Bearly Edible: Finding your go to sandwich
You're starving. You make your way to the Blue Room for one of their delicious sandwiches. You get to the front line, but like me, you're paralyzed by the numerous choices. Focaccia, tortilla, wheat, French roll? Ham, turkey, prosciutto, salami? So you senselessly add random things together (chèvre and tuna go together, right?) in hopes that you create something relatively edible. It's not.
Sick of making poor decisions and sandwiches so often, I sourced some ideas from friends and Blognonian bloggers in hopes of finding my ultimate go to sandwich.
1. The Classic - ciabatta, chipotle mayo, roast beef, one slice of prosciutto, mozzarella, arugulaSuggested by The Blognonian's Editor-in-Chief, Jacob Koffler, the Classic kick-started my sandwich project. The sandwich itself is absolutely delicious; the one slice of prosciutto really adds dimension, but it's important you don't get overconfident and try to add more than that one slice of prosciutto. The only complaint I have is that the meat to bread ratio is slightly off, leaving you with the unfortunate (to some sandwich eaters) problem of having way too much leftover meat without enough bread as you near the end of the sandwich.
2. The Joey Botros - ciabatta, chipotle mayo (on one side), roast beef, mozzarella, onions, arugulaSimilar to The Classic, the Joey Botros (recommended by one Editor-in-Chief at Brown Political Review) starts off with a base of ciabatta, roast beef, chipotle mayo, and mozzarella. However, the Joey Botros goes for a fun onion component adding a great crunch and slight sweetness to the sandwich. According to the sandwich engineer, it's crucial that you keep the chipotle mayo only on one side to decrease the "drip factor." Additionally, isolating the mayo to one side does a good job of maintaining the structural integrity of the ciabatta, but it also can make the sandwich dry. Highly recommended with a Nantucket Nectar.
3. The Russell Carey - focaccia, pesto (on one side), balsamic (on one side), chicken, mozzarella, basilFearful of dying early from the roast beef streak, I decided to try the Russell Carey (suggested by the co-Editor in Chief at Brown Political Review). I think there's something very, very remotely Italian about this sandwich. But the sandwich itself was rather delicious, I would have never thought about putting balsamic and pesto together. The one unfortunate downside was that the mozzarella and basil makes you wish there was maybe some tomato in the sandwich as well to complete the caprese trifecta.
4. This Shit's Bomb - ciabatta, spicy mustard (on one side), honey mustard (on one side), turkey, salami, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, banana peppersThanks to the one and only Demisexual Lovato, I tried out the This Shit's Bomb. It was, in fact, the bomb. However, I would advise those who do not like mustard to be fairly wary because this sandwich has not one but two different kinds of mustard and the spicy mustard adds quite the kick. But, if you're looking for a next level turkey sandwich or just want to eat like Demisexual Lovato, this one's your best bet.
5. The Gluten Free Delight - gluten free bread, tabbouleh, goat cheese, spicy mustard, prosciutto, turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomatoAlthough the sandwich itself was fine, frankly, I was slightly disappointed by the gluten free bread. Although it's great that the Blue Room has gluten free bread and the bread itself is just like any other sliced white bread, the bread is tiny (What is this? A sandwich for ants?). Meaning, the sandwich is very small and it won't fill you up. Also, because it is just sliced white bread that's un-toasted, it can become very soggy very quickly, so eat it right after you get it.Other ideas suggested, but not yet tested (because I was so sick of eating sandwiches every day):The Uncrustable (Suggested by Deputy Managing Director, Anthony DeRita) - the Uncrustable from the fridge displayThe Plain Jane - whole wheat roll, two Swiss slices, turkey, arugula#OlderthanBettyWhite - sliced white bread (toasted if you're feeling fancy), ham, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoThe Leave Me Alone, Claire - ciabatta, tabbouleh, hummus, banana peppers, mozzarella, lettuceThe Fatty - ciabatta, hummus, tabbouleh, roast beef, turkey, mozzarella, tomato, lettuce, picklesRy Guy Special - focaccia, Thousand Island, provolone, pastrami, spinach, tomatoAlthough I started off this project to discover my go-to sandwich, I have eaten so many during the course of this research project that I don't think I'll be wanting a sandwich for a very long time. As for you fellow sandwich strugglers out there, good luck on that search for The One.Images via, via Claire Pang '19.