hold the pickle vol. 14 ...

again this one happened a couple of weeks ago. since the inception of this project wedged between two slices of bread, ive had a 'cousin' who has been quietly recommending a sandwich shop thats no more than half a mile from my door step. he would come over for dinner (i live with his brother; another 'cousin') and matter of factly ask, 'have you checked out rosina gourmet yet?' we would run into each other on thames street, he diligently walking his dog and me smoking a cigarette and 3 magners deep at half time of a surely to be disappointing arsenal game, 'read your last blog. good stuff. been to rosina yet?' or i would post a link of facebook or twitter and then have the audacity to ask folks 'where should i go next?' his persistence would float to the surface again with a simple post/reply 'rosina gourmet'.

well i am happy to let you know that my 'cousin' finally achieved his goal of ultimate temptation/persuasion when he very simply sent a picture text of a magazine cover (see photo). as a semi pro sandwich super fan/aficionado/explorer i could not resist it anymore, so i made a lunch appointment with my 'cousin' and set out to place another stake in the rolling sandwich landscape of baltimore.

we went to the canton location of rosina, which sits opposite of a den of ill spoken about actions that most people simply refer to as portside. upon walking into rosina i instantly realized that just because there is only an alley entrance way separating these two places, there couldnt of be a bigger gap between these two neighbors. the portside tavern reminds me of crowded spaces, playlists from 104.3fm, soco and limes, and possessing an equal to or greater amount of bud light bottles than number of hands. rosina on the other hand is outlined with quaint tables for parties of 2-4. the walls a littered with local art and pictures of delicious foods, including a gigantic picture of the baltimore magazine cover that pushed me over the edge. the smell of toast/meats/spreads/veggies tickle the nostrils instantly. and a small battalion of women behind the counter greet you as you enter and make you feel like you just walked into a room full of moms, sisters, aunts, nieces, grandmothers (note: if any of you ladies from rosina read this i dont mean you look like grandmas, just that that maternal spirit was seriously permeating through the air) who wanted nothing more than to satisfy any sandwich hunger you might have.

on that sun splashed afternoon in canton i did in fact have a serious case of sandwich hunger and instantly began to wage my internal sandwich decision war with rosina gourmet's menu. i could tell this was going to be a drawn out war of attrition. there were/are 21 sammies on their menu and 3 specials. 24 sandwich options?!? how can you pick just one when you have choices like 'basil pesto chicken salad', 'parma ham & fresh mozz', 'over roast beef', 'grilled veggie', and the special 'roasted red pepper chicken'?!?! quickly realizing that in this overwhelming initial skirmish with the menu could easily turn into brutal trench like warfare i quickly enlisted the help on my 'cousin' and we formed an alliance, also known as going half-sies. after much back and forth the special 'roasted red pepper chicken' and the 'rustic italian' were selected.

rosina is an order at the counter, take your seat, and the staff will bring it to your table. i like this approach best when it comes to a sandwich store. no congestions. no paper wrapping at the table. these are all positives for a superior sandwich experience. and my experience this time was highlighted by the clerk who took or order, delivered it to our table, and without prompting had placed a 1/2 of each sandwich on our respective plates (a woman after my heart!) the sandwiches were not jumbo, over stuffed, or piled high like i had imagined (the baltimore mag cover probably had something to do with this preconceived notion). they were simple and understated. the roasted red pepper chicken was on a diagonally sliced ciabatta roll (note ... well actually more of a rant. people who know me know that i have a couple of unconventional culinary quirks. like my disdain for pickles or my love of pizza in bed. but one of these quirks that not many people know is that i dont believe in slicing any sandwiches on a diagonal axis unless its a grilled cheese and in that case a grilled cheese is always supposed to be cut on a diagonal axis. the club sandwich is a double diagonal cut, but thats a whole 'nother bag of chips in and of itself) and the rustic italian was served on a crunchy baguette.

