Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Welcome to the Earldom of Sandwiches...


I have always been a guy that loved sandwiches. As a child, I loved to eat sandwiches—peanut butter and jelly and my mom’s Tuna Fish Sandwich were my favorites. My mom stayed home with me before I went to Kindergarten. Ma would ask me each day what I wanted for lunch, I’d run to the cupboard and pull out a can of Charlie Tuna and set it on the counter. Mom eventually grew tired of tuna, whereas I did not, I still love it. I have taken the basics that my mom taught me about sandwiches and I’ve taken them to a new level. Sorry to say Ma, but my tuna fish is ten times better than yours.

I make pretty good sandwiches and I love to make sandwiches for my friends. I have half-heartedly joked that after I retire, I would open a Deli. Egg salad, chicken salad, Reuben, Cuban, Pastrami on Rye, Turkey Club, sign me up! My canvas is a piece of rye, paired with another piece of rye. As far as what constitutes a sandwich—I’m pretty flexible. You can do anything between those two pieces of bread—I know, I’m very Jackson Pollock in my sandwich interpretation (the jury has ruled that this "gem" is not a sandwich). I love it when people tell me “You can’t put carrot shavings in a Reuben, You HAVE to put bacon on a club, or my favorite…AVOCADO ON TUNA….eeeewww!” Folks—my golden rule about sandwiches is the same as my golden rule in life—don’t judge it until you’ve tried it.

A few things have inspired me to start this blog. First and foremost—I’m in a blog-off, I need to get more readers than the incomparable Brenda Alvarez. Second of all, my dreams have been dashed—my dream retirement deli has already been opened, it’s called Delicatus in Pioneer Square in Seattle. It’s got the freshest ingredients and the most creative sandwiches. The staff is amicable and they seem to really get what constitutes a good sandwich. Needless to say, I'm a HUGE fan of Delicatus. You all should try it. These guys know sandwiches and they know service--I made the decision that if I couldn't ever open a deli that would match theirs, I might as well become their biggest fan.

Throughout this blog, I will be sampling and reviewing the entire Delicatus menu. Up first is the chicken salad I had yesterday—mmmm!!!!


Game on Alvarez!

13 comments:

  1. I'm just going to put this out there: KFC's Double Down is an embarrassment to sandwiches everywhere!

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  2. The font is tiny & hard to read. Plus, there are strange blocks in the first paragraph. Otherwise, viva the Earl! (For someone who's gluten-free to support a sandwich blog - well, Ben, you must be special!)

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  3. Good catch AWP, I am still working on formatting! Fear not, there will be a gluten-free undertone that will pop-up throughout this blog.

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  4. Huh! You forgot modified bang-o-dang. The all time greatest human sandwich game.

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  5. Long live the Earl! Our family vacations are definitely more interesting with you in charge of lunch. Once a skeptic on the carrot shavings I'm now a die hard Weagraffite. Bring on the samiches!

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  6. Wow!! Although I am your competition, I must give credit when credit is do. Bravo first of all for having the balls to take me on. Working on my draft as we speak, all I need is a few pics finish my cake and it's on Weagraff. But I digress. Very cute story,this blog reaks of Weagraff and although I hate rye bread (I've tried it) I approve of your blog. Bravo my friend. Hmm,maybe we should do lunch tomorrow so I can beat you over the head for calling the KFC monstrosity a gem. Have you gone mad?

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  7. Have you sampled Salumi's fare yet? The sandwiches are simple and delicious!

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  8. If I had to classify YOU as a sandwich...it would have to be...HAM!

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  9. Great writing homey! I really want a sandwhich (or two) right NOW!!

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  10. I never heard of anybody getting hooked on our mother's cooking. I must been at school when she decided to amp up her skills. When it comes to sandwiches all I remember are the infamous peanut butter and marshmallow fluff combos. Delicious but nearly impossible to get the fluff off the butter knife. I now use it to hold up drywall in our basement. We have been pleasantly suprised when it comes to Ben's masterpieces. In fact, someone I know has stolen these ingredients ideas such as flavored cream cheese, strawberries and the carrot shavings. Yum.

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  11. Dude! Since we're on the topic...there is a FANTASTIC place in Downtown Disney (and many other locations I'm sure, but none in PA) it's actually called "Earl of Sandwich". My friend...I never thought I could actually fall in love with a sammich, but it happened! Joe and I always look forward to going back to Downtown just for that. It's a must try, if you ever come across one of their shops.

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  12. So after reading all the comments, I'm left with one question: is the double down gluten free?

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