Spotlight on Sandwiches

There are few foods that capture the regionality of American cooking more than the sandwich.

Take, for example, Tampa’s famed Cuban Sandwich, whose greatness is challenged only by impassioned Miamians who claim to have a far superior version, only without salami. I cut my Cuban sandwich teeth at Columbia Restaurant in Tampa’s Ybor City, so I’m slightly biased, but I promise to make it to Miami soon . . . and I will be hungry.

Or, there’s my personal favorite, the St. Paul Sandwich, that hails from St. Louis, Missouri, and is basically unknown in its namesake St. Paul, Minnesota. The sandwich is a delicious revelation of egg foo yong served on sliced white bread with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayo. You can find a few versions in St. Louis, but, in my humble opinion, Fortune Express makes one of the best.

And then there’s the Boogaloo Wonderland Sandwich in Detroit that my colleague Elle Simone Scott told me about years ago. I was so intrigued that I visited Gregory Emilis Beard at his restaurant Chef Greg’s Soul-N-The-Wall to experience it for myself. Chef Greg has a culinary resume as long as his arm, and he skillfully brought the sandwich out of extinction based on the taste memories of folks in the neighborhood. Everyone agrees that it’s pretty spot on.

Last, but not least, is the bodega classic Chopped Cheese, which I first ate at Blue Sky Deli in East Harlem, New York, known locally as Hajji’s. The sandwich is pure magic. Walk up to the register and order a “chopped with everything”. Trust me.

This all reminds of that old saying: “Wherever you go, there you are . . . with a sandwich.” I think that’s how it goes.