2010 in Review: Sandwiches of the year
I eat out most often at lunchtime, and so I eat a lot of sandwiches. After recently declaring Knead's amazing fried chicken sandwich my very favorite of the year, I got to thinking about other terrific sandwiches I've eaten in the last 12 months.
You may notice that four out of the five involve pork in some fashion, and I honestly toyed with doing my top five pork sandwiches of the year. Maybe next year.
5. Skillet's Truffled Griddled Cheese
The teensy German Village-ish restaurant serves so many amazing sandwiches, I was forced to include two on my list. This one is the very best grilled cheese I've ever had. You get a melty mix of cheddar, herbed boursin and truffle oil on buttered brioche. And to cut through all that decadence, it comes with a little arugula salad and a cup of soup.
4. Si Senor's Meatloaf Sandwich
I usually think of the meatloaf sandwich as relatively unexciting comfort food, but the tiny Peruvian sandwich shop's take on it is an amazing exception. Chorizo and poblanos are mixed in with the traditional ground beef, and it's topped with tomato jam and melted manchego.
3. Katalina's Cafe Corner's Mazatlan Slow Roasted Pork and Egg
At first I was a little worried there'd be too much going on with this massive sandwich, which promises slow-roasted pork doused in house-made "secret sauce" plus fried egg plus avocado plus roasted pepper plus mayo, all on a toasted "old world loaf." I shouldn't have worried. The mix of flavors and textures is perfection.
2. Skillet's Farmland Croque Madame
It would be impossible to pick up and eat this sandwich, and I'm OK with that. Anything served between two slices of bread (in this case, some fantastic brioche) qualifies in my book. Inside said brioche is cider-braised pork shoulder, Amish gouda and some awesome pickled onions. On top is a fried egg(!) and a drizzle of smoked paprika aioli.
1. Knead's The Motherclucker
Confession: I never tried the original Motherclucker, only the menu-described "new and improved version." Well, whatever tinkering they did was pure genius, because this sandwich is so good I later dreamt about eating it again.
On a nice-sized house-made bun, you get a crispy and delicious buttermilk fried chicken breast, a few strips of house-cured bacon, smoky roasted poblanos and Amish jack cheese. Oh, and it's all drizzled in honey!
Skillet
410 E. Whittier St., German Village
614-443-2266
Si Senor
20 E. Long St., Downtown
614-227-0070
Katalina's Cafe Corner
1105 Pennsylvania Ave., Victorian Village
614-294-2233
Knead
505 N. High St., Short North
614-228-6323