35 Comments
Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

For a long time the only sandwich I've really eaten is a breakfast sandwich on a weekend morning. Egg and cheese with bacon or sausage, topped with hot sauce and sometimes a little mayo. If I have a bagel, that's the ideal bread.

However, there is one sandwich that I remember distinctly. My wife likes to remind me that I once paused a movie we were watching to say "hey, remember that sandwich I got...?"

It's from a restaurant in Bergen County NJ:

Sliced roast beef with melted mozzarella and cherry peppers on garlic bread. So freaking good.

I also used to work at an Italian deli, so I made myself some pretty epic Italian subs.

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

Turkey sandwich. Lettuce, hot peppers, onions, oil, vinegar, mayo. Simple but surefire, never disappoints.

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

I want merch that says 'even if I die by the sword, I'd rather live by the sandwich.'

Perhaps a reusable shopping bag. Got to work on this.

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

Give me a Reuben! But then stand back, for to my undying chagrin, I am intolerant of lactose. And gluten a little

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

I’m a sucker for a good Cuban sandwich. Nothing fancy, just ham and roast pork with a couple of thick slices of Swiss, some mustard and pickles, on Cuban bread (if you know where to get it) and grilled on a press.

Nothing better.

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

Baguette, smear both sides liberally with spicy pepper jelly (as spicy as you can comfortably handle), stack up a lot of roast beef, cover it with a decent thickness slab of brie running the length of the sandwich. Its a fabulous sandwich sweet heat, rich brie to cool it down, and lots of beef.

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

My favorite sandwich is an onion roll with turkey, American or provolone cheese, tomato, lettuce, Mayo, and avocado. Second favorite is a good ole PB&J as sometimes there is nothing better.

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

Smoked salmon, avocado, and cream cheese. Simple and sublime!

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You already know you have a standing invite to come to Jackson Heights when it’s time for the Uruguayan chivito…

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

At the intersection of Nashville and Seoul is the hot fried chicken sandwich. A good one -- with some pickled red onions -- is sublime.

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

Impossible to have one favourite sandwich, they're all so good. Though I have been craving a PB&J for quite some time.

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Oct 7, 2021Liked by Talia Lavin

Not necessarily only at friendly’s, but the most nostalgic sandwich in my mind is sourdough, cheddar, chicken fingers/tenders, BBQ, ranch, bacon all grilled. “BBQ Chicken Supermelt”

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My favorite sort of non-fancy sandwich is the following, at Farmer in the Deli at Ft. Greene:

Smoked turkey (they slice it really thin)

On a hero

Provolone

Lettuce, onion, banana peppers, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers (pickles optional)

Mayo, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper

The key to the sandwich is the sauce created when the mayo, oil and vinegar all flow together with the salt and pepper seasoning. And the crunch of the peppers. It works.

$5 pastrami at David's Brisket House in Bed Stuay was a great sandwich but it's been a while since they had it I think

Yafa Deli in Clinton Hill made a great fried chicken sandwich

All the Italian sandwiches at Pisillo near my old job - Cagliari, Trento, and Napoli were my favorites

https://www.pisillopanini.com/menu

Other great sandwiches: the g-man at Mangialardo's in DC, italian beef sandwiches, a really good fresh roast beef on a roll with horseradish, or just the fried fish sandwich you get at the fish markets that costs only a few bucks and it's like three pieces of fresh fried whiting on white bread and the fish is hanging over the sides of the bread, you cover it in hot sauce, tartar sauce, what have you. Sure I'm forgetting a lotta great sandwiches though

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There was a restaurant my friends and I used to walk to when we were in high school. I didn't know what to get the first time, so my bestie recommended the pesto melt. Pesto, mozzarella, and tomato on buttered up sourdough with tasty fries on the side. I became obsessed. I have eaten that sandwich so many times that it represents more than just a good lunch. It's birthdays and visits to my parents, meeting new friends and catching up years later, a treat for a job well done and a consolation for disappointments. That sandwich has been there for me through it all.

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A Ruben, from The Refuge, in San Carlos, on the San Francisco peninsula (there's one in Mello Park too, but I like San Carlos better), also, get the garlic fries, unlike most, they don't disappoint. Share with a friend. If you want even more beer choices, you can bring your food next door to Ale Arsenal, they're fine with that, they don't have food.

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The Banh mi, which made me dream of traveling and then I got to experience it in Vietnam - the BLT, from my favorite shop in San Francisco, was a source of comfort when I was crashing on a friend's couch while making my documentary and being very broke - and then the melt (or grilled cheese if that counts) which equally fed me during those years of filmmaking & couch surfing. Always a comfort - cheap, easy, fast, greasy. Thanks for bringing up these memories:)

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