A conversation about sandwiches inevitably descends into a debate about what constitutes a sandwich. The Oxford dictionary says a sandwich is “an item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other fillings between them, eaten as a light meal.” Of course, we know a sandwich can use more than two pieces of bread and can definitely be more than a light meal. With that said, I’ll need to supply some ground rules when discussing my favorite sandwiches in the Boise area.
Is a hamburger a sandwich? Yes, but in its own dominant category and therefore will not be considered. Is a hotdog a sandwich? Um…no. Is it a sandwich if it’s in a pita? Maybe, but I’m going to stick to bread-based sandwiches. Is a wrap a sandwich? Same as the pita. This left me with a formidable challenge, in that the range of sandwiches—from fine dining to the cheapest of eats, with taste profiles from a wide swath of ethnic/regional cuisines—meant giving recommendations within this expansive category would require an open mind.
I’ll start off with my favorite fine-dining sandwiches. At Trillium, Chef Chris Hain is known for elevating traditional fare into something fantastic. His bison meatloaf is savory and warm, familiar yet challenging, and the fact that he put his meatloaf on the Bison Grilled Cheese sandwich, with Havarti cheese, wild mushrooms, levain bread, and whiskey jus, was an experience worthy of a fine dining menu. Similarly, the Percy’s Porchetta French Dip, with its flavorful and fatty pork roast, stuffed with Italian herbs and dipped in au jus, makes me smile my biggest smile.
At a more moderate price point, we find a world of delights. The Baguette Deli makes their bread daily, and my favorite of their sandwiches is their House Special—Vietnamese cold cuts served with egg mayo, pâté, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and jalapeño. The Carne Asada Torta at Campos Market is traditional in both preparation and ingredients and is the epitome of don’t fix what ain’t broke. Casanova Pizzeria is known for their excellent Neapolitan style pizzas, but their Chicken Parmesan sandwich puts their amazing house-made marinara to work with this hearty sandwich. You can find a Reuben on many menus around town, but nothing comes close to how the folks at Gil’s K9 handle this popular offering.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to Westside Drive-In, who serves up the most inexpensive sandwiches that are also well-made and delicious. For $3, you can get a Fried Bologna sandwich—Texas toast, fried bologna, pickles, ketchup—worthy of grandma’s kitchen. For $4, you can take home either a Hot Turkey or Hot Roast Beef sandwich—they’re just bread, meat, and gravy, but I say that’s absolutely all you really need.
Two pieces of bread, filling, condiments—so simple that we often take for granted just how special a sandwich can be. I’ve shared a few of my favorites, but now it’s your turn. Grab some friends and hit the sandwich trail. As always, please let us at Flavor know where we should go and what we should try. Cheers to good food, good drink, and good company.