the chicken was first because it was a warm sandwich. the ciabatta was lightly crunchy with a soft pull to it. the chicken was skinless breast meat that (i think) had been lightly seasoned, roasted off in the oven, and then chopped for serving on the ciabatta. the chicken was then topped with paper thin slices of red onion (thats how they are supposed to be on all sandwiches people!) and thin sliced tomato. i mention all of these ingredients first because for me these were all pretty standard, but of me the real star of the sandwich was the roasted red pepper sauce. i love roasted red peppers right off the grill, but will also settle for a high quality canned or jarred pepper. i feel like the base of the sauce was the latter, but it was light, very red pepper-ie, and a perfect viscosity. if they sold it by the jar, id buy a jar. the sandwich as a whole was pretty pleasant, very fresh, the sauce had flavor to spare, but fell short of being a perfect sandwich. however, the italian stepped in and made a pretty persuading argument for perfection.

the baguette for our rustic italian was the perfect medium for this sandwich. it 100% encapsulated the feel of a rustic italian/peasant sandwich. it was firm with some pull, but also with a significant amount of crunch. it had the strength to hoist up the layers of dried salami, provolone, tomato, and paper thin slices of red onion (yes!). the theme of rustic simplicity continued in this easy bust sophisticated sandwich with the light drizzle of a tasy olive oil over the dried meat. but again there was one aspect of the sandwich that stood tall on the shoulders of all the other ingredients, and on this sandwich it was the olive tapenade that was the buffer zone between the meat & cheese and the bottom of the baguette. its saltiness was the perfect seasoning to the mild cheese and the dried meat. its smooth texture provided a good balance to the hard crunch of the baguette. and please lets just face it, a good tapenade is really really hard to beat. and this tapenade helped to seal the deal on this rustic italian being a top notch sandwich.

as a little bonus the role of side kick/companion to our sandwiches was played by a small scoop of fresh pasta salad with a dab of cheese, diced onions, peppers, and some olives. this was a nice touch not because it was 'the worlds best' or 'grandmas secret recipe' pasta salad, but rather because it wasnt fries or chips. it was fresh, no frills, not too much, and just the right thing to balance a plate of tasty sandwiches that were understated, but overstuffed with flavor.

hold the pickle vol. 13 ...

its been forever.

your sandwich-ian hero was sidetracked along his quest. there was a change in job title, there was a trip abroad, and a trip to the big easy for a most triumphant weekend of debauchery, sunshine, orioles, and surprise birthdays. the quest had fallen to the way side. material in hand (actually on a smartphone), motivation was lacking. but just like quixote needed sancho panza, skywalker needed solo, and bill needed ted to complete these seemingly insurmountable feats; i needed to rely on others. there was a video game designer, a god-brother, a frat star, and a west coast tech exec, all of whom came up along side and triumphantly asked ... 'where f#cks your next blog dude?'

it was the poking and the prodding from the ones closest to me that have me here clicking out another (my 13th) sandwich quest blog for you to enjoy. (note: this took place in march. when i arrive at a new sandwich location i take extensive notes on my smartphone so that i can remember those little one liners or smells or quirky people that are there so that you can get the full experience and feel. this is a little tough because its weeks old, but the notes are good ... bare with me) this 'x' on the baltimore sandwich quest map came about in an interesting way because it was headed by the inter-web phenomenon that is groupon, and the deal wasnt for a sandwich shop; it was for soup's on in hampden. being a child of 'the avenue' i knew this deal would come in handy the next time i found myself on 36th street. i know soups on is an interesting stop for a sandwich quest i know, but to be honest i had heard good things, knew a person who used to work there, and well knew that the $7 investment (for $15 bucks worth of food) wouldnt be a high risk purchase ... also i had an inside scoop; soup wasnt the only thing on the menu!

soup's on is located towards the chestnut ave side of 36th and if i am not mistaken is where the original golden west cafe was housed (that was when food came out on time from waiters who cared). so upon arriving there was some nostalgia of good food and good dining experiences and that nostalgia was soon paired with excitement as i realized there was a line that was out the door. i normally am not one to do backflips or cartwheels over having to wait to be fed, but when trying out a new place, this is 100% the type of foreshadowing that i hope for. once i got in the store i realized why there was a line, there were 6 tables and really only 14 people could eat there at once. the line moved fast though. there were a lot of 'take out-ers' in front of me and as i mentioned before ... the place specializes in soup. soup doesnt take long to serve.

