Tria is known as a destination for wine, beer and cheese, but Executive Chef Jenny Harris has crafted a sandwich menu that offers gourmet ingredients with the same dedication to quality as their fermented fare.  Look no further than the bread for proof.  Tria uses three different bakeries to source each of its breads: ciabatta from Le Bus; baguettes from Bakery Perrier and brioche from Wild Flour Bakery.  Working with vendors such as the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative ensures that ingredients are fresh, local and seasonal.

Tria’s philosophy of making great products affordable and accessible is expressed in its sandwiches, like the smoked chicken with truffle oil, Lancaster cheddar, piquillo peppers, tomatoes and arugula on ciabatta.  Or the grilled artichoke panino with spicy Tuscan pepper, white beans and Bulgarian feta, that brings together a range of textures: crisp bread, bits of melted salty feta, and tender artichokes and peppers.

The smoked salmon sandwich, Chef Harris’ personal favorite, features Alaskan wild smoked salmon with a bright mustard-chive vinaigrette, roasted mushrooms, sweet caramelized onions, arugula and tomato on a soft and chewy fresh ciabatta.

Tria also offers a selection of decadent dessert sandwiches on grilled brioche with chocolate, fruit and mascarpone.  The banana and sweet mascarpone sandwich with goat’s milk caramel sauce is both crispy and moist, gooey and bursting with flavor.  The caramel sauce seeps through the grilled bread and creates a layer of sweet crust that compels you to take another bite.

We asked Chef Harris to describe what makes a great sandwich.  Start with really good bread and focus on one or two featured ingredients; the rest of the fillings are there to complement and enhance those central flavors.  With meat, try a bolder, saltier cheese; with vegetables, go for a lighter, softer texture.  Chef Harris encourages people to try new cheeses on their sandwiches, like fontina or caciocavallo, similar to aged provolone.  And she recommends a wheat beer with most sandwiches, or potentially red wine with something earthy like the Wild Mushroom panino.

When she’s off-duty, Chef Harris enjoys a sandwich on pita or flatbread with turkey and hummus, or perhaps some aioli.  She also likes the grilled chicken sandwich at Bitar’s and just about any sandwich at Tuscany Café.

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Tria
123 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

We know that a great sandwich starts with great bread.  But what makes great bread different and better than ordinary breads?  We asked a true expert: Metropolitan Bakery’s head baker, James Barrett.

The answer is fermentation, and they figured it out hundreds of years ago in Europe.  Today, while most commercial bakeries pump out breads at breakneck speeds, Metropolitan takes 48 hours to let the dough rise under unique parameters of time, temperature and fermentation (Barrett’s approach is long, slow and cool.)  After spending 8 years as pastry chef at White Dog Café, Barrett developed his sourdough natural starter in 1987 and has kept the cultures alive and active for almost 20 years.  He considers himself a vessel for an age-old technique, allowing the natural bacteria and acids in the yeast to impart blisters on the crust.  Many bakers seek to avoid such imperfections, but that is exactly what Metropolitan aims for to bring out the flavor of the wheat.  Barrett believes their process results in chewier, moister breads with flavorful crusts.

Of course, it also starts with great flours, which the yeast eats three times a day.  Sourced primarily from Lindley Mills, an organic miller in North Carolina, the flour comes from Central US wheat fields.  Metropolitan uses no additives, fillers or conditioners, and grains and seeds are mixed and roasted by hand.

The French baguette is Metropolitan’s top seller, and always has been.  It is perfectly suited for a sandwich like prosciutto, fennel, onions and mustard.  The whole wheat sandwich bread is moist, fresh and light; great for a toasted sandwich or panini.  The multigrain bread pairs well with cheese and apples; and the nutty, sour, crisp and moist organic miche with rye flour is ideal for a chicken salad sandwich with tarragon mayonnaise.  For James Barrett, who prefers sandwiches toasted and pressed, it doesn’t get much better than a Reuben on NY rye – gooey, creamy, crisp and bursting with flavor.

After 15 years, Metropolitan now has 5 retail locations.  The Rittenhouse and Reading Terminal Market stores are managed by the company; the University City, Chestnut Hill and Old City (inside Farmicia) locations are managed by licensees.  At the University City store, breakfast and lunch sandwiches are made fresh to order.  Metropolitan also provides bakery and training for the H.O.M.E. Page Café at the Philadelphia Free Library.  Metropolitan breads are available at gourmet markets in the region, and can be found on the menu at restaurants including Rouge, Butcher & Singer and Pumpkin.  New cookies and pastry items are introduced frequently, and both breads and pastries change seasonally.

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Metropolitan Bakery
262 S 19th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

What We’re Eating takes a quick look at sandwiches the Unbreaded team can’t get enough of.

Many of the city’s Vietnamese sandwiches are served on Philadelphia hoagie rolls, not the traditional French baguette.  But at Ba Le Bakery on Washington Avenue, the large Eiffel Tower on their sign indicates that French bread is on the menu.  In total, a dozen varieties of banh mi are available.

The crusty house-made baguette is smeared with a sweet mayo and tiny bits of pineapple.  Then topped with dense and firm tofu, fried potato sticks, strips of pickled daikon and carrots, sliced jalapeno and a few sprigs of cilantro, the veggie banh mi is a sweet, spicy, tangy and fresh way to spend  $3.50 on a satisfying sandwich.

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Ba Le Bakery
606 Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (Google Maps)