sandwich – Page 32 – Michael Eats

Jerk Chicken at Rasta Pasta

Published on August 22, 2019October 17, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 61 Kensington Avenue, Toronto
Website: http://eatrastapasta.ca/

Rasta Pasta serves, as the name implies, a fusion of Caribbean and Italian cuisine. It’s a bizarre amalgamation of flavours, but they’ve been a Kensington Market hotspot for years, so they’re obviously doing something right.

Their pasta wasn’t available when I visited, so I kept it simple and ordered the jerk chicken sandwich, dubbed the Vatican.

The sandwich consists of saucy jerk chicken and coleslaw in a soft roll that’s nicely crispified thanks to a panini press. It’s quite good.

However, despite the presence of a functioning grill at the front of the restaurant, the chicken tastes more braised than grilled. It’s extremely tender, and the jerk sauce is flavour-packed and mildly spicy, but the crispy exterior and smoky flavour that you expect from jerk chicken is completely absent.

And yet it’s so tasty that it isn’t particularly an issue. The sweet coleslaw complements the savoury chicken really well, and the crispy roll is the perfect vehicle. It’s a very satisfying sandwich.

Quality Peameal Bacon at When the Pig Came Home

Published on August 15, 2019 by Michael Nusair1 Comment

Location: 3035 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.whenthepigcamehome.ca/

The peameal bacon at When the Pig Came Home, a delightful little deli in the Junction, is probably twice as thick as any other peameal that I’ve had. It’s also twice as good.

They have a bunch of optional toppings, but the Original Peameal Sandwich is quite simple, with just peameal, baby kale, tomato, and Maple aioli.

The bacon is substantial and cooked to order; it’s phenomenal. It’s super tender (and it isn’t dry at all, which tends to be an issue with peameal), and features a really satisfying level of saltiness that lets the flavour of the pork shine through.

None of the toppings particularly stand out, and I mean that in a good way — they step back and let the bacon be the star of the show.

The bun is great too — it’s nice and fresh, with a crackily exterior that gives the sandwich a decent amount of texture.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich at Chica’s Chicken

Published on August 12, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 2853 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.chicaschicken.net/

Last summer, I tried just about everything on the menu at Chica’s Chicken, and decided that it was probably the best fried chicken in the city.

It’s still probably the best fried chicken in the city. The Buffalo fried chicken sandwich is a newer addition to the menu, and it was every bit as amazing as I was hoping it would be.

It’s normally served on a brioche bun, but since they were out of those, it came on sliced bread instead. I’m sure it would have been delicious on the bun, but the bread didn’t feel like a detriment. It was an outstanding sandwich.

The fried chicken was as crispy, flavourful, and juicy as ever, and the zingy Buffalo sauce just enhances it. It’s topped with coleslaw and blue cheese sauce, and it’s absolutely perfect. It’s the perfect Buffalo chicken sandwich. I can’t think of a single thing I’d change.

Actually, that’s a lie — it’s only mildly spicy, and I wish it were a little bit hotter. But the sandwich was so thoroughly satisfying that I only barely missed the spice.

White Lily Diner Makes a Mean Meatloaf Sandwich

Published on August 8, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 678 Queen Street East, Toronto
Website: http://whitelilydiner.ca/

At this point, I’ve eaten several of the sandwiches from Toronto Life’s list of the best in the city. That’s a solid list. And the meatloaf sandwich from White Lily Diner (Toronto Life’s 12th best sandwich) is absolutely outstanding.

The sandwich features a thick slice of meatloaf, mayo, a sweet tomato sauce, and pickles. An egg is an optional surcharge, but of course you need to get the egg. Every sandwich is improved by the addition of a fried egg with a gooey yolk. That’s just science.

Oh, and did I mention that it also comes with a bowl of gravy on the side for dipping? Because it does, and it’s glorious.

It’s an incredibly rich sandwich — there’s the butter-laden toast (which they make in house, and which is amazing), the weighty slice of meatloaf, the fried egg, and of course, the gravy. That sandwich doesn’t take any prisoners. It’s not kidding around.

It’s also delicious. The meatloaf is perfectly spiced while still retaining a nice beefy flavour. It has a great texture, not to mention a nice crispy exterior from the griddle. The rich gravy only amps up the beefy flavour.

But it’s perfectly balanced; the pickles and the sweet tomato sauce ensure that it never feels one-note rich.

It comes with a salad on the side (and trust me, you don’t need anything heavier than that to accompany this sandwich) which is dressed with a simple vinaigrette; it works as a nice counterpoint to the very rich sandwich.

A Tasty Sandwich at Blackbird Baking Co.

Published on August 5, 2019 by Michael Nusair1 Comment

Location: 172 Baldwin Street, Toronto
Website: https://blackbirdbakingco.com/

The ham and pimento cheese sandwich from Blackbird Baking Co. is exceptionally simple. It’s just ham, pimento cheese, and arugula. Less is more.

Getting a sandwich from a good bakery is usually a pretty safe bet; if nothing else, you know the bread is going to be good.

And the bread here was especially tasty, with a great flavour, a lightly crispy exterior, and a nice hearty chew. I could eat a big hunk of that bread on its own and be satisfied. The filling is almost a bonus.

Pimento is a southern sandwich spread consisting of cheddar, mayo, and pimentos; its presence in this sandwich takes the classic ham and cheese combo and kicks it up a notch.

It’s creamy and rich, with a nice sharp cheesy flavour and just a little bit of spice and garlic. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the meaty ham. It makes for a top notch sandwich.