my time in line allowed me to peruse the chalkboard menu and start to formulate an order in my mind. soups were listed 1st. damnit! it was brisk outside and the soups sounded freakishly desirable in written form, smelled delectable wafting in aromatic form, and looked belly satisfying delicious as a glanced from table 1 to table 6. reading the chalkboard a little more i found the sandwiches. oh no! there were only 2 sandwich selections. a fruity chicken salad and ... wait ... whats this? a self proclaimed 'ultimate tuna salad Gmail - Inbox - spclare@gmail.comsandwich'?!?!?! challenge accepted! but i couldnt pass up the soup, could i? but then in a feat of marketing genius, as i approached the register i saw the sign stating that soup and full sandwich was $12. problem solved.

ultimate tuna sandwich and a white tuscan bean soup with kale was on the docket, and after swapping my groupon code for a 4 of hearts playing card i made my way to a cozy corner of the restaurant (really just a shop front) and waited in a puddle of anticipation. the smells were amazing, the laughs and smiles from other customers were loud and bright, and then when things couldnt get any better, the playlist segwayed (sp??) to omc classic, 'how bizzare' .... ahhh i knew the sandwich gods were with me that afternoon for sure.

soup and sandwich came plated together. the plate looked fresh, had a rustic charm, smell phenominal, and looked like way too much food for lunch. well not being one who is afraid of over eating, especially on food that looked like this, i dove in without hesitation. The tuscan white bean soup with kale had paper thin slices of parmesean cheese on top of it that with the heat had melted ever so slightly to provide a nice fatty (in a good way; think lipids in wine and the whatnot) feel to the soup. the kale was small and not overly leafy which allowed for the veggie to be cooked properly allowing for just a hint of texture to the dish. the broth with the bean had an almost perfect viscosity and was soft and light which lent to me eating the entire bowl on the spot. only draw back on the soup was that it was served warm and not piping hot. im a soup piping hot kind of guy. that being said i did crush that soup like no other!

the sandwich had a lot to live up to, but just by the looks of the sammie, it looked like there would be some serious competition for best food on plate. the 'ultimate tuna' was served on a fresh crunchy roll that had been hallowed out so that the tuna salad (chunky, light on the mayo, and seasoned pretty darn well) rested perfectly in a bread canoe. this tuna kayak was topped generously with some arugala, avocado, and thinly sliced jalapenos, and the roof of the sandwich had a a smattering of some sort of zesty dressing/vinaigrette. this seems like normal sandwich toppings, but there were levels of thought here people. the bread added some serious crunch and some pull which helped play off the soft and smooth tuna salad. the arugala increased the crunch as well, but at the same time added a little bitterness to the sandwich. the avocado shared the same texture as the tuna, but it was there to provide a bit of fattiness (again think good fatty) and to also help cut the heat of the jalapeno that was there to provide some kick, but to also play off the zestiness of the dressing/vinaigrette. did you get that? it was kind of like trying to explain 'inception' .... but all i really wanted to say was i was pleasantly pleased with this stop on the quest!

ambiguously gay sandwich lovers are awesome ...

hold the pickle vol. 12 ...

so with changes a brewing with work and with spring time around the corner i figured it was high time that like don quioxte i hop on my proverbial donkey, hit the rolling hills of baltimore, and continue this mofo sandwich quest. actually this all happened by complete accident.

today i was riding through northern baltimore county with a sales rep whos territory i will be taking over. the usual parking at back doors and loading docks, walk throughs of bustling kitchens, and handshakes with chefs who apologize for their hands being dirty. afterwards i dropped the fellow im replacing off at his home and headed down hartford rd hoping to get home as quick as possible to rest after a hectic weekend. well as fate would have it i would be making an unscheduled pit stop.

while driving southbound through the rain on a road i do not spend much time on,  a little yellow building (more of a shack actually) on the left hand side caught my attention. it was a quick blur, but i had made out the red stenciling on the front, it was big bad wolfs bbq. if you know me you know i have a certain affinity for the uniquely american style of cooking called barbeque. if you dont know me, just scroll through some of my previous post and youll see. when talking with friends, fellow bbq lovers, and sandwich enthusiasts big bad wolf has come up multiple times. i had never been, so there was a turn into a different pizza/sandwich shop down the road so i could make a 3 point turn and head to the huff and puff bbq shack.

