Dogs
4655 S Martin Luther King Dr
Chicago, IL 60653
(773) 633-2978
http://www.yelp.com/biz/h-dogs-chicago

Rollin’ To Go

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**** (4 stars)

This is an excellent sandwich shop, with an almost infinite number of combinations of bread, meats and accompaniments available, all scrawled on a large menu on the wall. Or you can come up with your own favorite. Service is friendly but not incredibly speedy, and it can get quite backed up at lunch, especially on Wednesdays, when the popular deli next door is closed.

Rollin’ To Go
910 Noyes St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 332-1000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rollin-to-go-evanston-2

Qarma Crêpes

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**** (4 stars)

This is a cozy little place with great service and a nice assortment of both savory and sweet crepes. The crepes themselves are fairly thin, and have a slight sweetness to the batter, particularly around the thin edges. They are folded in half before stuffing, which gives them more body, but they still remain light and fluffy.

I had a vegetarian crepe, which allowed me to pick an assortment of fillings, plus smoked Gouda cheese and lemon mayo drizzle. The veggies were raw, which gave the crepe a nice, fresh character.

The sweet crepes also looked delicious, I’ll have to save room on a return visit.

There are a few tables outside, and plenty inside, and also up in a loft accessed via a spiral staircase.

Qarma Crêpes
12 N Summerlin Ave
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 403-5549
http://www.yelp.com/biz/qarma-cr%C3%AApes-orlando

Pammie’s Sammies

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***** (5 stars)

This is a great little sandwich shop in an out of the way place. The fact that so many customers find it that there’s aline at lunch is a sign of just how good it is. I had the Grizzly Bear, which featured delicious house smoked salmon pressed on wheat. The salmon was flaky, moist and very smokey, a really outstanding bit of fish. They also have a daily soup, a nice selection of beers, and serve breakfast sandwiches all day. An excellent new lunchtime find.

Pammie’s Sammies
5907 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 730-3212
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pammies-sammies-orlando

Birkholm’s Bakery& Cafe

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**** (4 stars)

This is one of the best bakeries in town. As of this writing their butter cookies still come in the traditional waxed cardboard tub rather than a plastic bucket. We compared the butter cookies from four bakeries, and these were the softest and crumbliest. The standout is their plain, round, flat butter cookie, simple and very buttery.

Birkholm’s Bakery& Cafe
460 Alisal Rd
Solvang, CA 93463
(805) 688-8188
http://www.yelp.com/biz/birkholms-bakery-and-cafe-solvang-2

Cheesie’s Pub & Grub

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**** (4 stars)

Sometimes you just want a grilled cheese sandwich. And when you do, you’re not looking for health food. That’s a good thing, because mine was perfect–which is to say redolent with the butter the bread was grilled in. Yum.

And since we’re binging, I have to say that the fires are the best in Evanston–and I’m including Five Guys (yuck) and Edzo’s (meh) in that assessment. They’re my favorite kind, battered and fried to a crispy outside crunch, yes fluffy in the middle, and perfectly seasoned.

Sandwich, fries and a drink for $8. What’s not to like? My waistline is just glad the place isn’t any closer to home.

Cheesie’s Pub & Grub
622 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 868-8686
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cheesies-pub-and-grub-evanston

Delbe’s Corner

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***** (5 stars)

Wow, I’d eat here even if the food wasn’t good. This was a fantastic service experience, the kind that is rare these days. It’s not that anything exceptional occurred. That’s what was so fantastic. It’s just that I can anticipate the same exact level of service on my next visit, because it’s clear that the culture here is to hire nice people who are engaged in what they do, and serving their customers.

I was greeted when I walked in, chatted with as I ordered, met with a friendly smile when my food was delivered, and thanked for my business when I left. And none of it was because the young man behind the counter had been told he had to do that. It’s because he wanted to make sure he had happy customers. This sounds basic, but it happens so rarely, in such an honest fashion, that it really stands out.

Oh, and yes, the sunrise breakfast sandwich on an everything bagel was delicious. Pretty good coffee, too.

Delbe’s Corner
1100 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 424-1006
http://www.yelp.com/biz/delbes-corner-evanston

Au Bon Pain

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*** (3 stars)

This is one of the better places to grab something to take on a plane with you. The sandwiches are made to order (if you’re willing to wait in a fairly sluggish line) and the ingredients are fresh, especially the breads. If you’re in a hurry, the prepackaged sandwiches in the front case are actually quite decent. It certainly beats a bag of peanuts.

Au Bon Pain
9202 Jeff Fuqua Blvd
Orlando, FL 32827
(407) 825-7851
http://www.yelp.com/biz/au-bon-pain-orlando-2