I love a good sandwich. I mean, it’s nature’s perfect meal, right? So I was drawn to this article in Esquire purporting to have done the research and determined which were the very best and where we could enjoy them. So here, unranked, unimpeachable and incomplete, is Esquire’s coast-to-coast list of the finest meals on sliced bread. No burgers allowed. Sadly, none of the recommendations are in my local area… except one:
You can get a chicken sandwich anywhere, which may explain your low expectations. Boneless breast. Bun. Blah. But down south, there lives an eye-opener. A come-to-Jesus sandwich. The Chick-fil-A. Seasoned, breaded breast served on a toasted buttered bun with dill-pickle slices. No mayo. No sauce at all. Deceptively simple, yet transcendent. The hook is the breading: spicy, with an intoxicating crunch. The meat is always juicy, never chewy. The bun is like lingerie — there, but not, providing delicious support without obscuring the main flavor. The first bite changes everything you think you know about chicken. And about the need for condiments.
Check the Esquire website for the rest. Included are the Cuban Meat Sandwich at Paseo in Seattle, the Italian Beef at Al’s #1 Italian Beef in Chicago, and the Cubano at Latin America Cafeteria in Miami.
Hungry now? Me too!