one counter, 6 chairs, one lady, one large bearded bbq master, a stack of maybe 9 menus ... thats big bad wolfs. minimal everything that isnt bbq. looking at the menu i was bombarded with saliva inducing ribs and 1/4 chickens, but i knew that the sandwich gods had brought me to this little bbq oasis in hamilton for one reason and one reason only ... 'the big bad wolf'. cant decided on brisket or pulled pork? why not just have both, on the same sandwich, and why dont we just add some hickory smoked bacon? freaking brilliant! upon ordering this ron swanson-esque sandwich sensation i was instantly met with a question from the girl behind the counter; 'what kind of sauce do you want?'

damnit i now had a sauce conundrum to over come. my head was mush from the weekend, the new clients, and now a sauce problem that needed to be solved. it couldnt be over looked. there were 7 different sauces on the menu a specail sauce. obviously big bad wolf likes his sauces which means i had to pick carefully. i couldnt. so i did what you always should do in that type of situation. i asked the bearded bbq master behind the counter to my left what he would have on triple threat meat tornado of a sandwich. 'kc spicy' was what he blurted out without fully turning around, and if that recommendation wasnt enough the 2 guys who were sitting at the counter (they looked like they knew their 'que too) both vocally endorsed the meat masters suggestion by telling me how the kc spicy was a the perfect sauce.

so i plunked down at the end of the counter large arnold palmer in hand and began the wait. the city paper wasnt interesting, the smells of slow cooked meat were too distracting. the 2 gents got their ribs, i was giddy with anticipation. then the bbq master himself came over with a small styrofoam container, a napkin, and a plastic fork and knife. i was about to have my house blown down.

upon opening the container the 1st thing one notices is that the combo of the juicy pork, the tender brisket, and the crispy smoked bacon has saturated the bottom half of the kaiser roll with a meaty equivalent of liquid gold. that liquid meat gold is also starting to mix with the spicy kc bbq sauce that is dripping down the sandwich, and all this liquid just ends up on the bottom of the container. now i realize why the bearded bastion of bbq had preemptively given me a fork and a knife. i cut the sandwich in half making it much more manageable with my hands. the first bit was salty, spicy, crunchy, chewy, and fatty all at the same time. i know that sounds like a lot of conflict, but every flavor had its part to play and they all delivered a colin firth worthy performance. the pork was soft and chewy but not overly fatty. the bacon crunched with each chewing stroke of my teeth providing the saltiness that the sandwich required. the sauce was spectacular, bold with a kick but also having a serious depth to the flavor that allowed for the heat to mellow out quickly. the brisket was good, but in my opinion it was not the lead and 100% played a supporting role to the bacon, pork, and the sauce.

you will be the one huffing and puffing!

success! the sandwich gods intervened on this sunny then gloomy monday to provide me with a 4,000+ calorie (total guess and intentional over estimation) piece of sandwich paradise. the free refill of my arnold palmer for the road was an amazing touch as well. note: do not eat at big bad wolfs if you do not have an hour to slip in and out of a meat comma where youre already planning you next trip up hartford rd.

1st sandwich of the year; hold the pickle vol. 11...

so throughout the holidays i stuffed my face with everything from fudge, to venison, to shrimp, to more ham than even a crazed carnivorous cannibal pig could possibly handle. all this delicious and festive food from the end of november and well into the beginning of december kept me totally satisfied, but also left a void in my life.

you know what i am talking about. im talking about that void that can only be filled with meats, cheeses, veggies, and bread all stacked together in different combinations and in different shapes and sizes to form the beloved entity that we all call sandwiches. well i am happy to report that as of know winter break is over and the sandwich quest is back on!

so to start the new year off sandwich quest style i found myself at a loss for where to go. this insecurity and indecision lead to even more procrastination, but then i remembered a couple of wyld childs who are often referred to as 'the colonel' & 'shorty' explaining to me on a fall night at the orioles game that i was insane for not trying the taneytown deli. now im not going to lie, but the name really didnt do it for me. i mean places like grilled cheese & co, or dipasquales, or atwaters just seem to have a little more flare, a little more flash, a little more je ne sais quoi. but alas i found myself at the top of york road near hunt valley, and thats when this sandwich-ian hero decided it was time to again embark on this quest of sandwich enlightenment.

