Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Any Club that Would Have Me

The traditional club sandwich is a double-decker sandwich on white toast. It has chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato, and maybe cheese. Ideally, it is cut in fourths and served with a frilly toothpick in each section.

But what about variations on the theme? If I have a single-decker sandwich of chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato on white toast, is it a club? What if I have a double-decker sandwich, served on white toast, cut in fourths, served with frilly toothpicks, but instead of chicken, it has roast beef? What if there's avocado on it? What if the chef substitutes ham for bacon?

At heart, I am a club sandwich purist. My ideal club looks like the one described in Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslin. (see page 743.)

As I conduct my personal club sandwich tour, I won't rule out the variations, but I'll always be searing for the club sandwich that most closely approaches my Platonic club sandwich ideal.
Posted by at

5 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 28, 2009 at 10:52 AM

    interesting post! i've never thought about being a food purist or whatever the opposite would be before...but that's what i am. i love variations of food...new twists and making the same old thing a bit different and sometimes better! for me, the perfect club sandwich would have turkey instead of chicken, no cheese, bacon, lettuce tomatoe, maybe some roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes and a vinagrette dressing. and of course a fancy toothpick! but i guess the question would be...is that even a club sandwich then?! fun topic...good luck on your tour!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paul SnatchkoMay 28, 2009 at 11:32 AM

    I LOVE avocado on a club sandwich!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Heidi PriceMay 28, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    I've got a suggestion for the club tour.

    It's a deli in Sharpsburg called, you guessed it, Club Sandwich and Deli.

    I am taking you there for lunch!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 3, 2009 at 12:08 PM

    I had lunch a Lucca today on Craig Street and had the club! Totally thought of this blog...and it was a great sandwich. Big, with turkey and a side salad and chips on the side. The bacon was crispy but chewy, if that makes sense, and I loved it. And, it was such a great size, I'll get to enjoy it again tonight for dinner :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ace of ClubsJune 3, 2009 at 5:17 PM

    Thanks, Memoirsofamodernista. Sounds delicious! I'll be sure to make it a stop on the tour.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)