Nothing like a day-late recap, right?
Traveling really throws me off
Well, as you may or may not know, last week I was on the road for Sandwiches of History: LIVE! in New Orleans and Boston. Shout out to my special guests Chef Nini Nguyen and Eugene Mirman! I even got to try a North Shore Roast Beef in Boston!
Thankfully, I’ve got a few weeks off before heading out to do shows in Detroit, Buffalo, and Toronto in late June/early July. And, of course, Dublin, Ireland and London, England in mid-July. And Las Vegas in the fall (with 3 or so more cities to be added). But after that, Sandwiches of History: LIVE! is over. So get your tickets today!
Ok, let’s get into it.
The Sandwiches of the Week 🥪
Monday, May 26, 2025
Tipple Sandwich (1927)
The Richmond Item (newspaper
Rating: 4
Plus up: Granny Smith apple and Trinidadian Masala spice blend
Plussed up rating: 5 1/2
Not gonna lie, the combo of cottage cheese, mayonnaise, and nuts was pretty boring. Not bad but also not interesting. Plussed it up with a little Granny Smith apple which brought the crunch and sweetness and some Trinidadian Masala spice blend which added some nice warm spice complexity and played really well off the apple. But yeah, not gonna make it again
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Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Bacon and Tomato Double Decker Sandwich (1956)
American People’s Cook Book
Rating: 7
Plus up: Gochujang paste
Plussed up rating: 8
This was, essentially, a BLT with peanut butter. And I am here for it. Not sure we needed the third slice of bread but hey, what are ya gonna do? Plussed it up with the somewhat sweet, somewhat smokey, somewhat spicy Gochujang paste which I highly recommend with peanut butter. Tasty stuff.
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Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Mushroom and Ham Sandwich (1937)
Searchlight Recipe Book
Rating: 5 1/2
Plus up: Dijon mustard, melted cheddar cheese, and a top slice of toast
Plussed up rating: 8
While the combo of mushroom and ham wasn’t bad, the way we had to treat the mushrooms was odd. From the peeling to the fact that we had to leave them halved, just odd. It also felt like they stopped short when developing the recipe. Plussed it up with Dijon mustard, melted cheddar cheese, and a top slice of toast which made it a lot more interesting and tasty.
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Thursday, May 29, 2025
North Shore Roast Beef Super Three Way (regional history)
Rating: 8
Plus up: Prepared horseradish
Plussed up rating: 9
It is rare that I get to make a regional sandwich at home then days later try one where it originated. Thanks to my guys Josh and Matt who actual delivered the real deal to me (didn’t have time to make it up to the North Shore and back).
Aside from roasting the beef, this was a pretty easy and tasty sandwich. Rare roast beef, the sweet/tangy James River Barbecue Sauce, and mayonnaise made for a delicious mess. Plussed up with a little prepared horseradish which perked things up nicely. But I will say, the real deal was fantastic (but also messy)
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Friday, May 30, 2025
Peanut Butter, Bologna, and Cheez Whiz Sandwich
Our History
Rating: 5 1/2
Plus up: Black Pepper Sauce
Plussed up rating: 5 1/2
Some sandwiches of “our history” are just on the cusp of believability. This was one of those. That said, I’ve done enough grandpa sandwiches that it was beyond reason so I went for it. And it worked relatively well. The black pepper sauce I added, while tasty was just a bit too salty for this application. It didn’t ruin the sandwich but it also didn’t improve it.
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Saturday, May 31, 2025
French Sandwich (1931)
White Lily Flour Cook Book
Rating: 7 1/2
Plus up: Salt, pepper, and top
Plussed up rating: 8
Ahh, the French…Sandwich. Another variation on a BLT in the same week! This time open-faced and on French Toast. Not bad although a little structurally challenging. Plussed it up by seasoning the tomato and adding a top piece of French Toast. Good but I think I’ll stick with the regular BLT.
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Sunday, June 1, 2025
Sardine Sandwich (Singapore)
International Sandwich Sunday
Rating: 8 1/2
Plus up: None
I think sardines are pretty good. If you don’t have that as your baseline, you’re not going to like this sandwich. But I did dig the addition of soy sauce, sriracha, sesame oil which helped the already savory sardines in tomato sauce get that much more savory. Then we had the contrast of the toasted bread and the fresh crunch of the cucumbers. Definitely worth trying if you dig the little fishies.
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In The Chips with Barry 🥔
Swiss Cheese flavored potato chips
Lay’s Taiwan
Yeah, no. I like the idea for this flavor but in order to enjoy it, Lay’s Taiwan would have had to put the flavor on the chip. Which they definitely did not.
Pesto puffed pasta
Tantos
Like the Cacio e Pepe flavor, these were brilliant. Great, deep pesto flavor on a light crunch snack. Actually plussed it up with some stracciatella (the stuff inside burrata) too!
Stir Fried Garlic Shrimp
Doritos Taiwan
Unlike Lay’s Taiwan, Doritos Taiwan brought the flavor. Overall pretty solid though the slight sweetness was not my cup of tea. Still, worth checking out.
Can It Sandwich?
Well, can it?
Thanks for watching and reading! See you next week.
Cheers,
Barry