the taneytown deli looks kind of like it sounds; quaint, forgettable, and lacking in any sort of 'wow' factor. however, its plain exterior in a shopping strip (if you can call 3 store fronts a strip) and its lack of bells, whistles, and pizazz are totally made up for in this sandwicherie's love of everything sandwich.

upon waling into the deli ones attention is immediately drawn to the fact that there are no more than 8 tables, the kitchen counter takes up 75% of the floor plan, the menu board is easy 3 feet by 3 feet, and it is littered with more sandwich combinations than any other destination that weve discussed. there is breakfast, platters, combos, clubs, submarines, reubens, toasted sandwiches, and their classic overstuffed sandwiches. wow talk about a torrential down pouring of sandwich options!

im not going to lie, the overwhelming amount of options put me on tilt, and not to mention the holiday sandwich inactivity coupled with the fact that i had zippy companions only made things worse. i was in a near panic. there were people behind me and people calling in carry out orders; i knew i needed to act fast, but could i make a good decision or was i seriously not in good form?

first things first, i knew in needed to narrow down my decision to a single category. i went with the classic overstuffed sandwiches. now thins were a little easier, i only had to choose from 29 options ... dear lord! well it was cold outside at the time, and as i recall breakfast was something seriously inconsequential which had me longing for a kick ass sandwich. hmmm maybe some roast beef? ah yes there it is. maybe they can make it a hot roast beef? maybe they can put meunster cheese on it? maybe they can toast the roll? well in fact to my delight all of those maybes turned out to be truths. so after forking over my $10 i received a pink lemonade, some change, and the promise of a hot roast beef overstuffed sandwich with tomato and meunster cheese.

the wait wasnt long, and i decided to eat on premise. the sandwich was a little on the small side, but that could of been expected since it carrys a $4.95 price tag. the roll was toasted on the flat top without any butter, so it was a little dry, but boy was it overstuffed. the meat to bread ratio was seriously out of proportion ... in the diners favor. the roast beef had been shaved thin, thrown on the flat top, and chopped. there was a lot of this chopped beef in my sandwich, but it caught me off guard. i was really hoping that the thinly slice beef would of just kissed the grill ever so slightly then piled together with fresh slices of tomato and meunster cheese that would just start to loosen up and melt once it was introduced to the warm roast beef. my preconceived notion was not to be a reality.

i think that because i had high expectations, because i was out of sandwich shape, because i was overwhelmed with options, and because i was flying solo (instead of getting either 'shorty' or 'the colonel' to come with) i didnt have the best experience at the tawneytown deli. with all of that being said my sandwich was not expensive nor was it terrible. it just didnt meet the hype & expectations of being the first sandwich out of the gate for 2011. but fear not this is why we are on a quest!

dinner time ...

after the aboundant over indulgence that was this past weekend i found myself yesterday ready to finish the festivities and move forward into 2011. that had me motivated today. i was all sorts of motivated for all sorts of things, but the 2 things that were the driving force today were a.) using the cuisinart i got for christmas and b.) how i needed to some how have a culinary repentance for the sin i committed over the weekend (just so you know that is a papa johns pizza with a chicken finger, mac & cheese and garlic sauce on it ... we are talking 2006 over indulgence!). this meant i was going to make a healthy (relatively speaking) dinner for the first monday of the year. here is what i ended up with ...

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto 

Chive, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Lemon Oil

ingredients:

1 whole butternut squash (2-3lbs) (roasted and purreed)
2 cans veggie stock/broth (kept warm, added to the rice for absorption)
4 c. arborio rice (dry sauteed, then covered with stock, reduced, and repeated)
3/4 stick unsalted butter (cubed, mounted into the rice)
1 triangle of parmesean cheese (grated, added in to bind at the end)
chives (chopped, folded in for garnish and flavor)
lemon oil (drizzled on top for acidic balance)

end of the year treat

vegetarians advert your eyes!

this was from a year end/new baby/friends from abroad in town mid week party.

prime rib anyone?