We may not do reviews at MenuPages, but our legions of users are all over that. Here are five of interest.
We wanted to do a roundup of all the sandwich reviews from the past week, but then we realized, first we’d have to decide what qualifies as a sandwich. Seems to us like you need somewhere between one and three sides, but not more or less, covered by separately-baked bread. BUT, if it’s only one piece of bread, the top half needs to be covered by something touchable, like lettuce (as opposed to, say, cubed tomato - bruschetta is not a sandwich). Burgers? Those are sandwiches. So, too, falafels - hence the three side clause. But samosas and empanadas are not sandwiches, since the starch portion and the filling portion are baked together. On the other hand, a sandwich whose sides have been pressed together to form a pocket…that’s still a sandwich, even though it’s covered on all sides. And what of hot dogs? If you think that’s an easy question, then consider the lobster roll. See, it’s quite complicated.
But not so complicated that we can’t talk about sandwich reviews.
On February 7th, “Michael” wrote a review for Taboun Grill:
The food here is really, really good. Hummus, soup, kubbeh, shawarma, kebabs- it’s all delicious. Service is pretty good. Restaurant is usually crowded so the atmosphere is a bit noisy.
A tip- get the shawarma in a “lafa” ( large, flat, rolled bread) instead of a pita. It costs a few bucks more but you get a lot more meat and a much bigger sandwich overall.
So instead of a pocket, it becomes a wrap. Both perfectly acceptable sandwich forms!
The next day, “Chris R” (who may be a shill), left a review for the new Jerry’s Sandwiches:
Not sure what happened when the other two reviewers went but I’ve been a few times now and have had great service and really like the grub. It’s called “Jerry’s Sandwiches” but it’s no ordinary sandwich shop. They have something like 100+ sandwiches (a bit mindboggling) and one of the best beer lists in Wicker Park or Bucktown.
People do like Jerry’s, so maybe it’s a real person. Something’s setting our shill detector off…defending the restaurant against other reviewers, maybe? But otherwise, you don’t get more straight-forward sandwich than Jerry’s.
On the 9th, “Will” wrote in about Austrian Bakery & Deli:
Just found this place and ordered a Schnitzel sandwich. It tastes just like in Austria. This stuff is sooooooooo delicious. I know I will be back for more.
Schnitzel sandwich? Ja, bitte!
On the 10th, “Pam” expressed her love for Chicago Bagel Authority:
Cozy, authentic, best food, great service, chat with the owner. Best bagels in Chciago, try it you won’t be disappointed. Whenever I take friends there the first response is usually…OMG!!
If you think a bagel can’t be the base for a sandwich, we pity you, sincerely. Especially when the filling is smoked fish, fish salad, or…smoked fish salad!!!
Finally, “umah” had this to say on the 11th about University Market in Hyde Park:
U-Mart is a staple of my group of friends’ lunches. Almost every day we make the pilgrimage to the store to get delicious sandwiches on ciabatta bread. A bit pricey, but definitely worth it a few times a week.
We had forgotten about University Market until just now. In our college days, we’d eat their sandwiches for lunch a few times a week - they were quite good. Glad to see it’s still on someone’s radar.
[Photo: lafa, Yar0n/flickr]
