Think globally, eat locally on Sandwich Day
Every day is sandwich day, really. It’s the go-to to-go lunch that has everything going for it — flexibility, portability, ease-ability.
National Sandwich Day (Nov. 3) gives us an excuse to celebrate ( read: devour) these mealtime workhorses. And to highlight the fact that most cultures have their own version of base + stuff = a sandwich, we offer nine tasty ways to think globally and eat locally.
Bánh mì Bánh Mì & Ti, 4502 Butler St., Lawrenceville
Served on a French baguette — with that perfect ratio of crispy shell to chewy interior – a bánh mì isn’t too far off from a hoagie. Of Bánh Mì & Ti’s eight varieties ($8-$9), traditionalists will love the popular Viet Special: It’s based on the sandwich that dates to France’s colonization of Vietnam, co- owner Tuyen Truong notes, with pate (here, chicken liver) and cold cuts (head cheese standing in for ham) with pork belly and toppings of cilantro, cucumber and pickled carrots. Or try the Classy Chick (chicken that’s been marinated in lemongrass and garlic, then grilled) or Feelin Tofu (with fried bean curd). All are served on baguettes from the North Side’s BreadWorks. Currently, only takeout is available, so order ahead.
Nigerian Shawarma
African Eats Cuisine, 2032 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill
Air-fried chicken is shredded and served wrapped in a flour tortilla, and what makes it Nigerian, African Eats manager Yemi Emmanuel says, is the sauce. What’s in that sauce? “That’s a secret,” she says, laughing. “That’s what makes it different.” That peach-colored dressing is creamy and, while spiced, not spicy. For $ 9.99, it’s served with vegetables and a hot dog.
Croque Monsieur Bertrand, 1910 Cochran Road, Scott
The French favorite for any mimosa- appropriate meal, Bertrand includes it on the lunch menu. The French restaurant serves its take on the decadent grilled sandwich with Parisian ham, marinated tomato, a Dijon béchamel and Gruyère ($12).
Torta Los Cabos, 4110 Penn Ave., Lawrenceville
The Mexican torta can take on many forms, so it’s not surprising (though completely welcomed) that Los Cabos plates 13 varieties (from $10) of the bolillobased (akin to French bread) sandwich. Many find cheese meeting meat — machaca (shredded beef), pollo asado (roasted chicken) — while other creative tortas have fun mixing beloved flavor combinations: A chile relleno channels the entree with poblano peppers and Oxacan cheese, the Hawaiiana combines ham, bacon and pineapple.
Korean chicken
Nanban, 4407 Butler St., Lawrenceville
Korean fried chicken is light and crispy. It also is ideally packaged as a sandwich, Nanban chef-owner Roger Li told the Post-Gazette. “It’s the best way to eat fried chicken. It’s handheld. It’s good. It’s not as messy. It’s filling. It looks nice,” he says. It also tastes darn good, that light crispiness in Nanban’s Spicy Chicken Sando ($10),with heat (spice), sweet (honey) and sour (toasted sesame slaw).
Reuben
Haskel’s Deli food truck; find it via hasksdeli.com
A classic American sammie, the Reuben is closely associated with Jewish delis – and that’s true of Jon Barr’s mobile Haskel’s Deli. Bolstered by house-made pastrami and childhood memories of noshing on Jewish comfort foods, Mr. Barr’s hot Reuben is 7 ounces of pastrami covered with melty provolone, coleslaw and a spicy mustard ($17).
Jibarito
Secretos de mis Abuelos, 1334 Fifth Ave., Uptown
The Puerto Rican Jibarito swaps out bread for smashed and fried plantains. And Secretos de mis Abuelos’ (a food truck with a newly opened storefront) is the real deal, with those tostones stuffed with spiced pernil — here, slow-roasted pork shoulder (a chicken option is available
too) served simply with ketchup and mayo ($11).
Arepa
The Colombian Spot, 2019 E. Carson St. (South Side) and 3533 Forbes Ave. (Oakland)
Any number of fillings can be put between the maizebased dough that serves as the bun for this portable South American (largely, Colombia and Venezuela) treat. At The Colombian Spot, those corn patties are made in-house, then used as the base for 11 different arepas. Options include the Mixta, a meaty explosion with chorizo, pork belly, shredded beef and chicken ($12.99); a vegetarian cheese
lover’s with mozzarella, queso fresco and sweet plantains ($9.99); and shrimp,with avocado, peppers, onions and corn ($15.50).
Cubano
Kaya, 200 Smallman St., Strip District
The Original ($16) has the pig (here, pork and ham) and cheese (Swiss) you’d expect, with turkey and a chipotle aioli. Also check out the steak (with crispy potato, smoky mojo rojo sauce) or vegetarian (baked tofu) versions.