Unbreaded

Letter to the Editor: My Top 10 Sandwiches

Unbreaded reader David Shapiro submitted this list of his all-time favorite sandwiches.

#10 – The Chicken Tejas Sandwich -  Chilis Restaurant, Chapel Hill , NC – I realize…Chilis?  When you are in college and your friend is the waiter and you get  free food, everything tastes a little better.  This sandwich makes the # 10 simply because of the surprise I felt after the first bite. The roll was buttered and toasted perfectly, the seasoned chicken was cooked perfectly with the right amount of Southwest spice, the onions and peppers still crunched, and the sauce brought it home.  Jupiter might have also been in line with Mars…

#9 – A Gyro somewhere in a back alley of Mykinos, Greece- Forget about it.  This $1.50 sandwich is what my wife and I still talk about to this day.  They stuffed the French fries into the Gyro!!!  Enough said.  I think I ate two just because.

#8 – Mideast by the Southwest – Glaz-E Café – Baltimore , MD – As far as good cold sandwiches go, this one is special.  The basics are cold grilled chicken (sliced), hummus, salsa, sprouts, avocado, roasted red pepper, cucumber, tomato, and a special sauce on thick multi-grain bread.  Had never had this combo before and didn’t think too much of it…until I tried it.  I have re-created it on my own for guests.  A big hit.

#7 – The Classic Hamburger – JG Melon, New York City – These guys have been making burgers for about 1000 years.  Some people don’t agree with me on this one as I have taken people there for the burgers, but I love them.

#6 – Regular Beef Burrito with Medium Salsa – Burrito En Fuego – Baltimore , MD – Is a burrito a sandwich, hell yes.  This one has everything you would expect a hole-in-the-wall burrito place to have.  Simple ingredients, large portions, cheap prices, long lines.  Love it.

#5 – Pizza Steak – Jim’s Steaks – Philadelphia – I know the whole Pat’s/Geno’s rivalry, but I like Jim’s.  I can put down 3 in a sitting.  Great onions, peppers, steak and tomato sauce.  Not much more to say about the world-renown Philly steak.

#4 – Double Greek Grilled Cheese – Hector’s – Chapel Hill , NC – This legendary establishment has been a staple for college kids at UNC for many decades.  This is the place where I met Michael Jordan (long story, but a classic).  While I am not too sure I have ever eaten this sandwich in the day time or in the sober time, I am confident enough to put this one high on the list.  Basically you have a grilled pita with melted American cheese with all the Greek accompaniments.

#3 – The Grilled, Turkish, Texas Toast Breakfast Burrito – David Shapiro Original – This one was discovered by accident.  I love to make big breakfasts and when I saw I had no salsa, I found some left over Turkish Salad by Sabra.  I start with my mixture of sautéed onions, peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, and soy sausage by Morningside.  To that I add some scrambled eggs and cheese.  Then I smear some of the Turkish Salad on the tortilla and wrap everything.  The less Turksih Salad the better in this case; the flavors are extremely concentrated with this spread, so go gentle.  Then grill the burrito on all sides for a nice golden brown crunch. Delicious.  But what is the Texas Toast part?  There really is none, but I love the way it sounds in the name!

#2 – Ham and Cheese – My grandfather Lou – Miami , FL – This one is all about love.  The man has made this sandwich for himself everyday for the past…I don’t actually know the number of years, but it is many.  He toasts his role with the ham and cheese, adds a little lettuce, oregano, some yellow banana peppers, and an ice cold Bud Light. Like I said, the sandwich is made with love.  It had to appear #2.

#1 – Half Italian with Hots and Onions, No Mayo, No Oil, – Lee’s Hoagie House, Abington, PA – What can I say about perfection, at least the closest I will come to it in my sandwich lifetime.  There are many places that can serve high quality ingredients, but only one can seem to construct it in a way that keeps me going back.  You start with an Italian roll from Philly.  Then the 1st layer of meat and cheese.  Then the layer of lettuce and tomato.  Then the 2nd layer of meat.  Then your onions, hots, and oregano.  When folded up you immediately realize that there isn’t one bite you could possibly take form this sandwich that would not contain all the flavors.  I could as easily eat in 8 minutes as savoring it for 45, but make no mistake about it, this is my absolute 100% #1 sandwich of all time.  BTW Lee’s can wrap the insides in foil and ship the sandwich anywhere in the world.

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